A haven for anime fans has opened in York.
YorkMix reported in October last year that Anime Gallery was moving into the former Cooperative Bank building on Feasegate. Now, a few weeks since its opening, it’s going down a treat.
Anime Gallery features a shop downstairs and Studio Ghibli-themed cafe upstairs, with figurines, plushies, clothing, bags, memorabilia, and more from a variety of anime like One Piece, Haikyuu!!, Tokyo Ghoul, Spirited Away and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
The shop is the brainchild of Maggie Yang, who also has similar locations in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Anime Gallery is Maggie’s first shop in England.
“I made the decision to open in York because I thought the people here are very kind and warm,” Maggie told YorkMix.
“After we opened, we had a lot of customers come in and give us a very nice and warm welcome and say they’re happy we’re here – so we hope we can stay for a long time!”
Maggie explained that she hopes Anime Gallery will become a hub for anime fans in York.
“It’s been quite exciting to see everyone come in and like the merchandise and the cafe area,” she said. “We want to help anime fans have an environment to meet and chat together – it’s not just like a retail shop.
“We hope to make our shops a community space for fans.”
Anime Gallery want to shape their stock around customer suggestions, so if you don’t see products from your favourite anime, get in touch with them on Facebook and Maggie explained that they’re happy to order things in if they’re available.
The shop also contains some products that you can’t find anywhere else in the UK, and has suppliers in Japan, America and China.
Anime Gallery aims to host card tournaments in the future too, and run in the national Yu-Gi-Oh tournament. They will also soon provide free board games for people to come and play in the cafe area.
Inside, Anime Gallery is genuinely visually spectacular with giant figurines of popular Ghibli characters upstairs in the Totoro Cafe – including Kiki and Gigi from Kiki’s Delivery Service, Totoro and Mei from My Neighbour Totoro, and No Face from Spirited Away.
Beautiful Ghibli-inspired murals adorn the walls too, with a variety of licensed Ghibli merch available to buy too.
Maggie emphasised that visitors don’t have to buy anything to enjoy Anime Gallery, and that people are welcome to come and relax in the cafe area and hang out with friends.
The cafe menu is forthcoming, but will include simple treats like coffee, bubble tea, cookies, and ice cream. There are Japanese snacks and drinks already available to buy in the cafe like Pocky and Ramune.
Anime Gallery is open from Monday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm. Stay updated at their Facebook page.
Take a look inside this new unique destination cafe and shop for York in our gallery below.
Gallery
