When You Cater To Halo and Star Wars Fans, Even In A Recession A Business Can Thrive

Online, January 7, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Halo 13, located in The Burbank Media City Center Mall, is the brainchild of husband and wife store owners Heidi and Frank Corona, and came about because of the love they have for movies, gaming and comics. Despite the fact that the retail business arena is littered with the remains of failed stores, including some major names, the Corona's felt that knowing how much they loved the cartoon and other characters that came from some of their favorite entertainment, that there had to be others who felt the same way. Their philosophy was based on the idea that by biting off a piece of the market and going after a very defined segment, they could be successful. Two years later, despite the recession, it looks like they were right. Halo 13, a store that sells anime, video game, and film based toys and collectibles, as well as comics and other entertainment based items, is still going strong.

Interestingly, though Halo 13 does brisk business on the sale of action figures and collectibles from the immensely popular video game series, Halo, the store is not named after the game.

"It is just a stroke of luck actually," said Frank Corona, who primarily runs the day to day operations of the store. "The fact that our name is associated with such a popular game and that we draw people because of it, is not something we planned quite like that to tell you the truth. Actually the name for the store comes from The Nine Inch Nails and their music. I am a huge fan of that band and the name draws from the song reference."

Frank Corona is a veteran of the retail business, having been a manager of Kay Bee Toys for many years. So he knows the retail business and the toy market. But while his store does sell toys and items for young people, his largest pool of customers are teens and young adults who flock to the store to buy those unique collectible figures that remind
them of their favorite characters in popular movies and comics. On the shelves and in display cases for sale are large, detailed statues and models of such iconic characters as
Terminator, Predator, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Chuckie, Cobra Commander (from G.I. Joe) and many more. It is almost like a movie and comic museum.

"We get a lot of people in who are collectors and just love these pieces," said Frank Corona. "In fact I'd say that is one of the largest segments of my business in terms of sales. That and comics collectors and readers."

So why then has Halo 13 been able to survive when so many other retailers have gone out of business? Corona even watched his former employer, Kay Bee Toys, close its store right across the hall from him in the mall just this past spring.

"I think it is because we are not trying to be all things to all people," he said. "We are focused on one segment, the people who love entertainment and the toys and items that go with it. Even in tough times people want to their entertainment. Maybe even more so in tough times. Kids are still going to play with action figures and video games. And adults will still want items that remind them of things they like and that made them happy. That's what we sell in a sense. Don't get me wrong, our sales have been impacted, but we offer a chance to escape all that and even for a moment, to live in the world of great fantasy."

It seems to be the right idea as Halo 13 has outlasted even the big toy chain and is now the only entertainment based toy and collectible store in the mall right now. Which goes to show that the right idea is right no matter the economy.