US ASTROJAX Blog

Thank You From US ASTROJAX

Some clichés are absolutely true, so forgive me for saying this...but, we would not be here without you!  In fact, US Astrojax was born out of the needs of a few Astrojax fanatics...  Our humble beginnings have helped shape us into who we are today.  

I fell in love with Astrojax in early 2003, opening a set of Saturn light-up Astrojax for the first time.  Like many of you, I've always been a big kid at heart.  I had never seen a toy like this and knew others needed to see it!  In June of the same year, I opened an Astrojax kiosk at our local mall and introduced thousands of newbies to this cool, new orbiting skill toy.  The distributor at that time used photos of my store to recruit other would-be Astrojax retailers.  I didn't realize it at the time, but we were the "flagship" Astrojax store in America.  It was a fun eight month ride until a distribution snafu left us high and dry, with no supply of Astrojax.  Regretfully, I closed our store.  Astrojax was suddenly hard to find.

In addition to my own personal sets, I had a very small supply of Astrojax left.  I was always very active in the Astrojax forums and continued to stay in touch with the community, so word spread that "some guy in Ohio" still had Astrojax.  They say love is blind, at least it will certainly make you do silly things.  I loved Astrojax and didn't want anyone to go without, so I sent them free of charge to players I met in the forums.  Needless to say, I learned quickly that buying something and then giving it away for free will cause you to go broke!  After about six months of fielding emails and shipping Astrojax to new friends, I decided to create an Astrojax web store.  US Astrojax opened for business in the fall of 2004!

I enlisted the help of my ever-cautious and slightly-skeptical wife.  Being the supportive person that she is, she got behind her man-child husband and his crazy ambition.  I'll spare you the Behind The Music stories of our difficulties, but I assure you we were a tiny "nobody" of a company trying to earn your loyalty and respect.  So how does a penniless and struggling mom-and-pop online store bring something valuable to its customers?  Our various cookie-cutter website designs were embarrassingly pathetic for years...so a cool web presence wasn't the answer.  How about selection?  Hmmm...all we had in our bag of tricks was three Astrojax versions and a few accessories.  Well then, maybe advertising is the answer!  Nope, we still don't have a budget for advertising!  The answer?  Treat people the way you want to be treated, always, every time.  Our intentions have always been genuine, and you've reciprocated by supporting us and spreading the word, and we've grown to a small team of dedicated people.  We're still struggling at times, but thanks to you we are growing.  

If I could, I would reach my hand through cyberspace and shake your hand in gratitude.  I know the US Astrojax staff shares this passion for our customers.  You deserve our appreciation and to that end we strive to show it by serving you.  Over the years we've answered tens of thousands of emails and we know many of you by first name, as friends in different locations around the world.  We've increased our Astrojax selection with new versions and by offering a wide array of parts and even custom tuned Astrojax. Exclusive US Astrojax-only sets are available, and more will come.  In recent years we expanded our skill toy offering to include yo-yo, juggling balls, poi and more.  We go to great lengths to make sure orders are shipped the same day they are received, whenever possible (we need weekends too!).  We've implemented a new program called Random Act of Kindness, and many of you receive something extra in your order at no charge...hopefully putting a smile on your face and making the world brighter for a few moments.  Corny?  Maybe.  Sincere?  Absolutely.  All efforts to show our appreciation.    

We've made improvements to US Astrojax, expanded the selection, and your positive word-of-mouth has helped us grow.  But our best attribute should always be service.  We'll continue to focus on this and I hope you will come along for the ride as we grow.  

As we move closer to a decade of service, I would like to sincerely say thank you for your loyalty over the years.  On behalf of my family and the US Astrojax Team, you have my word that we will continue to work hard to earn your support and serve you to the best of our combined abilities.   

Jim Marielli
US Astrojax Team

Wow...you made it this far!  Now that you've persevered through my story, how about a nice little reward to go hand-in-hand with my Thank You thoughts?  I can't reach through my screen and shake your hand as I'd like to, but I can give something away for free.  Place an order of $20 or more between now and October 5 and enter the code word ajcol as a coupon code.  I'll make sure you get an Astrojax V-Max tossed in your order (I get to choose the color)!