OLAF GROWALD
Rob Fisher
Co-Founder of Holocron Toy Store
If you’re a “Star Wars” fan and haven’t been to Holocron Toy Store on West Vickery Boulevard, well, may the Force be with your bank account.
The shop is a sight to behold — lined with shelves upon shelves of rare, vintage and new “Star Wars” memorabilia; a life-size Darth Maul; and the Millennium Falcon hanging from the ceiling.
Still, it’s nothing like the collection its co-founder, Rob Fisher, has at home — one he’s built since childhood that includes everything from rare cast photos to a nearly $400 replica lightsaber.
But his dreams extend beyond collectibles alone. He has plans he intends to take to the mayor: Think convention. Think cosplayers. Think names like Mark Hamill and Peter Mayhew. In downtown Fort Worth.
Let’s put it this way — the Force is strong with this one.
Q. So your last name’s “Fisher.” No relation to Carrie? I’m sure you get that a lot.
A. I do quite a bit. I mean, the Fisher name is very common, especially up in the Northeast. Fisher isn’t my birth name. I’m actually adopted.
Q. You’ve built quite an impressive collection of “Star Wars” gear. Where do you find all this stuff?
A. Conventions, different individuals who are selling — they’re willing to trade certain items that I may have for pieces that they have.
Q. Your store has been open for over a year now. How passionate is the “Star Wars” fanbase in Fort Worth?
A. Very passionate. So much so that we are — cross your fingers — wanting to put on a huge “Star Wars” festival here in Fort Worth at the Fort Worth Convention Center and the Omni Hotel. It’ll either be 2020 or 2021, and it will be themed kind of like Celebration [a “Star Wars” convention taking place this year in Chicago].
So, the 501st [Legion] is a huge, worldwide group of costumers that dress up as screen-accurate “Star Wars” figures. Stormtroopers, all that. We’re going to try [to get the 501st] and get names like Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, Peter Mayhew. We’re looking to set some meetings with the mayor to get some help from the city with it.
Q. Nice. So, this year, what’s the store doing for May the Fourth?
A. Last year, we put on a big event. This year, we are not. With Fan Expo [Dallas] the same weekend, there’s no way. We’re still going to have a sale; we’re still going to have some different events going on, stuff like that. It’s just not going to be as big as last year. We’re going to save it up for Force Friday, which is Oct. 4 this year. So, on Oct. 4 is the release of all of the new action figures for “The Mandalorian,” the new live streaming [on Disney+]. We may start at 3 that afternoon and grill, and just have a hangout deal up until midnight.
Q. Favorite “Star Wars” movie?
A. “Empire Strikes Back,” first one that I saw. There were some very inspiring scenes in there. Like in Dagobah, for instance, the whole quote, “Do or do not; there is no try” — later on in life, it meant a lot for me. I’d have to say it’d be ESB, “Solo” and then “Rogue One,” as far as my three top.
Q. Interesting. So, one from the original and two from the new set of movies they’re making now. What are your thoughts on the new trilogy?
A. So, “The Force Awakens,” “The Last Jedi” — a lot of them got grief. The original trilogy incited a type of excitement that had never been experienced before because it was something that nobody had ever seen before in the cinema.
So, let’s fast forward. I walk into “The Force Awakens,” understanding that I will never be able to get that type of excitement that I got when I was 5 years old watching “Empire Strikes Back.” I just won’t. You have to go into all the new movies with the understanding that it’s not about our generation of “Star Wars” fans anymore; it’s about the new generation. It’s about keeping the dream alive. It’s about inspiring hope in those kids that come to love “Star Wars” just as much as we did when we were little. That’s what it’s about.
So, people ask me all the time, “What did you think about ‘Force Awakens’?” It was great. It’s finishing out an old story for a new generation of “Star Wars” fans.
Q. Got any predictions for “Star Wars:Episode IX”?
A. I do ... I think we’re going to get a backstory on Snoke. I think you’re going to have the introduction to the Knights of Ren [Kylo Ren was basically the leader of the Knights of Ren]. I think they’re going to have to tie up, in Episode IX, all the loose ends that they’ve left undone, so to speak. But it’s also going to be a transition movie into other realms.
Q. You’re dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi today, but if you were a “Star Wars” character, who would you be?
A. I would be Yoda because, of all the Jedi, Yoda’s teachings, as far as patience, understanding, just his wisdom, is really something that I personally believe in. He’s a very centered figure.
