Today we’d like to introduce you to Osman Rivera.
Hi Osman, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My Funko story began in 2015 when a good friend of mine gifted me a Dragon Ball Z pop – it was a metallic Berrus. I started to see more of these Dragon Ball Z Funko Pops in stores and started collecting them because it was an Anime that I was very fond of. From then, I noticed there were different styles and variants of Funko pops and began my collections of Marvel, Disney, Anime, etc.
When the pandemic started in 2020, I was looking for a hobby to occupy my time because everyone was told to stay home. I created an Instagram page solely dedicated to my passion for Funko Pops. Through this community, I joined photography groups and entered contests where I would take my pops out of the box and display them for pictures. I was excited to display my collection in a different way through photography.
My Funko journey continued when I became employed by a big Funko distributor known worldwide. Through this opportunity, I met different groups of collectors, attended Comic Cons, and became more familiar with the business side of Funko.
Fast forward to October 2022, my partner and I decided to open our own local shop dedicated to Funko and fandom-inspired candles. We were happy to bring our love for the Funko community to our hometown of Highland Park. We are now the closest Funko Pop in the North East Los Angeles area.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Owning a business comes with its challenges and rewards. One of our challenges has been getting our name out to the public. We have had lots of help with word of mouth, social media, and some advertising. A big help to our store has been our loyalty rewards program and helping out the younger crowd in the community by offering student discounts.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Something that sets our brand apart from others is our combination of Funkos and candles. Families come to our store, where everyone has the ability to purchase something from our store, whether it be a candle of Funko Pop. We try our best to appeal for our customer’s requests whether it be a specific candle or Funko they would like to see in-store. We are also in the process of offering candle-making classes in-store!
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
All candles are made in-store and contain no chemicals or toxins.
Pricing:
- Common Funkos start at $12 each or 3 for $30
- Candles range from $12 – $30
Contact Info:
- Website: https://xoilluminatedco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozpops100/
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