Funko Plans To Open Giant Store In Hollywood This Year

In addition to getting its own movie, Funko Pop is finally getting its own brick-and-mortar location. The vinyl movie and TV show toys that have become a staple of Barnes & Nobles and Gamestops everywhere will be occupying their own giant Funko store set to open in Hollywood late this year.

The Funko figurine maker company plans to open a nearly 40,000-square-foot store in Los Angeles in late 2019, according to CNN. The LA store will be located in Hollywood Boulevard, not far from the famous TCL Chinese Theatre, and next to a Shake Shack and Soul Cycle. That's intentional — Funko CEO Brian Mariotti told CNN Business that they plan to target both tourists and local residents.

"So many people are looking for an experience when they shop — not just buying things," Mariotti told CNN Business. "This is retail times pop culture."

Funko began as a project to create various low-tech, nostalgia-themed toys, and gradually expanded into one of the biggest pop culture-themed merchandise lines today. The recognizable Funko Pop vinyl figurines and bobbleheads depict everything from popular superheroes, to directors, to obscure TV procedural characters.

While most Funko purchases occur through online retailers like Amazon, or speciality retailers like Hot Topic, Funko has already opened a smaller retail outlet at its corporate headquarters in Everett, Washington. The store wound up exceeding Mariotti's expectations that it would only appeal to pop culture enthusiasts and Funko employees. If the LA store is a success, Mariotti said that more Funko locations could open in other tourist hotspots, including London, Tokyo, and Las Vegas.

There is no set opening date for the LA store, but Mariotti anticipates a Halloween ribbon cutting. The company is still working with a building developer and local officials in Los Angeles, with parts of the store being built in Washington and getting shipped to California. The store will be made of more than simply shelves and displays — the new Hollywood location will let customers pose with life-size Funko figures and sit in a toy version of the Batmobile.