About Us
It's hard to believe, but Anime Island has been open for TWO WHOLE YEARS!
Our family decided we wanted to do this anime thing back in December 2022. With the EC Plaza's gracious assistance, we celebrated our grand opening on the other side of the Plaza in May 2023 then moved to our current location at 4060 ECP in November 2023. We've come a long way since the days of the Plushie Pool and the Junket cooler storage. (But not so far a distance - some of you may have even seen us walking our cabinets and cases across the plaza on dollies!)
We are so grateful to have grown up and raised our family in the East Bay Area, and now more than ever appreciate all that this community is and offers. Amy's experience growing up as part of a family business was unique in its community ties (how many jewelry stores have you known that left their back door unlocked so friends could walk in and pour themselves coffee on their way up to the front to visit?). We might not leave our back door unlocked nowadays, but we still strive to provide a similar sense of comfort, belonging, and community. :)
Thank you to our amazing team of staff and volunteers over these two years:
Tyler, Bess, Adan, Ethan, Kayden, Malachi, Kristian, Kiki, and so many family and friends who've helped out in so many ways.
And thank you to our incredible customer base and community for being part of our Anime Island family, we love all of you!
xoxo,
Amy (BHS '87) & Jason (BHS '86)
Kalen (AHS '16), Avery (AHS '19), Alton (AHS '21), & Revin (AHS '24)
The Anime Island 2024 Holiday Staff Party! - December 2024
We moved across the Plaza - November 2023
Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting - May 2023
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Our family's roots in the bay area started in the 1910s on Amy's side and the 1960s on Jason's. Amy and Jason grew up in Berkeley (BHS '86 and '87) and bought our first house in El Cerrito; our three sons (Kalen, Alton, and Revin) graduated from Albany High ('16, '21, and '24).
Starting early, then especially over pandemic, our family spent a lot of great time together watching anime, but the boys were disappointed in the inadequacy of available anime merchandise. Having grown up playing trading card games, the boys recognized that there was also a growing scarcity of local card tournament spaces. After much consideration, we decided to take the leap into retail and attempt to fill both needs at once!
We are incredibly grateful for all the welcoming support we've received and are excited to be a vibrant part of the east bay anime, comics, trading card, and gaming communities. Please stop by and visit!