Scenes from Bandai Namco Cross Store Grand Opening

Bandai Namco Cross Store at Industry City

Otaku Voice Staff

The other week I took the N train down to 36th St. in Sunset Park The Japan Village at Industry City is my typical go to in the neighborhood (and the MicroCenter next door), and the day’s trip was no exception. It was to take a peak at the grand opening of Brandai Namco’s new Cross Store.

Announced only a couple of week backs, the Bandai Namco Cross Store in New York City is the first official dedicated store to all of Bandai Namco’s properties state-side. Appropriately, they are located in the Japan Village section of Industry City, upstairs and right behind the Daiso.

I figured there was to be a bit of hype around the grand opening, but I also hoped that a random Friday in February would also preclude a massive crowd. I was quite wrong. There was a line snaked through the store, out the door into the landing above the stairs, and all the way down the block outside. More specifically it was a line for the One Piece card game. We will get to that later. If you weren’t there for the card game it was much easier to step in and peruse the rest of Bandai Namco’s offering.

More Than Just Gunpla

I definitely have a bias when it comes to Bandai Namco. In my mind they are a video game company first and foremost, and then a Gunpla/model company second. The Cross Store is very much more than both of those assumptions.

The first thing I noticed is how much this store is not Gunpla or even Gundam focused. First thing you see walking into the store is the old RX-78-2 model standing next to the entrance (See above), as well as the first section on the left which is most of the Mobile Suit Gundam merchandise. The rest of the store is quite a smattering of everything else they have a hand in that I wasn’t even aware was them.

The wall on the right and directly in front of you from the entrance is a massive section of gotcha (gashapon) machines. Roughly every animated and video game property of note is represented with some assortment of cute trinkets to collect. On the left as mentioned before is the Gunpla/model kit section. Lighter on actual Gundams than expected with quite a few other major non-Bandai Namco properties prominently featured, like Pokémon, Dragon Ball, & One Piece.

Beyond the first wall of gashapon is a seated section for card game & tabletop play. During the grand opening, it was however converted into a snaking line of excited fans, eagerly waiting their turn to collect the One Piece itself. That line funneled through the One Piece card game section, and directly to checkout. Also pictured below are the mini-arcade, the Tamashii Nation figurines, a wall of Tamogachi, and the non-Gunpla focused art supplies. It is a smorgasbord of everything otaku that isn’t anime or manga.

Scenes from the Store

Below are a couple of shots from the grand opening. Most look empty, but be assured the store was packed with fans excited to get in and get some of the card game march.

The One Piece Card Game

In my brief tour of the new shop, there was something in particular that caught me completely off-guard. The sheer number of people and the the corresponding length of the line to get into the store just for the One Piece card game. I am quite the trading card game enthusiast having been playing Magic: the Gathering for well over two decades, and while I am usually aware of what the market is into, this was a complete surprise.

There were no less than 150 people on the line around 1PM when I arrived. That is both everyone outside of the store on the 35th St. sidewalk, and everyone lined up in the play area within the store. Fortunately, it was rather well organized and well kept with employees and signs clearly marking that the line was explicitly purchasing One Piece card game products. Made it a lot easier to to get into the store without waiting on the hour long line.

For anyone looking to check out the store, it obviously won’t have a line that long on the regular, but events there are very likely to be quite the scene in the future.

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[Image via Industry City Site]