Presenting: Patrick Mar - Poptopia

Business Profile

Story and photography by Pete Dulin.

Published: Friday, March 20, 2009

Poptopia

Poptopia
www.poptopia-online.com
4126 Pennsylvania, Suite 3
816.931.9800

Grand opening - Saturday, March 21, 2009

Patrick Mar has collected comic books and designer toys for over twenty years. “Officially, I’m a geek,” says Mar. To prove his point, his phone’s ring tone is the James Bond film theme. “I’ve always contemplated opening a store of my own.” Embracing his inner geek, Mar decided to open Poptopia, a new Westport boutique shop that sells designer and urban vinyl toys with characters that look amusing, odd, charming, and menacing.

Poptopia
Patrick Mar

“These are artist-based toys. The figurines are essentially a three-dimensional canvas to put artwork on,” says Mar. “National and international artists are creating the toys and work with manufacturers to produce them.”

The shop opens its doors on Saturday, March 21, in Westport near Murray’s Ice Cream and Cookies and Californos restaurant. K.C. Juice, a locally owned smoothie shop at 4141 Pennsylvania, also recently opened just a few footsteps away from Poptopia. At a time when the entertainment district has lacked new retailers, it’s too early to tell if these openings are early signals of a return to a diverse tenant mix in Westport.

For now, the variety is a welcome sign that locally owned businesses in the historic area can still draw Kansas City residents and out-of-towners. The recent St. Patrick’s Day parade that drew thousands of people into Westport was a major coup and triumph for local merchants. Mar is seeking a smaller niche audience for his shop, but he did enough homework to believe that the urban vibe and foot traffic in Westport will draw customers.

Poptopia

Hot Toys
Inside the shop, hundreds of vinyl toys in the form of colorful and quirky characters line the shelves. Designer vinyl toys are hot collector items around the world from Japan to Germany to the United States. “I’m new to the industry in that I’ve only been drawn to designer toys in the last couple of years,” he says. Mar cites products from Qee, Tokidoki, and Buka as favorites.

Domestically, New York-based Kidrobot is touted as the world’s premier designer and retailer of limited edition art toys and apparel. Founded by designer Paul Budnitz in 2002, Kidrobot plants itself at the intersection of urban street trends, fashion, and pop art. This online and store-based business has shops in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami. Budnitz’s company stays at the forefront of the cult phenomenon by collaborating with international artists from the world of street art, graphic design, and fashion on fresh designs as well as selling the creations.

Mar’s Poptopia focuses on the retail end to meet local demand for the limited edition designer products. “I’m emulating the models of KidRobot and Rotofugi in Chicago,” says Mar. “I will carry as much variety as I can.”

The budding shop owner has plenty of in-demand products to chose from and stock. U.S. designers such as Budnitz, Frank Kozik, Joe Ledbetter, and Tristan Eaton have significant followings stateside and overseas. This growing artistic trend and cult following has grown beyond fanboys. In fact, the Museum of Modern Art acquired thirteen Kidrobot toys in late 2007 for the museum’s collection.

Numerous websites have sprung up such as Vinyl Pulse to cover daily news about designer toys. Online retailers such as Kidrobot.com and other sites have capitalized on the trend. Mar expects that Poptopia-online.com will generate as much or more business than the street-side shop, but he has ambitious plans for the Westport business. He says, “I want to have the largest selection of designer toys and collectibles in Kansas City.”