>>6767690This kinda made me choke up a bit because Heroes Club / Art of Toys is a very big part of my childhood. I don't mean to go on about shit you guys don't care about much but I just want to share.
Heroes Club / Art of Toys was only a few blocks away from where my rich aunt and uncle lived, being a poor kid whose only interest was toys and nerd culture we never really got along. We had to constantly go down there to spend time with them and I remember feeling so trapped every time.
One time when I was 8-10 I remember my stepdad taking me down to Geary Street because he knew I dreaded San Fran, especially when they closed down F.A.O. Schwartz. When I walked into Heroes Club / Art of Toys I remember being so happy because all my life I had been told that toys were for kids and they were a waste of time and money and that I'd grow out of them. Then there stands the owner, this older man (I think it may even be the same guy in the glasses), that went against like everything every adult ever told me.
Figures in glass cases, masks, paraphernalia of all kinds. It was like the only cool thing in San Fran for me for a very long time.
As I grew up I always felt like a sperg but I always wanted to say "Thank you" to the guy but I think it'd come out really weird and shit.
Like even when I turned 18 I went down there and tried to apply for a job but I was turned away.
I know it's a bit stupidly sentimental but seeing other adults into collecting that come off normal or even successful and even someone I looked up to like Robin Williams; especially in a store that means so much to me. It melts my heart.
Toys give me a sense of control and scale in my life and I look back at Heroes Club / Art of Toys often and think about how depressed I would be if I had never gone in that store and listened to everyone that told me to grow up.
