New South Kitsap store’s owner isn’t just playing around

Dig D's carving its market niche in collectibles

Do not be fooled by the name.

The store on the second level of Towne Square is known as Dig D’s Toys, but there are no stuffed animals or oversized keyboards in sight.

Instead, the walls are stocked with action figures ranging from Star Wars to G.I. Joe.

But owner Damian Neafcy, 34, crams a lot more than that in his 26-by-14 square-foot space, which is open from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

He foundly remembers watching the 1983 animated series, “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” and collecting action figures produced by Mattel. Neafcy buys and sells those collectibles along with others from the same era, including “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” There also are Ewok telephones and a variety of lunch boxes.

It once was fairly common to find collectibles shops, particularly those that combined sports cards and action figures. But Neafcy said that no longer is the scenario, which is one reason he decided to open.

“There was no collectible-toy store in the region,” he said.

Similar to many collectors, Neafcy said he did most of action-figure transactions online through eBay.

“I’ve been doing eBay and doing really well,” he said. “I decided that if I had a store front then I can have people bring in the rare items that I always am looking for.”

Neafcy said his store sells action figures — many which are priced for less than $10 — at rates comparable to those on eBay or Craigslist.

“Any kind of action figures you can think of, we’ve got our hands on it,” he said.

Well, almost everything.

“Robotech is the next adventure,” Neafcy said. “It’s very rare and very expensive.”

But the store does feature rare items, including Marvel Universe.

“I have all of the hard-to-find ones,” Neafcy said.

Neafcy, a former disc jockey who moved several years ago from Hawaii to be closer to family members, said he believes nostalgia can provide a powerful boast to his business.

“Everyone can relate to their childhood,” he said. “You can come back and get a piece of your childhood.”

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