AniTOMO Convention 2024 – LFDE By SDE

This past weekend we had the opportunity to vend at AniTomo Convention. AniTomo is a free anime and manga convention spawned from the minds of BIPOC youth bridging the cultures of Brooklyn and Japan. With panels, performances, and all sorts of programming. AniTomo came stacked in their second year.

This was our first time attending AniTomo Con and our second time vending at any event. We didn’t know what to expect. As a business, which exists strictly online creating an in-person experience can be tricky. However, we are learning as we go.

So why AniTomo Con?

For the babies. This Con was geared towards children from very similar backgrounds as Drey and I were. To be a part of their first con experience and for free at that. We had to be there!

In a lot of ways, Anime was so transformative for me as a youth. It affected how I viewed and interacted with the world- people in general! Japanese Animation even changed the way I loved myself. It allowed me to be unapologetically myself. If I’m being transparent, I don’t know what I’d be doing without it. My life would have been very different.

For starters, we needed to curate an experience that reflected our passion. I brought along some vintage anime memorabilia in the form of pins, I love anime and other stickers to give out. Some physical merchandise and table decorations. We were good to go! Boy, did things go well!

I never thought there would be a day when the countless hours we spent on anime and manga would actually come in handy. Convo after Convo! It allowed us to engage with congoers on an almost personal level. There is something really special about connecting with folks that just get you! Knowing you’re not alone in the things that set your heart on fire can be life-changing. Our interactions were something we took great care in facilitating.

In fact, we met our sales quota for the day. Yay for us! But I still think the memories that we’ll cherish the most are all the smiling faces. There was magic in the air and knowing we were part of making that happen felt amazing. Even if it was just a little bit. Changing the world one step at a time.

Thank you AniTomo for having us. We’ll catch you on the next one!