We had the good fortune of connecting with Rafael Bautista and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rafael, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business . has go back when I was a young kid visiting toys r us and just spending hours walking through aisles. Always think how kool it would be to own your own store and have people come and visit. The Funkool Shop in Monterey Park Ca is a little fraction of my childhood dream and I’m just enjoying every minute since we opened in 2022. And bringing celebrities for meet and greet signings has been rewarding from fans who appreciate me doing the shows. But it has it’s moments were it’s slow but you learn to overcome challenges and move forward. The most important thing about having a business is to make Fun / Kool.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets us apart from other business is that we ONLY specialize in older exclusives, Customs and rare to find collectibles. And like any business there will always be struggles but having a great team behind you’ll be fine. Marketing is key to a successful business having your name/ brand out in social media and having a good relationship with your customers.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Bars and restaurants in Long Beach. Frank and sons if they heavy into collecting.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Special Shoutout goes to Victor Torrez from Amigos/ Floral Market for giving me the opportunity to open my shop and encouraging me. He is always positive and always supports my ideas never any negative thoughts or feedback from him.

Instagram: @Funkool_shop

Youtube: The funkool shop

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