Funko, makers of pop culture figurines and much more, is growing so rapidly that it needs more space for its headquarters in Everett, Wash. With its move to a historic building downtown, the company will also be opening a giant flagship retail location this summer.
KING 5 reported Friday that the 19-year-old company plans a store with 17,000 square feet of retail space which will also serve as a worldwide tourist destination for Funko products. The location at 2802 Wetmore Ave. is set to open Aug. 18.
The company holds hundreds of licenses for tens of thousands of characters across such franchises as Star Wars, “The Walking Dead,” “Stranger Things,” the National Football League and many more. It’s wide-eyed POP! figurines are a staple on geeks’ desks and bookshelves everywhere.
The new headquarters building, which is listed as the Port Gardner Building on Everett’s Historical Register of Places, has previously been home to a Bon Marchè department store and Trinity Lutheran College, the Herald newspaper reported last fall.
CEO Brian Mariotti bought Funko in 2005 and the product line and number of employees has exploded since. Funko went from three employees to the more than 350 who work there today, KING reported.
Mariotti told KING that Funko has a very passionate global fan base, and those fans even make pilgrimages to its current headquarters location, in an office park in south Everett.
“To be able to have an actual flagship store and this really cool experience, I think they will migrate more to us on a yearly basis,” Mariotti said.
