Community Highlights: Meet Tapanga Near of Alphons’ Closet

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tapanga Near.

Hi Tapanga, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Cosplay (Costume Play) is a big part of my life. It has been providing an opportunity to bond with my friends and family, as my parents and siblings enjoy cosplay, too. We have been into cosplay for years, and we have heard the same issues arising in the community. Many people have voiced concern about being able to take part in the conventions (be it Comic-Cons, pop-culture cons, etc.) due to fear of being physically harassed or judged harshly while trying to show off their hard work put in creating a real-world version of some of their favorite characters, or even unique characters of their own making. I wanted to create an environment that allowed their artistic expressions to thrive. An environment that provided a safe venue for like-minded individuals to share their talents with others. In searching for potential retail space, I was lucky enough to find two other business owners that wanted to offer similar amenities to the community. We decided that we would open a storefront that catered to a variety of pop culture interests. Alphons’ Closet has partnered with two business collaborators, Grimoire and Moore, run by Gary Nichol, as well as Whimsical Sprites, run by Nick and Erin Ewald, to ensure that the pop culture community gets the most from our shop. Together, under the adopted store name Whimsical Sprites, we have been fortunate enough to offer free-to-play arcade games, free-to-use social media backdrops/greenscreens, open gaming tables, and a variety of events, as well as many items for sale that should fill any pop culture interests. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There have been times where it has proven a bit bumpy. However, I believe it could have been a lot tougher without such wonderful people in my life! I have been fortunate enough to have enormous support from friends and family in this pursuit, as well as amazing business partners that share the same vision. I have had a chronic health issue that limits some of my physical abilities, so it has made this road somewhat rough at times; however, with their love and support, I have been able to bring a desired service to a wonderful community.

As you know, we’re big fans of Alphons’ Closet. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Alphons’ Closet focuses on bringing Cosplay attire in a wide variety of sizes, props, and other accessories to the Caro, MI area. We also provide free-to-use equipment for social media creation and hope to help bring a variety of conventions (e.g., comic con, fan expo, horror con, etc.) to the Caro and surrounding areas. Together with our business partners, we also host many free events to the local community.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
I have found that Canva (both app and website) has been quite helpful in my creation of cosplay photos, as well as some of my promotional material. I also have to attribute the plethora of information out there in the cosplay community. There are many artists that I have learned so much from in groups on all social media outlets. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alphons_closet/