Winn's World brings crane game fun in Weston
The business' name is an homage to their late son
Walking into Winn’s World, the aesthetic hits you instantly. Pastel blue claw machines, with large Pokémon, Hello Kitty and other stuffed critters look down at you from the perch of the machine tops.
It’s a bit different than The Local, the former business in the space next to Tine and Cellar.
Winn’s World is the creation of Kobe and Chong Moua. Kobe works in IT at Liberty Mutual while Chong worked for Marathon County. Chong now helps run the business while Kobe still has his job.
The business has been open since April and features claw machines, similar to those found at Kykomi in downtown Wausau, which The Wausonian featured last year. Attendees can play the games to earn prizes, and either keep them or trade them in for points adding up to bigger prizes. Those prizes include some of the most-trending items, especially Pokémon.
They even have Labubus, which The Wausonian mentioned in its Kykomi and The Gaming Emporium stories. Since then, Labubus have waned in popularity, while Pokémon is as big as it ever was.
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The origins of Winn’s World
Kobe told The Wausonian he got the idea from his sister-in-law, who owns a similar business in Eau Claire. “Every time we go, we also see kids in there and they do like a lot of traffic,” Kobe says. “So, you know, we think that here will be doing good as well.”
So far so good. Kobe says the shop sees not only teenagers or young couples on a date, but families with children as well. And they’re not only there for the machines, but also for the drinks. Winn’s World sells boba drinks, smoothies, fruit fizzes, mocha frappes, and fruit and milk teas. The addition of drinks is something the Mouas believe helps set the business apart.
Kobe says they’d looked at a couple of places in Rib Mountain before choosing the current location. They’d hoped to take advantage of being near the farmers market, but didn’t realize it had moved to Kennedy Park this year. But the space has plenty of parking, and is easily visible from the road.
I had wondered whether Winn’s World was a reference to Wayne’s World, but the name is an homage to their son, who died in infancy. Kobe explained he was born pre-maturely with lung problems that made breathing difficult. The name is a way to honor his memory.
And so far, that’s working out. The store had several customers as I arrived, playing various claw games and buying drinks. Kobe says his wife’s sister’s store actually added a second in Menomonie, and they’re considering doing the same down the road, either in Madison or possibly Stevens Point.
But for now, they’ll be keeping up with TikTok trends and ensuring the machines have the kind of prizes young folk are after.
Winn’s World is located at 3806 Schofield Ave., Ste 2 in Weston. You can find them on Facebook.
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