Our story

Who or what is COOL-MANIA? This story is about us! This Cool e-shop is one of the largest geek & gadget stores (e-shops) in Central Europe with a warehouse area of ​​up to 1200m², which ships goods all over the world! In this article we will try to describe how it has all started since 2010 to the present :) So sit back and read the path we have traveled and we keep going. Without you, our customers, none of this would be possible and we are grateful to you for that.

How did we start and what was the story of our e-shop Cool-mania?

One thought and the YEAR 2010...

This year, was the year of founding of the Cool-mania website for our team. Our CEO Mário - initially had an idea, a thought. The dream materialized and soon the team grew with the first colleagues and we moved to our first premises. We started modestly, small 2 offices and a warehouse with an area of only 36m². We were located in the attic, where in the summer months it was like in the Sahara :). It is said, "beginnings are difficult" but thanks to our enthusiasm we successfully overcame everything and grew so much that soon these small premises were no longer enough and we had to give our Cool-mania a new look!"

This is what our first "GARAGE" looked like
(note: garage because it's an allusion to Bezos' "first garage" from which he built Amazon)

The first live version of the COOL-MANIA website

However, the premises were not the main thing for the e-shop. The website was the primary thing and you can see its first "live" version below. At that time, we offered only "a few" products and the site had "only" three language versions - although it was a big challenge at that time. We learned everything as we went. Shipping, invoicing, ordering system - everything had to be coordinated and set up precisely like a Swiss watch. We focused mainly on party clothes and accessories, "spy" products and various gadgets. And I have to admit that this is our passion and focus even today. Of course, new trends and product categories have been added. We never let "time sleep".

YEAR 2011 - events, festivals and first experiences with live sales

YEAR 2012 - watch where you step.

This milestone was achieved as part of the first "major" expansion of the assortment from about 100 products to about 300 unique products, even though we had to confine ourselves to small warehouse spaces of about 60m2. This was quite challenging, as new boxes of goods arrived almost daily and we slowly had nowhere to move. It was practically impossible to walk through our corridors without going "sideways". It began to dawn on us that we would soon have to find a new, efficient solution.

YEAR 2013 - Hong Kong exhibitions + new contacts

The time came when we knew that we had to move on and find new partnerships, new products and we decided to visit electronics exhibitions in Hong Kong. The exhibitions were a great benefit for us, they helped us to orient ourselves in the big world of business. It was an opportunity to gain new contacts for business partners and we gained even more insight into new innovative products, trends - what are the must have products and what we could start selling on our website. And after collecting contacts and information about suppliers, we started to launch other types of our assortment such as cameras, spy things or various interesting products or gadgets.

Our CEO Mário at a major exhibition in Hong Kong

YEARS 2014-2015 - Company Certification

In the years 2014 - 2015, we decided to certify with the ISO 9001 quality management system. In order to gain the trust of our customers even more, we decided to implement the ISO 9001 quality management system and map all processes from receiving orders through shipping of goods, the procedure for complaints - in short, every significant process had to be reviewed. All processes in our company are carefully monitored and have their own precisely defined procedures for how they are handled. This is a step towards increasing the competitiveness and credibility of our company on the international stage.

YEARS 2016-2018- Expansion of the range and language versions

The years 2016 - 2018 were crucial for us in terms of creating a completely new Cool-mania website, adding many features and expanding the language versions to 20 (we currently have 48). We also focused on adding new products, of which we already had about 2000 at that time (currently around 3500). New products from various categories such as the auto moto section, where we gained cooperation with quality suppliers of cameras and reversing systems. The category of spy products, gadgets and even party things also started. We added a new category of beauty and outdoor, which immediately found their fans.

YEAR 2019 - moving and new premises

The year 2019 was crucial for us in terms of moving to new premises. We reached a stage where we no longer had a place to store goods from our suppliers and it was literally necessary to move to new, our own premises. Not only our range of products grew, but also our team of 8 cool-maniacs :) And so we had to look for larger premises. And so we went to look at the new warehouse with offices and a packaging room, where we could imagine our future functioning and we succeeded :) Well, judge for yourself.

Original design - showroom visualization

At first it was just an empty space, but with great possibilities for operation and since we spend a lot of time at work, we also had to think about how to adapt and harmonize the operation of the e-shop with the conditions for the comfort of the people who work there, as well as customers who come to us in person to see and purchase goods. And so we had an initial visualization prepared of what the work spaces, warehouse, offices, sanitary facilities, kitchen and even the showroom would look like, which would serve not only as an entrance area for clients, but also as a presentation of our products. So we had a vision and preparations for the reconstruction could begin.

And we started rebuilding...

First, we started remodeling the interior spaces, dividing the partitions of the offices, showroom, warehouse, etc. At the same time, we had to deal with the installation of electrical wiring, air conditioning, heat recovery, tiling, paving, sanitary facilities, etc. A little later, it was time to prepare the warehouse spaces, putting up shelves for goods on 2 floors. In addition, the offices were furnished with everything from office tables and chairs, to computers, printers, telephones, office supplies, and even pens on the tables :)

And finally, moving and transferring the warehouse to new premises

And that was total chaos where the e-shop had to be adapted to the new premises (during the busiest Christmas period) and at the same time coordinate the moving of thousands of items and sorting and placing goods on shelves, all in addition to the normal operation of the e-shop and processing orders, which seemed impossible, but we managed this too :)

We did it! The company has moved and we are ready for a new start :)

YEARS 2020 - 2024 - Covid times

We managed it, despite a very difficult period when the bad times of Covid-19 came in 2020, which forced our company to shut down for a few weeks and it was really felt in the number of total orders.
We fought like everyone else, hoping for a better tomorrow and constantly trying to move forward and bring you new and new products and improve for you. Covid passed and the world slowly returned to normal and we came back even stronger and bigger. And guess what? Exactly! The spirit of our first "garage" returned. we were running out of space and much faster than we planned.

COOL - MANIA - Registered trademark

One small step for the world, one giant leap for us. Cool-mania is officially registered as a symbol of originality. You love it and so do we, so we wanted to make sure it was officially unique, original and irreplaceable.

Last photo before the big changes.

2024-2025 Redevelopment of new premises

It came sooner than we expected. Boxes full of goods once again made our offices fully overcrowded, and this time we didn't hesitate and we looked for another new premises. We know, we know, it doesn't look like much, but stay with us until the end and trust us - you'll be surprised!

Whoever wants to create must first demolish - and we took it literally. A small remodeling turned into a complete "brick-to-brick" reconstruction. Without any doubt, this was the most complicated operation we have ever undertaken as a company. What surprised us, however, was that we moved the quantity of goods quite quickly and efficiently, considering the volume. The e-shop itself was closed for only one day, which is completely crazy compared to the first move (when it was closed for about a week)!

2025 - 2026 Next Move - New Beginnings

Big, smart and modern. That's how we could describe our new premises, which we are really proud of. We know, we are bragging, but we have come a long way to get here. We have never been dropshipping, we have always tested every product first, customer requirements have always been a top priority for us. We have never been afraid of challenges and often did things differently and that is what, together with your trust, has brought us here. Our range has expanded extremely and new products are added every year. New people have been added, new processes are being set up.

A new warehouse where you can currently find thousands of new products

Star TEAM - this is our current crew of people who take care of making your wishes come true :)

And we believe that many more years await us with you...

COOL GIFTS & GREAT TRICKS

Article update 05/2026