Latest news with #AlexButler
Geek Wire
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Wire
‘Such a fun ride': Seattle family sells popular card game ‘Taco vs. Burrito' after more than 1M sales
Alex Butler — when he was a little kid — after developing the card game 'Taco vs. Burrito' in Seattle with his mom Leslie Pierson and dad Mark Butler. (Hot Taco Inc. Photo) The creators of the popular card game 'Taco vs. Burrito' — dreamed up by a Seattle 7-year-old in 2018 — are exiting with a significant win. Hot Taco Inc., the company behind the game, sold the 'Taco vs. Burrito' assets to Wisconsin-based toy and game company PlayMonster, ending a run that started with a little boy and his mom talking about how to make a game during their walks to a coffee shop. 'It's been such a fun ride. It's kind of crazy to think back to it being an idea for my son, and then all of a sudden we've sold a million copies of the game,' Leslie Pierson told GeekWire this week as she recounted the journey she had with her son Alex, now a 15-year-old high schooler. 'Taco vs. Burrito.' (Hot Taco Photo) Pierson said she, her husband Mark Butler, and Alex have always been a big game family. From a young age, Alex liked to learn new games and talk about what he liked and what he didn't. According to Pierson, her son knew he wanted to create a new game called 'Taco vs. Burrito,' and he knew he wanted to launch it with a Kickstarter campaign. How to make and play it was determined over several months of conversations on their walks. 'I really did think it was just gonna be a chat about how a product gets made,' Pierson said. But after six months they were still playing paper iterations of the game, improving on it, and falling in love with it. An inventor and serial entrepreneur, Pierson had experience in product development. She created GoodHangups and launched the magnetic poster-hanging product via Kickstarter before landing on 'Shark Tank' and making a deal with Lori Greiner on that hit show. But Pierson was not a game developer. She credits Alex with the inspiration and creation of the 'Taco vs. Burrito' gameplay — and for coming up with something that quickly made $25,000 on Kickstarter. Pierson was already a big believer in Amazon, where she was selling GoodHangups. 'The thing I love about Amazon is the fact that you don't have to have a warehouse, you don't have anything,' she said. 'You can just get your product there and then sell it. You don't have a big team, you don't have to support a big retailer or anything like that.' Alex's game sold out on the e-commerce site in a week and Pierson knew, 'there's something here.' The game and the fact that it was made by a kid resonated with families and others who enjoyed the strategic play. 'We've sold over a million and a half games in the past six years, and it just became amazing to do,' Pierson said, noting that it was regularly a top-ranked offering in Amazon's games category. The goal of 'Taco vs. Burrito' was to assemble a meal worth the most points. (Hot Taco Inc. Photo) But the time to sell became apparent. Pierson said the sweet spot for any business she runs is the first five years, where she could still handle the surge in popularity and demand with the help of one other employee. Pierson wasn't interested in hiring a big team or developing new versions of the game to sell more products to existing customers. She was tired of getting ready for the holiday rush, or another Prime Day. The uncertainty around President Trump's shifting tariff policies didn't help either. 'Every day, Trump wakes up and has a new idea of tariffs — it's gonna be this, it's gonna be this, it's gonna be this,' Pierson said. 'And I was just like, 'I'm done.' This isn't the phase I love. I surely don't love not knowing what the cost of something is.' And Alex's passion as a teen had pivoted from card games to video games. Pierson fielded pitches from a number of different companies, and called PlayMonster's the best, saying they really got the brand and had concepts for future versions of the game. Rather than hold onto a stake in 'Taco vs. Burrito' with a royalty in perpetuity, they opted for more cash now. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. As they fold their cards on 'Taco vs. Burrito,' Pierson takes pleasure in knowing they provided quality entertainment for families, away from phones and modern digital distractions. Board and card games always brought her family together, and she's glad it worked for others. 'It's been a really good experience,' Pierson said. 'And I love that Alex had that experience of creating something, so that if he has an idea in the future, anything's possible.'
North Wales Live
23-07-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
North Wales shopping park secures major new retail lettings at empty units
A retail park has secured lettings for two large empty units. Island Green Shopping Centre in Wrexham had lost a number of brands in recent years, with occupancy falling to near 70%. But Focus Estate Fund has now bagged lettings at the former Wilko and Asda Living stores. The units have been taken by Trade Outlet, a growing discount retail chain offering a mix of household goods, electricals, homewares, and general merchandise. The brand will occupy over 45,000 sq ft combined, breathing new life into long-vacant anchor space and "broadening the value offer at the centre". Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Maxim Skolnick, general partner at Focus Estate Fund, said: 'At Focus Estate Fund, we specialize in turning around retail assets by identifying value-added potential and unlocking it through active management and strategic repositioning. Island Green is a clear example of this strategy in action. "When we took over the scheme, it was facing significant challenges — several major voids, declining footfall, and underutilized potential. Today, all key units are re-let, the tenant mix is stronger, and early indicators show the centre is regaining its traction. "This turnaround wouldn't have been possible without the excellent work of the teams at Estama and Barker Proudlove, and our in-house asset management team. There's still more to come — we're continuing to build on this momentum to deliver the strategy at its full potential.' Alex Butler, managing director at Estama of Island Green, added: 'These lettings are a big win for the scheme and the town. We're expecting a solid uplift in footfall as the new stores open, and the leasing momentum puts us in a strong position to complete the final phase of the asset plan.' Occupancy at Island Green has increased from 71.4% to 98.7% since Focus Estate Fund took ownership of the scheme. The centre is seeing increased activity; according to data from Euro Car Parks, the number of cars at the shopping centre rose by 23.8% compared to the same period last year. A spokesperson added "With the final major voids now let, this upward trend is expected to continue into the second half of 2025 as the new stores open. With the final major voids now let, this upward trend is expected to continue into the second half of 2025 as the new stores open."
