Tuesday, November 07, 2006

toybot studios Toy Vacation!!! Part III: LA Chinatown

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It's the day after the "We Are All Mad Show" and a family tradition is to go to LA's Chinatown for Dim Sum at Empress Pavillion. It's a huge restaurant but still gets very crowded. It's located in a shopping mall of sorts with multiple floors. For some reason, this mall has several cool toy stores to visit while you're waiting for your number to be called for Dim Sum. My favorite would have to be Robocon. It's owned by Alan Wan and has a pretty good selection of Asian Vinyl, mini figures, T-Shirts, etc. Alan is in the entertainment business and has worked on some pretty cool toy releases including the Tetsujin Giant Robot from Kaching Brands. He also holds art shows for local up and coming artists in a small gallery in the back of the store. Prices on the toys are pretty reasonable and you might be able to snag some rare Hong Kong vinyl if you're lucky! Check out Robocon. Definitely worth the stop while you're getting some good Dim Sum!

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2 comments:

Jennifer George said...

Wow! Robocon didn't have that much stuff last time I went. I'm going to have to check it out. And I was just in Chinatown too...

Mmm, Empress Pavilion. Love the turnip cakes.

toybot studios said...

Hi Jennifer!

thanks for dropping by! Chinatown is a convenient way to do a little toy shopping! Not only do you get some of the best Dim Sum in LA, you have at least three pretty good toy / anime stores in the mall - not even including Monkey King. Not to mention the classic Chinatown staple Jin Hing in the alley for jewelry! I think Chinatown has more Japanese toys than even Little Tokyo. Check back for spotlights on Monkey King and Anime Jungle!

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