WE HOST.
Our event, our venue, other vendors join us. Like the original Galaxaar in Issaquah.
GAL★XAAR.
/gəˈlæks·ɑːr/ · rhymes with bazaar
Toys, finding their kids.
Galaxaar gives toys and collectibles new homes. It's a pop-up experience for the greater Seattle area that benefits kids and their communities. We currently focus on the geeky and nerdy fandoms. Every kid can walk away with one free toy (and is welcome to trade older toys for something new).
Each quarter, a share of proceeds funds a local cause our patrons and sponsors vote in. We publish the dollar amount.
► How we show up
WE DOCK.
Our table set up inside a partner's space — a game shop, a comic con, a sponsor's event.
WE ROLL.
The toy truck pulls up. Farmers markets, brewery patios, sidewalk events.
► Transmission · Why this exists
Three forces
converged.
You drop a bag at a charity bin and a small doubt sits with you the whole drive home. Did any of it reach a kid who'd love it, or did you just move your guilt from one closet to another. Galaxaar exists in part because that doubt is real.
01
Good items are getting thrown away.
Big-box stores compact unsold inventory. Estate cleanouts dump mountains of toys and collectibles into landfills. Charity bins take everything that comes through the slot. A kids' meal trinket rides the same truck as a vintage figure someone loved for thirty years.
02
Inflation has put toys out of reach.
A LEGO set that used to be a normal birthday gift is now a luxury purchase. Thrift inventory is a crapshoot, and most thrift operations don't give toys to kids. They sell them. So a kid whose family can't afford retail walks past every toy aisle, including the secondhand ones.
03
Hyperlocal causes stay under-funded.
Big-name national giving has its place, but it doesn't keep the lights on at the food bank, shelter, or school program down the street. Those operations run on small recurring contributions from people who happen to live nearby.
► Operation manual · How it works
Helping toys
find their kids.
Trade & Free
Anyone can browse, trade, or buy. Every kid also leaves with one free toy whether they brought something or not.
Sale
Items with real resale value. A masking-tape price for most. The slice that looks like it might be worth $50+ gets a sold-comps check before pricing. The notebook page is what keeps a $300 figure from walking out for $5.
► Operating commitments
01
Company donations
= free for kids.
= free for kids.
Items donated by companies and brands always go free to kids. Never sold. Community donations can be sold to fund the quarterly cause. We track which is which at intake.
02
Lean by design.
Every dollar spent on overhead is a dollar that didn't reach a kid or a cause. The math has to work without inflated operating costs hiding in the numbers.
03
Year-round, not seasonal.
Toy drives happen at Christmas. Galaxaar shows up throughout the year. Kids don't get a once-a-year window to walk away with something. They get a regular thing.
► Intake protocol
What we take.
What we won't.
Galaxaar curates. Donors should know their items are going somewhere thoughtful. Kids should know anything they can take home is worth wanting. The published list says yes-or-no before you load up the car.
Cleared for orbit
WE TAKE
- sci-fi & fantasy toys
- action figures
- vintage collectibles
- video games
- consoles
- trading cards
- board games
- LEGO
- construction toys
- comics
- graphic novels
- in-theme books
Refused at the airlock
WE DON'T TAKE
- broken / missing pieces
- stuffed animals
- mass-market plush
- clothing
- off-brand knockoffs
► Ways to support
Pick how
you help.
► Patron deck
Keep the wheels
turning between pop-ups.
Patrons keep Galaxaar moving between pop-ups. Monthly support that goes straight into the operating pool, with a vote on every quarterly cause and tier perks that scale from sale-item discounts to free event entry. Cancel anytime.
► Mission control · Donate
Two kinds of fuel.
Both matter.
► Sponsor deck
Stories
you can point at.
Galaxaar gives back specifics. "Last quarter, our regional sponsor's contribution helped fund $X to [the cause our patrons and sponsors voted in] and Y kids walked away with toys." A line a sponsor can paste into a board update. Sponsors vote on the quarterly cause alongside patrons — Galaxaar narrows the shortlist, you pick the winner.
► Where you'll find us
First stops
being booked.
Hosted events, docked appearances, and truck stops are getting scheduled now. Drop your email below to know when the first ones land.
► Public log · Pre-launch
Pre-
launch.
launch.
Once the first full quarter after launch wraps, the public log goes live in this slot. Same shape every time. Real cause. Real number. That's the floor.
Costs
What it took to run the quarter
Cause
Named local nonprofit + dollar amount
Kids
Counted at every pop-up
Quarter
Year-round · four reports a year
▌ Three things public every quarter: WHAT THE OPERATION NEEDS · WHERE THE MONEY WENT · HOW MUCH WENT. ▌
► Frequently asked · Questions you probably have
Likely questions.
Honest answers.
Is Galaxaar a charity or nonprofit?
No. Galaxaar is a Washington Social Purpose Corporation — a for-profit entity legally allowed to balance making money with doing social good. We don't depend on grants, don't have a board, and don't have to please a foundation. The transparency commitment (publishing where the quarterly money went and how much) is voluntary, not legally required.
Are donations to Galaxaar tax-deductible?
No. Since Galaxaar is an SPC, not a 501(c)(3), monetary contributions are not tax-deductible. Item donations are also not tax-deductible. If tax deductibility is what you're looking for, donate directly to the quarterly cause we name — those are real nonprofits.
How is this different from a thrift store?
Thrift stores sell, take everything indiscriminately, and don't gift toys to kids. Galaxaar swaps, gifts, and sells — in that order of priority. The published intake list says what gets accepted and what doesn't, so donors know in advance whether their items belong here. The result is a focused inventory of fandom items kids will actually love.
My kid has nothing to trade. Can they still get a toy?
Yes. Every kid walks away with one free toy, whether or not they brought something. Free toys are for kids only. Anyone can trade or buy.
What can adults do at a Galaxaar pop-up?
Adults trade items they're done with for items they want, or buy items for sale at fair prices. Drop-off donations welcome whether or not you're staying. The free toy is kid-only; everything else is open to anyone.
How do you decide which local cause gets the quarterly donation?
Galaxaar narrows the field to a shortlist of local causes each quarter. Patrons and sponsors then vote on the winner. The cause name and the dollar amount go on the website at the end of the quarter.
I want to donate a lot of stuff. What's the process?
Reach out via the donate form. We'll work out the logistics — drop-off at a pop-up, partner location, or a pickup for big hauls and estate cleanouts. We curate at intake, so the published yes-or-no list tells you in advance what we can take.
When are the first Galaxaar pop-ups?
First events are being booked right now. Join the mailing list and you'll hear about each stop as it's locked in — truck dates, partner shop appearances, and full hosted events.