Tokyo Kid, Japanese Gift Store in the Garage, Plans to Close

Over ten years ago, a rising interest in anime drove a science fiction retailer in the Garage to reinvent itself as Tokyo Kid, a Japanese merchandise store. But now with the rise of Internet-based sales and the weak yen-dollar exchange rate, Tokyo Kid is planning to close later this month.

The store—which specializes in Japanese anime products, including DVDs, manga, posters, and figurines—is facing competition from the Internet, where customers can often find the same videos and comics for free.

While DVDs are only one of many products in the store, owner Andrew Cocuaco said they were a major driver of sales.

“I used to be able to sell 20 copies of any DVD, but now I sell one, maybe two,” Cocuaco said.

Other retailers of anime and manga have struggled with the same problem. Tokyopop, one of the largest international distributors and publishers of manga, shut down its North American publishing division in May.

And the decreasing yen-dollar exchange rate has put additional pressure on American retailers of Japanese products to mark up their prices. In 2008, the exchange rate was over 100 yen to $1, but today it has decreased to about 77 yen to $1.

Cocuaco was hoping to close Tokyo Kid in July, but has been unable to negotiate an exit from his lease. He has now set September 25 as the store’s closing date, but may have to keep it open until the end of the year. Regardless, Cocuaco has decided to let his current stock sell out.

Kofuku, a Japanese gift shop at 30 JFK St., has faced the same difficulties, but is able to continue selling its products despite slightly higher costs.

“We still try to make the customers happy. We’re even trying to expand to another location,” said Kofuku Manager Henry Kawakubo.

Kawakubo said Kofuku is a more family-oriented store than Tokyo Kid, which sells mainly to teenagers and adults.

According to Cocuaco, the changing demographic of Japanese product sales has affected Tokyo Kid’s business. He said that most Tokyo Kid customers used to be middle-aged men, but the consumer base has become younger due to the teenage appeal of some Japanese manga and television shows.

Older customers would purchase more expensive products such as model kits, while teenagers tend to purchase cheaper items, Cocuaco added.

Tokyo Kid was originally opened under the name Man from Atlantis over 20 years ago. The store shifted from selling science fiction products to anime because of the popularity of anime at the time.

Cocuaco, who has been interested in Japanese anime since he was 6, purchased the store in 2000.

“I wanted to be a manga artist, but that would have been difficult being non-Japanese. I had to moderate,” Cocuaco said.

After working nearly seven days a week for the past 10 years, Cocuaco said that when the store closes, he is going to take a vacation and then move into a different industry.

“You can’t download food, at least not yet,” Cocuaco said.

—Staff writer Kerry M. Flynn can be reached at kflynn@college.harvard.edu.