San Antonio Designer Toymaker Aaron Moreno to Debut New Gallery in Southtown

Over the past six years, Aaron Moreno has made a name for himself with his handmade, retro-style toys and action figures. From Critter figurines to black slugs from Night of the Creeps, Moreno makes the toys that he wishes he had growing up, authentic-looking packaging and all.

Moreno's handmade figurines have taken off online – almost everything on his store is currently sold out – but, until now, he hadn't made a direct footprint in the Alamo City. That changes this weekend, when his new gallery space at 1906 S. Flores opens. Form Gallery will feature monthly exhibitions of designer toys, making this niche market accessible to anyone who shows up to the popular Second Saturday destination.

"Using this to expand the audience for art toys, my new gallery will provide an inviting atmosphere," he says, "a place where connoisseurs can discuss works and new fans can dive deep into our world."

Although he's wanted to open a gallery space for a while now, things didn't kick into gear until he got a taste of the experience when he curated The Glow Show at Freight Gallery in 2018.

"What stuck with me wasn't the higher-than-expected attendance or sales, rather I became haunted by how many people expressed feeling a greater understanding and appreciation of the works because of the exhibit," he says. "That's something I want to have happen every month – something that I think this particular toy scene needs to continue growing."

Moreno has teased some of Form Gallery's debut offerings on Instagram, including a Run the Jewels/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Killer Mike/Krang crossover, and a capsule machine stocked with mini figures made by Vilesore.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FORM (@theformgallery) on Sep 10, 2019 at 1:02pm PDT

If you're a big fan of all things retro pop culture but can't make it out this weekend, Moreno assures that there's big things in store for the future.

"Since the designer toy industry has an arsenal of artists from all over the world I plan to bring them to S.A. and give collectors a shot to purchase pieces that normally wouldn’t be available in Texas, let alone the U.S."

Free, 7-10 p.m. Saturday, September 14, Form Gallery, 1906 S. Flores, instagram.com/theformgallery

Get our top picks for the best events in San Antonio every Thursday morning. Sign up for our Events Newsletter.