Rexburg man hopes to bring Pokémania to businesses with vending machines
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REXBURG — A local man has created vending machines full of Pokémon nostalgia and hopes to bring some fun to Rexburg.
Vitor Miranda is originally from Brazil. He graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho and currently works as a marketing consultant.
Miranda recently launched a Pokémon vending machine side business that he says is capturing the hearts of kids, teenagers and adults alike.
He said he’s always liked Pokémon since he was a kid, and the idea came when he was in Utah with his wife and nephew.
“We were at Walmart, and we found a vending machine that sold cards,” Miranda said. “I was like, ‘Woah, I have never seen this in Rexburg, so I am going to bring that here and make sure that people can experience that fun as well.'”
He added he was also inspired by his six-year-old nephew, who lives in Utah.
“I introduced Pokémon to him, and he loves it,” Miranda said.
Miranda bought a machine with three slots that he filled and packaged himself with everything Pokémon-related.
“The middle (slot) has Pokémon cards, and the ones on the sides have stickers,” he said. “The stickers I got from Amazon. The cards … I had a bunch of them, so I decided to use my own.”
Stickers and cards cost 75 cents.
“I put Poké Balls, Pokémons and PokéCoins (on the machine) to make it look nice,” he said. “I showed it to my nephew, and he was so excited. He loved it. He said he wants to come here to spend all of his coins!”
Miranda says he has been stopping by different businesses in Rexburg to introduce his idea.
He wrote in a Facebook post, “They’re guaranteed to boost foot traffic and add a touch of Pokémania to any store.”
So far, two businesses have vending machines inside, including Red 8 and El Rancho Taqueria.
He hopes to have a few more around the area.
“I think it would be nice to have at least five in Rexburg,” Miranda said.
If a business is interested in the Pokémon vending machine, he said he can be reached by emailing him vitornevesmiranda@gmail.com.