DESIGNING THE COOLEST STORE THAT WAS KNOWN AS COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY

IF YOU ARE A PART OF THIS GROUP-THEN YOU AT SOME POINT AND TIME YOU WERE A PART OF (OR KNOWS SOMEBODY WHO WAS) WHAT WE ALL REMEMBER AS THE COOLEST POP CULTURE STORE-PROBABLY EVER-COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY- WHICH USED TO BE INSIDE OF THE WESTFIELD SHOPPING CENTER(FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE FALLBROOK  MALL) IN WEST HILLS, CA BACK IN THE 1990s.

**(BEFORE WE BEGIN- I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT YOU READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE ARTICLE BEFORE CLICKING ANY LINKS AS THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN UPDATED -IF YOU'VE COME ACROSS IT BEFORE-BUT IF YOU MUST HIT THOSE LINKS- TOTALLY  UNDERSTOOD!)

Photo by Steve Kogen

I WAS FORTUNATE TO BE A PART OF A GROUP OF POP CULTURE NERD / AFICIONADOS- ONE OF WHICH HAD A GREAT VISION ON A LARGE SCALE TO  TO MAKE A HAVEN FOR YOUNG AND ADULT COLLECTORS- TO ENJOY.

                             CGG Maestro Supreme 

ORIGINALLY THE STORE STARTED IN SANTA MONICA, CA AND IN LOS ANGELES-AS COLLECTORS PARADISE (A VERY COMMON NAME FOR A COMIC SHOP- IVE LEARNED LOL) ,BEFORE MOVING  TO THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY WITH A NEW NAME 

COLLECTORS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. 

I WAS A PART OF THE STORE SINCE THOSE EARLY DAYS-BUT I DIDN'T TAKE ON THE ROLE OF DISPLAY DESIGNER-AND LATER THE ART DIRECTOR FOR OUR SHOPS UNTIL AFTER ARRIVAL IN THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY. WE FEATURED A UNIQUE ELEMENT IN OUR SHOPS THAT EVEN TODAY - YOU WONT SEE-

FULL SIZE ACTION FIGURE DIORAMA DISPLAYS

            D- Toy Display Designer / CGG Art Director 

"Q-Zar"  occupied the space before the CGG Takeover 

IT WAS THEN THAT THIS "COMIC BOOK SHOP" EVOLVED INTO MUCH MORE-IT EVEN AMAZED ME. I'M GONNA BE HONEST-AS DAUNTING AS PUTTING THIS STORE TOGETHER TOTALLY FROM SCRATCH AFTER "Q-ZAR" MOVED OUT WAS,I'M SO GLAD THAT MANY OF YOU WERE AROUND- (SOME WHO I WOULD MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME LIKE JERRY,BONG, JOSE,Z-TRON,LAURA,JERMAINE,AND A WHOLE BUNCH OTHER STAFFERS PLUS THE OL SKOOL CREW ALL AMIDST THE POKEMON CRAZE.

            Pokémon Training and Contests

IN THE VERY TOP PHOTO WE CAN SEE THE MAIN REGISTER WITH THE "BARBIE DOLL" SECTION. WE WERE TRYING TO GROW OUR COLLECTION OF BARBIE DOLLS AND WE CAME UP WITH THE CLEVER IDEA OF HAVING THE BACKGROUND PAINTED AS "KING KONG" PEERING OVER A FENCE-PEEKING DOWN AT THE BARBIES (UNFORTUNATELY YOU COULD ONLY SEE HIS NOSE IN THIS PIC). PAST THIS AREA TO THE LEFT WAS THE "HOLLYWOOD" SECTION- WHERE A LOT OF OUR HIGHER END COLLECTIBLES WERE DISPLAYED LIKE AUTOGRAPHED GUITARS (VAN HALEN)AND CLASSIC AND CURRENT MAGAZINES. THANKS TO BRUCE COLEMAN WE HAD SOME MAGAZINES THAT WERE HISTORICALLY OLDER THAN ALL OF US PUT TOGETHER AND ADDED A TOUCH OF MATURITY TO OUR POP CULTURE HAVEN.

 (Winners of Pokémon Tournament  held @ CGG)

I'M SURE YOU ALL REMEMBER THE AWESOME BRIDGE WE BUILT IN THE ENTRANCE THAT WAS CURVED AND WENT OVER WATER TO ENTER THE THE STORE SURROUNDED BY A CAVE WITH VINES? FROM THERE IF YOU HEAD TO THE RIGHT YOU'PASS OUR "HOT WHEELS" SECTION... WE EVEN MANAGED TO HOST A PRETTY AWESOME "HOT WHEELS SHOW" WHERE WE PACKED-I MEAN PACKED CGG FULL OF HOT WHEEL DEALERS FOR A MINI CONVENTION AT 7 AM ON A SUNDAY MORNING-AMONG MANY MANY OTHER EVENTS WE HELD IN OUR STORE.

Photo by Genta F.

CONTINUING TO THE RIGHT YOU WERE GREETED BY THE HEAD OF THE JEDI COUNSEL-MASTER YODA AS YOU ENTERED OUR AMAZING STAR WARS SECTION.

EPISODE ONE "THE PHANTOM MENACE HAD JUST BEEN RELEASED-SO WE ENJOYED THE BENEFIT OF HAVING A LONG AWAITED MOVIE FROM THE STAR WARS SERIES-ALONG WITH NEW MERCHANDISE-RUNNING THE SAME TIME AS POKEMON- IT WAS A GREAT TIME RIGHT?

The Shop was a Magnet for Celebrity Events before closing in the late 1990s 

IN THE CENTER OF OUR STORE WAS OUR AWESOME AND AMAZING GLASS DISPLAY CASE OF OUR MOST SOUGHT AFTER ACTION FIGURES LIKE ORIGINAL  TRANSFORMERS

 AND GI JOES WE HAD SOME OF THE RAREST-HARD-TO-FIND FIGURES THAT CUSTOMERS WOULD COME FAR AND WIDE TO COME CHECK OUT OR PURCHASE. BEHIND THIS CASE WAS "THE KIDS SECTION" AND WE ALSO HAD A COUPLE TABLES SET UP WHERE CUSTOMERS COULD PLAY CHESS, CHECKERS, OR DOMINOES.TOTALLY CHILL ENVIRONMENT- SURROUNDED BY COOL STUFF AND COOL FOLKS.
    Collection of Rare Action Figures  at CGG

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS GLASS DISPLAY CASE WAS OUR "GODZILLA" DISPLAY-WHICH WAS THE ONLY DISPLAY WE HAD IN THE FRONT SECTION OF THE STORE-AND WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT INTERACTIVE WITH THE CUSTOMERS BY BUILDING A RACETRACK AND DESIGNING A CITY SCENE AROUND IT -WHILE THE BACKGROUND WAS MASTERFULLY PAINTED BY ROB-ONE OF OUR STAFF ARTISTS.

Godzilla Racetrack Display

SO THIS WAS PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THE FRONT SECTION - WHICH LEADS US TO OUR STARGATE ENTRANCE (SHOWN BELOW) WE DESIGNED WHICH WE REALLY WANTED TO MAKE THE CUSTOMERS FEEL LIKE THEY WERE ENTERING ANOTHER REALM- WHICH WAS THE SCI-FI SECTION OF CGG! THIS WAS DEFINITELY ACCOMPLISHED AND WAS ONE OF THE COOLEST PARTS OF OUR STORE AND JUST TO THE RIGHT BEFORE YOU ENTERED THROUGH- OUR FAMOUS "CARD GUY"-BRET WAS SET UP THERE.

            The Card Guy Doing an interview at CGG (Check out the Custom Uniform CG Style)

COLLECTIBLE CARDS HAVE MAINTAINED THEIR POPULARITY OVER THE YEARS EVOLVING FROM THE OLD BUBBLE GUM SPORTSCARDS PACKS  AND POP CULTURE POWERHOUSES SUCH AS MAGIC THE GATHERING, STAR WARS, POKEMON, AND MANY OTHERS HAVE THROWN INTO THE COLLECTIBLE CARD ARENA- MANY OF THEM BEING ACTUAL GAMES THAT ARE PLAYED WITH THE CARDS BEING COLLECTED. MANY OF THE CARDS ARE RARE AND ARE SOLD INDIVIDUALLY AS WELL. TO LEARN MORE - CLICK HERE

OF COURSE THE SHOP IS LONG GONE NOW FOR MANY YEARS- BUT THE MEMORIES WE CREATED THERE AND THE FRIENDS WE MADE ON THE JOURNEY WILL LAST A LIFETIME- YOU CAN ALWAYS TAKE A SHORT TRIP BACK  DOWN MEMORY LANE HERE- OR BETTER YET SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE AT CGG WITH YOUR YOUNGSTERS!

CONTINUE THE TOUR.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK ON THE OTHER SIDE OF OUR STARGATE AT CGG! CLICK HERE

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