San Francisco Toy Shopping 2012 part 2 - Kimono My House

No toy trip to San Francisco would be complete without a trip to the venerable Kimono My House. KMH may be one of the last shops in the US devoted to nothing but Japanese Toys.

Wait, didn't they close a few years ago? Sort of.

While the KMH store did in fact close, the owner Yuki opens up his warehouse one day a week for visitors to stop by and purchase some toys. It's a far cry from the store that opened in 1981.

Located a few blocks from the old location, the warehouse easy to miss due to there being no sign. If you don't know the address, you won't find it.

After calling to confirm that he was in fact open, Jeremy, Ken-A and Mr Soupy-Oh and myself met on a rather beautiful March morning. As we entered it was something like crossing the threshold into Narnia.

Make no mistake, this is more like a large garage than a warehouse, most evident by the van parked inside. But beyond that lie large red Torii gates which act as a gateway to toy nirvana.

To the left and right are bits of Japan, nestled in this arched structure. large fiberglass displays, vintage posters and even cars are tucked away in the alcoves. To the right, the owner sits at his desk.

The stock here is a shadow of its former glory, but it is still heads above what else is out there. There are shelves devoted to Godzilla, Macross, Gundam, Transformers, Sentai and more. Each genre has a small section.

There are two rows of glass cases that are covered in sheets to hide the contents from the sun. many of the items are the same that were there the last time I visited, 7 years ago.

In fact, the keen observer will notice that little here is new. It looks like KMH stopped buying new stock about 5 years or so ago, and now the goal seems to be to get rid of the stock that is left. Each time I asked to look at an item, Yuki would dissapear into the back and get a fresh item out of storage instead of what was on display. 

Half of the warehouse was devoted to the current stock, the other half was for ebay sales - we were reminded a few times to go back there, but the unopened cases of first season power rangers toys beckoned us.

I also saw a mexican bootleg Dairugger that looked like it was made out of wax, but it was missing a part - Yuki was going to put it on ebay once he found the piece. I wanted to take it home, but it had to wait until it was complete.

Upon sensing that we were kindred spirits, Yuji brought out some large folders full of vintage anime posters, some of which are very rare. They are not for sale he said, but we could take pictures.

He also broke out a book for the original Robotech TV series - it was a style guide with line art that was originally given out to licensees who were going to produce product.

I will admit, I bought a lot of stuff. As I was picking through what was left of the vintage gokin, Yuki kept pulling out pieces and asking me if I had this, or if I had ever seen that. One piece he pulled out really caught my eye, and I agreed to purchase it. I'll never forget the look in his eyes as his heart sank a little. He had had this toy for so long and he never thought he would sell it - It was one of his favorites. But he saw that it would go to a good home and agreed to let it go. I wont tell you what toy - you will have to wait for the review.

I feel that this place will not be around much longer. Yuki is getting old, and I don't think anyone else works there. Walking around I saw what looked like a slept in bed and a mini-fridge, so I think he may actually live here as well.
Toy collectors in the Bay area may have seen Kimono My House's better days come and go, but for me, these infrequent trips have been glimpses into what once was. I have often heard of other collectors shun the idea of going to KMH, saying that it's been "picked over" or that there is "Nothing Left" there. this may be true for the hardcore collector, but for the rest of us, Kimono My House is a must visit - while it lasts.

Visit:Kimono My House
1465 64th St, Emeryville Ca
Open Saturday and Sunday, but call to confirm
510 654-4627
http://www.kimonomyhousetoys.com/