COPPERAS COVE, Texas — After months of anticipation, Otakutopolis, the beloved anime store that originally opened in Temple, has officially relocated to Copperas Cove. The store hosted their grand opening Saturday, Nov. 16.
Otakutopolis is an anime and pop culture store and serves as an anime lovers wildest dream. They sell anime items including t-shirts, toys, bookbags, makeup, posters, accessories and more. There are also dozens of anime characters in store ranging from Monkey D. Luffy to Naruto Uzumaki.
The owners, Joan Almeida and Miguel Encarnacion, told 6 News they have loved anime for years and it encouraged them to open their own business in 2019. They added that how their business expanded during the peak of COVID-19 and gained a lot of traction on their website.
They then decided to set up shop at different anime conventions in Central Texas and those were very successful. That's when they decided to open a brick-and-mortar storefront.
"It was starting to grow, and anime started to grow quick," Encarnacion explained. "So we said maybe we have more opportunity to reach more people."
The store was first located in Temple and business was very good. But when May's tornadoes hit Temple, Encarnacion said it slowed down business. This is when the owners decided to look elsewhere to continue expanding their business.
When the space opened in a popular shopping plaza in Copperas Cove, Almeida and Encarnacion jumped at the opportunity.
"We opened the the door half hour early and people just start walking and lines were out the door," Encarnacion said. "I hope that they keep supporting us and Copperas Cove accepts us."
Their hope is to have immense success at their new location and open more stores across Central Texas in the future.
The store is located at 302 Cove Terrace Shopping Center, Copperas Cove TX 76522
Store Hours
Sunday | Closed
Mon - Thu | 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday-Sat | 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.