Hairy Tarantula

What Hairy Tarantula does

Hairy Tarantula is a privately held hobby and collectibles retailer headquartered at 3456 Yonge Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The company operates a hybrid brick-and-mortar and e-commerce model through us.hairyt.com, serving hobbyists, players, and collectors of trading card games, miniature wargaming products, tabletop roleplaying games, board games, and pop culture merchandise. With a stated headcount of 6 employees, the business functions as a single-location "one-stop hobby destination" covering Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Disney Lorcana, One Piece Card Game, Digimon, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Flesh and Blood, Gundam Card Game, and the newly launched Riftbound: League of Legends TCG, alongside an extensive Games Workshop portfolio including Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, The Horus Heresy, The Old World, and boxed games such as Blood Bowl, Kill Team, Necromunda, Warhammer Underworlds, and Legions Imperialis.

The retail mix spans both singles (individual cards including vintage Alpha/Beta MTG editions and graded Pokemon singles) and factory-sealed product across multiple TCGs, plus hobby supplies (paints from Monument Hobbies, Turbo Dork, Army Painter, and Warhammer lines), card accessories (sleeves, binders, deck boxes, playmats), books (graphic novels, manga, Black Library fiction), and collectibles (Squishmallow, Funko Pop!, figures, plush toys). Pricing is item-level rather than subscription-based: high-end singles carry individual prices (e.g., a Shivan Dragon Alpha Edition listed at $2,564.72 USD), sealed products are priced per unit (e.g., One Piece CG The Time of Battle Booster Box at $213.72 USD), and free lettermail shipping in Canada is offered on TCG singles orders over $30. The store operates extended retail hours (12pm–9pm weekdays, 12pm–10pm Friday) and runs an in-store cafe three days per week, an events calendar for organized play, and a buylist service that purchases customer collections.

The business monetizes through standard retail markups on singles and sealed product, the buylist service creating a two-sided inventory flow, the in-store cafe, organized play events and tournaments, and digital gift cards. Backend operations run on BinderPOS for point-of-sale; no mobile app, public API, SDK, or AI/ML infrastructure is disclosed. Distribution is primarily Canadian-domestic, with limited international reach via the e-commerce storefront and EU-specific return/cancellation pages. No parent company, institutional investors, venture backing, leadership roster, funding history, or M&A activity is recorded, and there are no publicly disclosed financials, headcount expansion data, or corporate filings in the available source material.

Name

Hairy Tarantula

Legal name

Hairy Tarantula

Website

https://htnorth.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hairy Tarantula is a Toronto-based hobby and collectibles retailer operating one physical storefront and an e-commerce site. It sells trading card games, Warhammer miniatures, board games, D&D, manga, and pop culture collectibles, supported by an in-store cafe and organized play events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hobby and Collectibles Retail

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Collectibles, Trading Cards & Blind Box Toys Retail (CRALAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming) (CRALAFAH), Miniatures Games & Tabletop Skirmish Games Retail (CRALALAH), Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers (CRALALAA), Dolls, Plush & Action Figures Retail (CRALAFAD)

Keywords

• Trading card games
• Hobby collectibles
• Miniature wargaming
• Tabletop games
• Hobby supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Hairy Tarantula is a Toronto-based hobby and collectibles retailer that sells trading card game singles and sealed product across franchises including Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Disney Lorcana, One Piece, Digimon, Flesh and Blood, Gundam, and Riftbound, alongside Warhammer miniature wargaming products, board games, roleplaying games, hobby paints and tools, card accessories, collectibles, graphic novels, and manga. The company operates a physical storefront at 3456 Yonge Street with an in-store cafe, plus an e-commerce store at us.hairyt.com, and offers buylist services and an in-store events calendar for organized play.

Product overview

Hairy Tarantula is a hobby and collectibles retail store operating a unified brick-and-mortar model with integrated e-commerce, rather than a software platform. The core product offering centers on trading card games across multiple franchises (Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Disney Lorcana, One Piece, Digimon, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Flesh and Blood, Gundam Card Game, Riftbound: League of Legends), supplemented by miniature wargaming products (Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, The Horus Heresy, The Old World, and boxed games like Blood Bowl, Kill Team, Necromunda, Warhammer Underworlds, Legions Imperialis), board games, roleplaying games (Dungeons & Dragons editions and other RPGs), hobby supplies (paints from Monument Hobbies, Turbo Dork, Army Painter, and Warhammer-specific paints), card accessories (sleeves, binders, deck boxes, playmats), books (graphic novels, manga, anime-related), and collectibles (Squishmallow, Funko Pop!, figures, plush toys). The company provides ancillary services including an in-store cafe, buylist services for purchasing customer collections, and an events calendar hosting tournaments and gaming sessions. The portfolio functions as a one-stop hobby destination rather than discrete product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Magic: The Gathering Products Individual Magic: The Gathering singles (including high-end graded cards and vintage Alpha, Beta, and Revised editions) and factory-sealed product such as booster boxes, booster packs, and pre-release items, for TCG players and collectors.
• Pokemon Trading Card Products Individual Pokemon singles, professionally graded Pokemon singles with authentication, and factory-sealed Pokemon product such as booster boxes and pre-orders, for TCG players and collectors.
• Warhammer Miniature Wargaming Products Games Workshop miniature wargaming products across Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, Warhammer: The Old World, and boxed games including Legions Imperialis, Blood Bowl, Kill Team, Necromunda, and Warhammer Underworlds, plus related paints, tools, and Black Library fiction, for miniature wargaming hobbyists.
• Other Trading Card Games Non-MtG/Pokemon trading card game product covering Disney Lorcana, One Piece Card Game, Digimon Trading Card Game, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Flesh and Blood, Gundam Card Game, and Riftbound: League of Legends, offered as singles and sealed product with preorders, for TCG players and collectors.
• Board Games and Tabletop Games Tabletop board games across various genres and publishers, plus Battletech miniature wargaming products and Gundam Assemble (Gunpla) model kits, for tabletop gaming hobbyists.
• Roleplaying Games Tabletop roleplaying game products including Dungeons & Dragons (2024 revised edition, 5E, 4E, preorders, miniatures, paints, and miniature singles) and other roleplaying game lines with preorders, for RPG players and game masters.
• Hobby Paints and Modeling Supplies Acrylic hobby paints and modeling supplies including Monument Hobbies Pro Acryl, Turbo Dork Paints, Army Painter Speedpaint 2.0, D&D Prismatic Paint, and Warhammer paints and tools, for miniature painters and modelers.
• Card Game Accessories Protective and storage accessories for trading card game play and collection, including card sleeves, binders and portfolios, playmats, cases, deck boxes, and gaming dice, for TCG players and collectors.
• Collectible Figures, Plush, and Toys Collectible merchandise including Squishmallow plush, Funko Pop! vinyl figures, general figures and toys, and plush toys across various franchises, for collectors and gift buyers.
• Graphic Novels, Manga, and Anime Merchandise Printed and media merchandise including graphic novels, manga, and anime-related products, for comic and anime fans.
• In-Store Events and Organized Play Calendar of in-store gaming events and tournaments for trading card games and tabletop games held at the Toronto retail location, for local hobbyists and tournament players.
• Buylist Services Service allowing customers to sell back trading card game and hobby inventory to the store at listed buy prices, for individual sellers and collectors.
• In-Store Cafe On-site cafe operating three days per week at the Toronto store, providing refreshments to walk-in customers.
• Digital Gift Cards Digital gift cards usable for store credit purchases across the retail and e-commerce operations.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Miniature Market: Large US-based online hobby retailer specializing in Magic: The Gathering, Warhammer, board games, and miniatures. Directly comparable product mix across TCGs, wargaming, and hobby supplies, with both singles and sealed product offerings.
• Cool Stuff Inc. US-based hobby retailer offering TCGs, board games, miniatures, and accessories online and through retail. Overlapping product categories across all major hobby gaming segments.
• Noble Knight Games: Specialty retailer of used and new hobby games including TCGs, RPGs, board games, and miniatures. Comparable broad hobby catalog with secondary market inventory focus.
• Star City Games: Major US retailer of Magic: The Gathering singles, sealed product, and tabletop gaming accessories. Comparable focus on TCG singles at scale with organized event hosting and broad hobby supply inventory.
• Chimera Gaming: Canadian hobby game retailer carrying TCGs, board games, RPGs, and miniatures. Directly comparable product mix and Canadian market presence, with both physical and online channels.
• Card Kingdom: Specialty MTG singles retailer with buylist services and high-end inventory. Directly comparable on Magic singles, buylist operations, and premium card authentication/marketplace positioning.
• 401 Games: Toronto-based hobby game retailer with multiple locations carrying Magic, Pokemon, Warhammer, board games, and RPGs. Most direct Canadian geographic peer operating in the same GTA market.

Broad incumbents

• TCGplayer: eBay-owned TCG marketplace and pricing reference for singles across MTG, Pokemon, and other card games. Indirect competitor that sets market pricing on the singles Hairy Tarantula sells, and a potential acquisition/distribution partner.
• Games Workshop: UK-based manufacturer and direct retailer of Warhammer miniatures, paints, and Black Library fiction. Relevant as a vertical incumbent whose products Hairy Tarantula resells, with overlapping direct-to-consumer and wholesale channels.

Regional players

• FacetoFace Games: Canadian TCG retailer (formerly with SF Bay and Toronto presence) known for organized play and tournament hosting. Comparable Magic: The Gathering focus with strong events/community positioning in the Canadian market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hairy-tarantula

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hairy Tarantula