Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Giron.
Hi Richard, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our business was born through hanging out with my best friend, Rick Polendo in high school. We would play games, watch cartoons, and otherwise distract ourselves from doing our homework. In late high school and early college, we got into anime, an easy jump since many of our childhood cartoons had been made overseas. Anime was not mainstream at the time and the few friends we knew who were also into anime invited us to attend an anime convention. It was an explosive environment for us; we found an entire convention worth of people who like what we liked. We were able to talk to others who understood our passion, join in video game tournaments, learn about new anime that was up and coming (Toonami was very limited at the time and Adult Swim was just about to be invented).
After attending multiple conventions, we decided that San Antonio needed to have a place where the local nerds could join with each other to continue the convention feel. There were local comic book shops but no great anime shops. One that did exist was MoshiMoshi in Ingram Park Mall. We decided to talk to the owner about helping us learn the basics. He was very willing and I took a part time job there. It was great to meet some of the other people in San Antonio that also loved anime. And, it was great to see some of the same people who attended conventions. Because of the convention experience, I was in a position to suggest products for the store and was even given a role in ordering product and finding distributors.
As college progressed Rick and I decided that our first step into the selling world should not be in a store, but instead by selling at the conventions. We pooled our money, gave ourselves a name (RikRic Otaku Cafe), made an order, and dove in to the convention scene in April of 2006. Our booth was not like any of the others. We were livelier and more entertaining than anyone else. We didn’t have the best product at the time, but we made up for it with our excitement. We quickly made a name for ourselves throughout the Texas Anime Convention circuit. We spent 9 years doing conventions and getting our name out. Along the way, we started collecting Japanese Arcade machines.
In January 2015, after months of preparing, we opened our physical location along Blanco Rd. We have been forever thankful that our audience followed us around Texas conventions and then into our store/arcade. The physical location gave us the opportunity to be introduced to the San Antonio gamers community. We started becoming popular with different gaming groups who would host their tournaments in our arcade. We adapted to them and worked to make our arcade more suited to their needs. With constant improvement, we became the main center for multiple game tournament scenes, none more helpful than the San Antonio Fighting Game Community.
We also moved into a new facet of anime merch that we had not explored during our convention days; model kits, specifically Gundam. We dipped our toes, fell in love with the shows and model building. We found that there were builders all around craving a chance to come together to share their passion for Gundam as well. We began hosting every other month events that we call GundamNights, a mini Gundam party with food and competitions.
Our goal has always been to build strong communities of folks who share the passion for anime, manga, and games.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For most of our existence, both Rick and I have had full time jobs. We built the company in our spare time and attended conventions with time off of work.
Covid, of course, was a major struggle. We had to work hard to stay relevant in the minds of our customers. We built a website, something that we had not done up to that point. We began online selling and starting doing local delivery with our own vehicles. We also allowed curbside pick at our New location, which was being built.
We’ve been impressed with Otaku Cafe, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Otaku Cafe is San Antonio’s largest anime store and Japanese style arcade. We carry figures big and small, model kits focusing on Gundam, plushies, and blind boxes. We have always prided ourselves on being a place to not just purchase products, but also to hang out. We have a dedicated projector for anime with table space to sit and enjoy. We sell prepackaged snacks and drinks. We even have a separate, quiet area to get away from the busy arcade and just enjoy the vibes.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I feel lucky that I do not have a single favorite memory. I come from a large family and I can’t narrow down just one. Hanging out with the family at holidays, birthdays, and vacations fill my mind with lots of happy memories.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rrOtakuCafe.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rikricotakucafe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rikric.otakucafe
