Wonko’s Toys & Games

Wonko’s Toys & Games

Written by Shannon Colletti Saturday, 07 July 2007

Entrepreneur plays with toys, earns living.

Chad Seger has enjoyed collecting toys since he was 4 years old. In October 2005, he decided to turn that lighthearted pastime into a serious business when he opened Wonko’s Toys and Games, a store that specializes in collectors’ items.

“I was looking for something to do as an occupation and decided to turn a hobby of mine into a business,” Seger said. “It was wading into completely uncharted territory. I just got a few books on opening a retail store, found a place to put things, bought a bunch of stuff I thought was cool, and Wonko’s was born.”

Named after a character from author Douglas Adams’ series “The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, Wonko’s caters to collectors seeking rare toys and board, card and miniature games. Whatever Seger doesn’t have, he said he hunts down, separating his store from competitors such as Toys R Us, Dragon’s Lair, Hog Wild TX and online sites.

In the beginning, Wonko’s carried about 2,000 unique items. That number has since tripled. Seger’s merchandise mostly comes from various distributors and his customers. He offers a trade-in program where he buys products for half the guide price and then sells them for full price.

“It’s my revolving toy collection,” Seger said. “I get to sit in a room filled with toys all day. Sometimes I get to play games with my customers and call it ‘work.’”

Despite the fun nature of the job, the former sound engineer admitted he was a little nervous about starting his own business. He said initially there were days when he made no money, but after a large advertising blitz, people started showing up.

Seger originally chose his store’s location at US 183 and Lake Creek Parkway because it was next to a Vulcan Video store, and he knew they would share customers. Vulcan recently closed that location, but Seger said he doesn’t think that is going to hurt his business significantly.

“Our market is very specific, but in that market, we have the largest variety in town,” he said. “Most of the time, our customers know if there is a hard-to-find new or old toy, they can find it here.”

Although Seger has patrons who visit the store weekly, he also does business with customers all over the world. He said 40 percent of his customers are 21 years old or older, and most of the rest are 16 or younger.

“I always wanted to do things that are fun,” Seger said. “Luckily I’ve always managed to do that. This is the culmination of that effort to always have a job that is fun.”

Wonko's at a glance:

• Bestsellers:
  • Stikfas ($14.99-$17.99)
  • “Star Wars” action figures ($9.99)
  • Gundam figures ($5.99-$200)
  • Halo II action figures ($17.95-$34.95)
• Seger’s personal favorites:
  • Twilight Imperium ($79)
  • Original 1977 Boba Fett action figure ($1,200)
  • Interactive R2-D2 ($129)

Wonko’s Toys and Games, 13729 N. Highway 183, Ste. 630, 335-1000, www.wonkos.com

0 Comments