Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
In your youth, there were certain shops that you couldn’t wait to visit and when you got there, you didn’t want to leave. Are they still there? Why did they disappear? Did they have enough support or help? Did their customers just shop online?
As a retail shop owner, we’ve seen the tides of change. Shifting spending habits coupled by our crippled economy have forced closures of an endless amount of retail establishments. It’s a nationwide epidemic that’s not well addressed or supported. Are empty street blocks our future? Or will they be filled with mega-corporate owned “fake” small businesses?
Changes happen in small amounts and a business like Uglydoll started a new promotion that’s exciting as it is fresh and they’re helping small businesses by offering a special coupon that’s redeemable for a special Uglydoll. It’s retro in that it relies on US Mail, just like the legendary great promotions of the past.
It was a few years ago at Comic Con that our friend lost his Star Wars pen. He was relentless in his effort to find it. Time passed, everyone was forced to wait while he crawled on his hands and knees. It was a ball point pen. Why was it special? It was a mail order premium that might have been worth a few dollars, but sentimentally worth everyones teasing.
David Horvath explains the promotion from ideas to reasons why. It’s incredibly generous and thoughtful and hopefully inspires others including ourselves to do the same.
GR: What made you decide to do the Cookie Chef Babo promotion?
DH: It’s about getting people in the stores. We have a new guy Mike, and he was at Hasbro for 22 yrs. On his first day, he and I had this idea independently, and I give him the credit. That’s what he brought. He’s been great about that sort of thing. The idea is to get people into the stores. This is definitely something we want to do more of. We got this ready in the beginning of the year when he started.
OFF! at FYF 2011
One of my favorite photographers is Glen E. Friedman. I was lucky enough to meet him at a few book signings and correspond with him when Giant Robot mag ran a series of articles on Asian-American skaters from the Dogtown days. Friedman’s first proper book was called Fuck You Heroes, and it’s a hardcover that all of you should own. It captures his crisp but natural images from crucial points in counterculture from skateboarding to punk rock to rap, and features heavyweights like Alva, Adams, Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy. Not only was he there to witness and capture the energy, but he also vocally espouses the P.M.A., veganism, and other worthy beliefs and causes. Yes. So I was stoked when released his next book with outtake and ancillary images called Fuck You Too. I would never compare my skills to Friedman’s, but in that spirit, here are some extra pics from last weekend’s FYF that are too good to let rot on the hard drive (and might earn me points toward another photo pass next year). A little commentary, too.
Steven McDonald of OFF! at FYF
OFF! is an instant hit decades in the making. If you add up the members’ years of experience of playing kick-ass punk rock ‘n’ roll (Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Redd Kross, Rocket From The Crypt, Earthless, Clikatat Ikatowi, 411, Burning Brides…) the total might approach 100 years–and it shows in a good way.
Japandroids at FYF 2011
This pic of Japandroids is a little blown out, but it accurately conveys how hot it was.