We had the good fortune of connecting with Christian Leal Jay Vallejo (Krispy) and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Christian Leal, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
DFW Swap-A-Palooza was started back in 2022, by Christian Leal and Jay Krispy, AKA Spinners Toys & Collectibles/Spinny Brand Co. & Crazy Loco World. Together, we are known as The Palooza Boys. Well when we started DFW Swap-A-Palooza, we started it with the intent to grow the collector community. The Palooza Boys are both business owners, who sell collectibles, retro games, vintage clothes, Funko Pops, and more. We are separate vendors, but have been good friends for a long time and done plenty of business together. We have both thrown events in the past, most notably Spinners throwing Funko Pop Swaps, under the Undiscovered Realm of Collectibles, umbrella in a backyard, with voice actor Chuck Huber in attendance, and Krispy being the host of Texas Comic and Toy Show. We attend many conventions and events as vendors, mostly being toy collectible events, with a few vintage, and clothing events sprinkled in.
In the Summer of 2022, we discussed the possibility of throwing an event together. But we didn’t want it to be just any event or toy show. We wanted to do something different, that what was being done. Considering we have both dabbled in the many different communities in the metroplex, and have many connections as well. We decided that our event was going to be an event, that blended the popular collector communities in the Metroplex. These communities being, Funko Pops, Vintage and Retro Toys, Retro and Current Video Games, Vintage Clothes, New local Clothing Lines, Sneakers, Local Artists, and so forth. We wanted to do something different. We know vendors are always looking for new shows to attend. Often times, these shows are genre specific, and cater to most of the similar types of vendors and genres. We wanted to create something, that gave everyone the opportunity to stand out. To give these vendors the opportunity to be surrounded by many different other types of vendors. To give them a change to network with each other, promote themselves, and maybe even break into a new community. This also gives the attendees, an opportunity to not only find the items they are looking for, but also find a new love in their life a collector. Someone who might collect toys only, may find a vintage shirt, that can relate to their toy passion. They might buy that shirt, and then another, and so forth. Now we have attendees, who have multiple interests, all under the same umbrella, being a Collector, and know they can attend DFW Swap-A-Palooza, to satisfy those interest cravings..
We’ve thrown three shows as of yet, and all have been successful in their own way. We’ve done events in Grand Prairie, Dallas, and Allen. We really focus on promotion, and promoting our vendors. Each vendor gets their own personalized flyer, which contains the information for the event, but also has a picture of the vendor, their products, and their logos, as well as their social medias. You can find these flyers on our business page @swapapalooza on Instagram. We really appreciate our vendors, especially the ones that appreciate the effort we put in. Many of the vendors, thank us for what we do. They feel appreciative for putting so much effort into not only promoting them the way they do, but for also delivering on a successful event. In addition, it’s not just a place to shop. but also a place that people can hang out and socialize. While we had an outdoor market, that was more on the shop and go vibe, our Main DFW Swap-A-Palooza event, and our DFW Swap-A-Palooza Pop-Up events, have been at venues where we have food. drink, and music. Some attendees have stayed from beginning to end, just because they were vibing, and exceeded their expectations.
This event was originally just supposed to be a one off event, but ended up turning into something bigger. We have support from all our surrounding communities, and we really just want to continue to grow it, and make it an event, that vendors and attendees feel welcomed and can be comfortable attending every time. We aim to throw more events in the near future, and see how much we can grow. We appreciate all the support we have received from the beginning to now, and can’t wait to see where we are a year from now.
In addition, we also have a podcast on Youtube, called “The Vendor Spotlight”. Here we talk about our lives as vendors, and now event coordinators. DFW Swap-A-Palooza is one of our main topics, where we get more in detail about what the brand and event is, and our goals. But we also have guests in attendance, usually vendors, business owners, and voice actors, where they give their perspective on the community, events, and life overall.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What sets us apart is that we genuinely care about building bridges in our respectful communities. We enjoy giving back to the community and the people notice. The feedback we receive motivates us to continue to do what we do. We are creatives with genuine intentions and do what we love. This to us is everything. It’s all about community and supporting one another over here. Ya know, like we said, we wanted to create something, that was welcoming for any collector. Somewhere someone can come and 100% find something that matches their interest, or sparks a new one. A safe space for the introvert to attend, not feel judged for having a certain interest, and leave happy. A social butterflies haven, where they can meet a bunch of different people. A place where people who find new things interesting, can come and speak to these vendors they aren’t use to seeing, and learn about their brand and business. And a place for families to bring the kids for a night out. We’ve taken so many factors into consideration as to what exactly we are trying to build. It hasn’t been perfect. We are learning more and more as we go. We are learning what works, and what doesn’t work. Shifting focus on to the things that really help us grow and improve. Us being vendors are selves, understand what it’s like vending at a difficult show, or a show that maybe doesn’t have the best host. We take in those experiences and use them to improve every time. There’s always something to learn, we have to be teachable and understand that things won’t come easy. But as time goes on, the process gets smoother, and we’ve just been able to use everything we’ve experience to bring what is now DFW Swap-A-Palooza to life. We are as dedicated as can be, and are even in two separate states right now, conducting this interview. We just want to have a fun event, for the collector community to come out and enjoy, and help our vendors grow.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well one of our favorite spots is Four Corners Brewing Co. We throw our Pop-Up events here, it’s always a good vibe with great people. The food is really good, and the drinks are great! They have loteria night on Thursdays, and Trivia on Sunday. I’d also recommend going to Dusty Attic Toy Show in Garland, every 2nd Sunday of the Month (3rd, if noted). The next suggestion would be attending any event by The DFW Vintage Swap Meet, and Carne Asada Fest in May. And of course, if you’re looking for a Toy Store open everyday, check out 181 Comics and Collectables, in Fort Worth! And of course don’t miss a DFW Swap-A-Palooza event! Our next sponsored event is on May 19, 7-11pm at Four Corners, and hosted by one half of the Palooza Boys, Spinners!
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?
First we’d love to shout out all our vendors, volunteers, and attendees, who have supported DFW Swap-A-Palooza from the beginning. Without them, there would be no event. We would also like to shout out Four Corners Brewing Co. for allowing to host our Pop-Ups there. They were amazing hosts, and we’re grateful for them allowing us the freedom to do what we needed to do, to make it a successful event. In addition, we’d like to shout out Retro Expo, Fan Fortress Allen, and Infinity Collectibles, for hosting and sponsoring our DFW Swap-A-Palooza: Outdoor Market. It was an event that came fast and furious, but it was successful, and we’re very thankful for the opportunity to host an event at their Fan Fortress Allen store. We’ve have many big events and businesses show love, and even attend our events as vendors. Shout out to 181 Comics and Collectables, The DFW Vintage Swap Meet, Dusty Attic Toy Show, Kicks 101, Fanboys Market Place, and Carne Asada Fest, for being supportive of our event. These are all relationships we have built as are years as vendors in the community, and we’re grateful to have them support us, in this endeavor. And of course, shout out everyone who has bought from us, traded with us, supported us, and gotten to know us over the years. Without that support, we would never even considered doing this event.
Instagram: @swapapalooza
Facebook: DFW Swap-A-Palooza
Youtube: @TheVendorSpotlight
Image Credits
Picture creds – palooza boys
