Who is Spinners?

Hey everyone, 

First and foremost I would like to thank you for visiting the website.  Having my own website has always been one of my goals, and I'm extremely excited to share it with everyone.  

My name is Christian Leal, and I am the owner of Spinners Toys & Collectibles.  I am from Dallas, Texas, and 26 years old.  I am in a wheelchair, and have brittle bone disease, also known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta.  I went to University of Texas at Arlington, and Graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Marketing and Management.  I started off as a regular Funko Pop collector back in late 2015.  I got my first pop from my mom, and after that the hobby just grew and I went wild.  Eventually I attended my first Pop Swap at a Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, that I was invited to by my friend Gabe.  This appearance led to the beginning of this whole journey for me.  

I began attending more shows throughout the months, buying more and more, until I spoke to a few friends I had made in the community, namely Jay of Crazy Loco World, and Shawn of 181 Comics and Collectables, about possibly joining the resale business.  After mulling the idea, I finally gave in and decided to do it as a side hobby.  It was just something that was supposed to be fun and give me something to do. 

Fast forward a couple of years, and I realized I was doing quite a bit of shows, and my inventory had grown way bigger than anticipated.  After a couple years, I was approached by Jay in mid/late 2019, if I wanted to join him in his shop expansion and be a full fledged member of the shop.  It was a super exciting opportunity and I almost immediately said yes.  I joined the shop in late November of 2019, and we had the shop for about a good 6 months.  Right up to the occurrence of the lockdown for Covid.  We ended up having to leave the shop, and went back to doing our own thing during the lockdown period.  There wasn't many shows going on at that time, so business was extremely slow.  I hadn't bought any new inventory, so what I had was the same as what I left with before lockdown.  once things started up again, shows were a bit slow for me for a little while.  Until I decided to sell my Planet Arlia Vegeta from my personal collection.  I ended up getting some inventory and trade in return the Arlia.  Looking back, that was probably the deal that saved my business.  I was able to bring more variety to the shows, and it put me back on the map.

Since then, the shows picked up for me, and I began attending more and more events.  I eventually got into my first Convention which was the very first Weeb Con.  It ended up being the best show I ever had (at the time).  I got that taste of a convention and since then, the growth skyrocketed.  Not just for the business, but for myself as well.  I realized what it took to really run a business, and that's when I decided that I was all in.  Fast forward to now, I've set up at shows that I never thought I would ever be in; Fan Expo, Kameha Con, Collect A Con.  I've also thrown 4 shows as well.  No where near as big as the cons, but they are special shows.  Shows for the local community, to give back and have fun, without any big fee, or requirements.  We also always have some type of charitable drive going on as well, in order to give back.  If you'd like to hear more about the events, check the "Upcoming Events Hosted by Spinners" section and the main menu, and you can find the details and flyers there. 

All in all, everything has lead to this.  The website itself.  If you know me, and you've supported me I thank you for all the support thus far.  If you're just discovering me, I welcome you, and I will make sure your experience with us is special.  Thank you for the support, and looking forward to our bright future!