How did the name Amok Time come about?
The name itself…it’s funny because a lot of people actually use it as a throw back to the old Star Trek Amok Time episode which is more or less loosely where it comes from. But it’s also that whole frantic search the whole out of time type of thing, that’s more or less what it is. We carry a little bit of everything from all aspects of collectors from all times so that’s more or less where it kind of came from.

And how long has this store been in business?
We’ve been in this location now going on four years. We’ve been in business now for over ten years. It started as mail order originally straight out of the house and we just kind of progressed to this.

So you were there when it all started?
I was there within the first two years. I was there very early on but I didn’t start with the company.

What makes this store different from the rest?
Well, selection I would say would be a major point. We carry everything from toys to model kits to comic books we kind of have a little bit of everything for everybody within this type of collectible hobby in science fiction and toys and comic related type stuff. I would say in terms of setting us apart from a lot of other places is the way the store is organized. We have a lot of showcases set up. Everything is really neat, we have displays so that people can actually see the toys and we don’t have a lot of clutter kicking around so you don’t have to fight to find what your looking for you just have to look around and it’s right in front of you.

I noticed when you walk into the store you have showcases full of all types of eye candy like resin statues, busts and dioramas. Who makes them and are they usually for sale?
No they’re not. Hobby enthusiasts for the most part. We’ve got a lot of hobby fans in here who do this type of thing and we like to showcase some of the kits and some of the unique works from people so what better way to do it then take a big diorama that someone has taken the time to construct and actually display it for a while. Some of them are on loan some of them are ours.

Are you a toy fan or collector?
Yeah, unfortunately or fortunately as the case may be dealing and working in a place like this the bug kind of hits you so you get involved. I collect a little bit of this and a little bit of that, Star Wars, Superheroes, that type of thing nothing really hard core.

Most collectors today have taken whole rooms to display their toys, do you display them?
Nothing like this store but I try. I more or less clear most books off of my book shelves and they get sacrificed for my little toy hobby.

How did you involved with the store?
Well the owner and I have been friends as long as he’s been in business and actually before hand. I’ve been in the community myself working within the hobby since even before Amok Time so I have some experience with all this. This was familiar grounds so what better way then to come work with your friends.

It sounds like a lot of fun.
Yeah, yeah, I’m not going lie to you it’s a lot of work but there are far worst jobs that you can have.

What are collectors looking for these days?
Well, you know everybody has their own thing, it’s not like it was years ago when the only thing out there was Star Wars. Superheroes have come back in a major way. Comic books have kind of made a return, the book sales are strong as a result. I think partially due to some of the movies and the media and all the coverage and all that and the fact that the toys are now being geared specifically at the hobby based market as opposed to the general mass market. So they’re finally producing toys for stuff that people have been looking for, for 20-30 years now. Monsters too have come back in a very big way over the last couple of years. So horror films are very popular again and there’s been a resurgence of interests in the old classic monsters as well as a lot of the new horror icons.

What kind of collectors come in here in terms of age and ethnicity?
I get a little bit of everybody that comes in here its not one specific market, everybody’s got their own thing and we try to carry a little bit for everybody. I get children as young as 12-13 and guys well into their 50’s and 60’s.

What is the best selling item right now?
Currently I would say it would be a toss up between the DC Direct Superheroes and the Marvel Legends. Followed by the Sideshow weta product, the Universal Monster stuff and the Lord Of the Rings statues and that type of thing. The higher end items right now seem to be very, very popular with the adult collectors obviously and that’s become a major thing now. Like the more expensive statues and prop replica type stuff.

Does Amok Time attend toy shows?
We would like to attend more than we do unfortunately it’s a matter of time, we devote a lot of time to the mail order aspect of the business and the retail and it takes up so much time its very hard for us to travel. But we always make the Chiller Theatre show and the major shows that hit Manhattan . More often than not we’ll do the San Diego Comic-Con.

 

So you guys do a lot of mail order business?
Yes, mail order is the bread and butter of just about anybody who’s still around at this point.

 

 

Where do you see the toy collecting / toy business industry headed?
Right now the trend seems to be targeting the direct market industry where a lot of smaller companies are distributing and producing stuff solely for the comic book type market where they’re hitting the collector stores. There’s a lot of stuff now that you are not seeing in your Toys R Us, your Target or your Wal-Mart. We’re seeing for example a horror based character or figures based on R rated movies or stuff that places like Wal-Mart would shy away from based on content or what they believe parents might object to. The action figure market definitely seems to be heading to a much older age market at this point it shifted from that 7 year old to the point where I think they’re trying to target now your 14-16 year olds which is the starting market for a lot of stuff. You have a lot of adult based comedy stuff like Family Guy which isn’t being sold mass market it’s being sold specifically in hobby shops. Lots of horror related stuff like Freddy vs Jason and again which is being geared specifically for hobby shops and not your mass mainstream.

In your opinion what is the best toy or toy line ever created?
I don’t know, I’m still very partial to the whole Star Wars thing but you know that’s my age demographics I grew up with that so I have a soft spot for that. But, I don’t know they keep improving on everything it’s hard to nail it down to one. I would definitely say Star Wars because they’ve done more with that toy line in terms of selection and just an over all abundance of stuff than any thing else done. So I would probably go with Star Wars, it’s certainly the largest toy line I think that’s been done.

Any interesting stories with a frantic toy collector or celebrity?
Oddly enough we tend to get a lot of wrestlers. I guess because we are the closest to Nassau Coliseum and the Tri County flea market where they do signings. A lot of them tend to buy the vintage G.I. Joe’s it seems to be popular with the wrestlers but they’re also into the horror and the superhero related stuff. We also get Kevin Smith from time to time.

 So if our readers wanted to go online to purchase something where would they go?
The website is www.amoktime.com we have a full catalogue and ordering available on there, it’s a secure website you can do it by credit card, paypal we also do check or money order you can email us or just call us at the store all the information is on the main page.

Thank you very much for your time.
No problem.

Get there before 12!

 

Story by Robert Covarrubias