Exploring Life & Business with Christopher Sicuso Jr. of Anime Night Mart

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Sicuso Jr.

Hi Christopher, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
We started this anime pop-up event in Las Vegas in collaboration with Anime Gear Guru’s brick-and-mortar shop. Anime Gear Guru wanted to host a pop-up event at their parking lot in order to gain more awareness of their store on a local level. It went better than expected, and we decided to pursue more anime pop-up events from there!

We had connections in Southern California and figured why not give that market a try as well as we knew that was a hot market for anime. The first venue we reached out to was the STC Anaheim GardenWalk. We were able to secure the venue after a couple of emails and follow-ups. We had to act quickly! We made many cold calls, emails, and direct messages to local vendors and friends. We were able to secure a handful of local Southern California anime vendors, and we finally held our first event out there. We received amazing feedback from vendors and attendees and decided that we would throw monthly events in both the Las Vegas and Southern California areas.

The pressure was now on! We understood we had something good on our hands. We started brainstorming all the different experiences and values we could add to our events. We looked and modeled other successful events both local and big conventions. Our team of three had run different businesses in our lives, and we started implementing all the tactics that made our other businesses successful. We understood that our first year was purely about building our brand and reputation. Not worrying about putting money directly into our pockets. The profit we made off events we put right back into the company.

In early 2023, we decided to partner up with the local event planner group Summoners Stories. This was one of the best business decisions we made. They have brought so much value to our event and completely helped the evolution of the experiences at our event. We want to thank them so much from the bottom of our hearts.

In April of 2023, we decided to attempt our first big event. We were able to negotiate renting out the Westminster Mall parking lot. There was much anticipation from our audience because of all the canceled events. Leading up to the event we were not sleeping well because of the pressure. The event ended up being a complete success and better than we could ever imagine. We officially felt established as a local event in Southern California!

From there we moved our event to Buena Park Mall and had many successful events with amazing feedback from both attendees and vendors. We were astonished at the anime community we were bringing together and how much people really loved the event.

We have decided that moving into 2024, we want to secure an indoor venue to protect us from the elements. The big risk about outdoor events is the weather can be so unpredictable, and you cannot control it. We are currently negotiating with a few venues in LA and will hopefully be making an announcement of our next event soon!

We gained over 8,000 followers in our first year and are amazed at how successful our first year was! We are going into 2024 very strong and are more motivated than ever!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been far from a smooth road haha, but you learn as you go and what does not kill you makes you stronger.

Without a doubt, the beginning was the toughest period. We executed hundreds of thousands of emails and direct messages in order to grow our vendor list in order to throw bigger, more profitable events. We contacted multiple venues in the OC area to secure backup spaces for the event.

In the first quarter of 2023, one of the biggest adversities we had to overcome in the beginning was having to cancel our event three times in a row due to rainy weather forecasts in Southern California. We were very proactive and transparent with our audience about the situation. Fortunately they were more understanding than we could ever imagined. Regardless, we had more pressure than ever to make sure our next event was very successful.

Another huge obstacle was how hot the summer was. It was brutal, but we got through it. This was one of the main factors that made us decide to move our event indoors for 2024.

Another struggle was that we were new to acquiring city permits for events. We were close to not making deadlines a few times. Here is a huge tip for events, plan and prepare ahead as far as possible, sometimes approvals for permits take weeks even months.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Anime Night Mart LLC?
Anime Night Mart is a monthly Anime event that draws inspiration from traditional Chinese night markets while cultivating a family-friendly atmosphere. The event aims to provide a diverse range of Anime-themed offerings and experiences for enthusiasts of all ages. With a meticulously curated selection of esteemed Anime vendors, attendees can explore and purchase unique and captivating merchandise.

Our team has expertise in: Marketing, Sales, Content Creation, Brand Building, Event Coordination, and Networking.

What sets us apart from others is our genuine empathy and deep passion for local communities. Our core mission is to bring the grand experience of larger anime conventions to a more accessible local level.

We are most proud of the amazing local community that has been built around our events.

Our event offers: unique anime vendors, cosplay contests, local dance and music performances, gaming, K-Pop experiences, scavenger hunts, raffle prizes & live DJs.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
We started the business after the Crisis was over.

What we did learn as individuals is that you always need backup plans, and the ability to pivot your strategy on a dime is so key in modern society.

Contact Info:

• Website: animenightmart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animenightmart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/animenightmart
• Other: https://linktr.ee/animenightmart

Image Credits
Charles Sicuso Jerald Vallan