It's been years since I've been to the Pilot Ace shop. As I recall, it was tiny and overpriced. It's also over there in Asakusabashi, so the location isn't the best. Probably would be better off if they were one stop over in Akihabara.

Seems like the old school shops are dropping like flies. There are really only a handful left with a nice vintage selection.

More and more companies (including Gargamel, etc) seem to be finding they're better without a physical store, since they can still sell online, at shows, etc. It's getting tough to justify the overhead of maintaining a store when so many consumers are accustomed to buying online. Even a shop like RxH seems to get more phone orders for new figures than walk-in customers.

Anyway, for stuff like vintage toys, I'd much much rather shop in person, even if it costs a bit more than an online purchase. So keep supporting the good folks at Ichibanboshi, Jarinko, etc!!

I think Golden Age's stock is different enough from Liberty's for them to co-exist. Whether they'll be able to keep business brisk enough to afford rent and other business expenses is another issue. Luckily, he does quite a bit of business on YJA.

I haven't been to the new Mandarake in Akiba....is there a good amount of vintage stuff like in Nakano?