Look out for Alvin and his two chipmunk friends.
You can’t miss them; they’re over there by the door. They’re huge — about 150 times bigger than a real chipmunk. They’re plastic, wearing shirts and grinning like they just found their two front teeth wrapped up in Christmas paper.
Welcome to Bobakhan. Come on in.
The display window facing Hewitt Avenue at Bobakhan (Dan Bates / The Herald)
The name trips some people up at first. That’s Boba Fett from “Star Wars” and Khan from “Star Trek.” Say it a few times fast — you’ll get the hang of it.
Bobakhan is new to Hewitt Avenue in Everett, a storefront that houses shelves upon shelves of toys and collectibles. But the business isn’t new. It’s existed at a different address for several years: www.bobakhan.com.
Yes, sometimes businesses outgrow the good old World Wide Web. That’s what happened to Bobakhan, which slowly took over the home of owner Sean Spraggins.
“We had a warehouse, and then it overflowed into our house,” said Spraggins, who’s been in the collectibles business for about 20 years.
The business has been self-sustaining online for several years, and it’s Spraggins’ only source of income now. He works at the store full-time (and then some) with help from his wife.
Owner Sean Spraggins at his Everett store. (Dan Bates / The Herald)
He picked the Hewitt Avenue shop because of location. It’s right by the freeway ramps for I-5 and U.S. 2. Much of Everett’s work force drives by on its way to and from work — and that kind of traffic can translate to a lot of buzz.
Especially when your store has a giant Jar Jar Binks figurine in the window. (Not to mention the chipmunk trio.)
“Star Wars” is a big business driver for Bobakhan, but that’s not the store’s focus. Spraggins said he wants to make the store kid-friendly.
And maybe more importantly, female-friendly.
“When I decided to open the store, I wanted to make sure that everyone could come in and find something they loved,” he said.
There are My Little Ponies, both in and out of original boxes. Littlest Pet Shop toys are displayed along with light saber-bearing figurines.
Since collectibles stores are often limited to porcelain dolls or comic-book heroes, Spraggins thinks he’s carved out a niche for his company.
Most of his sales still come from the business’s website, but Spraggins says foot traffic is picking up. He’s hoping to get a bigger local foothold soon.
“It’s broadening our scope,” he said one afternoon last week, seated behind the front counter at his shop.
“We didn’t have as many local customers as you’d think — it’s been mostly everywhere else,” he said. “And we wanted to have a presence in the Seattle area.”
Above his head looms the only toys in the store that aren’t for sale: “The Simpsons” family seated on a custom-made ledge behind the counter.
Made to promote the 2007 “The Simpsons Movie,” the giant figurines sit in a row, staring wide-eyed out through the windows to Hewitt Avenue.
Homer holds a silver remote larger than most textbooks. They’re watching TV, like in the TV show’s opening credits.
“Definitely in the Northwest, there’s nothing like this,” Spraggins said.
Know a small business you think we should write about? Contact Herald writer Amy Rolph at arolph@heraldnet.com.
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