OH ROY! MEET TOY MAN SOON

Recession or not, it's business as usual for The Falcon's Hanger owner Roy Soon

YOU may have heard that the world is in the midst of a severe economic crisis.

TOY MANIA! Toy Carnival @ SAM will take place at the Singapore Art Museum this Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

But for Mr Roy Soon, the 37-year-old owner of The Falcon's Hanger, which specialises in selling toys and collectibles from Japan, Hong Kong and the US, it's been business as usual.

He believes what has helped his company during this economic downturn is his 'customer profile, which is middle-to-upper income'.

He told The New Paper in a recent interview: 'Our customers have a buffer. That's why they've been with us for years.'

Just like the movie business, which doesn't seem to have been adversely affected by the global meltdown, toys appear to be recession proof.

Said Mr Soon: 'When the downturn hit, yes, some were affected. Some cut down here and there. But most will say that it's bad enough that every day is bad, the toys can't go! This is my end-of-the-day joy!'

Mr Soon is so optimistic about the toy business here that he is helping to organise the upcoming Toy Carnival@SAM. It will take place at the Singapore Art Museum this Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

A total of 30 vendors will be participating in the event, which Mr Soon hopes will attract families, in addition to hardcore collectors.

'It's a low-cost event, and there are free giveaways.'

Local toy collector Sam Leung, a 29-year old flight attendant, says the recession has curtailed his toy-buying sprees to a certain extent.

He said: 'I used to spend from $200 to $600 a month on toys. But for the past two months I haven't bought any.'

Yet, he said if he really likes something enough, as an avid collector, he would not hold back.

As for the carnival, Star Wars fans will want to take special note, as the members of costume enthusiast group 501st Legion Singapore Garrison will be there in full Star Wars regalia.

Droid hunt

Said Mr Soon: 'They've organised games for families, such as a droid hunt. They'll also be free to pose for pictures - they live for that!'

For those who love Japanese pop culture, the carnival will also feature cosplayers dressed up as anime characters.

Based on past experience with smaller-scale events held by The Falcon's Hangar, Mr Soon is confident that the carnival will draw a large crowd.

But some might wonder if Singapore can support two separate toy fairs.

The Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC), supported by the Singapore Tourism Promotion Board, kicked off last year. It will be on again next month at the Suntec Convention Centre.

Mr Soon doesn't see a conflict.

'The STGCC is international. Our event is more of a local, Sunday family event. We don't want to compete with them. I invited them to come down and do their publicity with us.'

As for the toy fans themselves, two events are obviously better than one.

Mr Leung says that he would definitely go to the Toy Carnival.

'There isn't enough of this kind of thing in Singapore.'