Fun, Friends and Family: X

POCATELLO — X-Treme Collectibles, a family-run trading card and pop culture shop, has opened a new location at 440 E. Clark St. as it looks to further expand its role as a gathering place for the region’s card game and collectibles community.

The new store is roughly six times larger than the original location on Arthur Avenue and occupies the former Southwick Blackbelt Academy building near Idaho State University. X-Treme Collectibles owner Kevin Wallin said the shop had outgrown its space and parking.

Wallin has worked in the collectibles business since 2007 and ran several stores in Las Vegas before relocating to Pocatello. He opened the original X-Treme Collectibles location around 2020. About a year and a half ago, he brought on his son-in-law, Tyson Shupe, to help manage day-to-day operations as business grew.

That move was intentional, with Wallin describing the business as a family operation. Many of the employees at the stores are his own children, and he takes that family-forward philosophy into how he approaches the guests within his store.

“This is all family,” Wallin said. “We’re very passionate about what we do, very personable with the customers, because we want them to keep coming back and feel comfortable here.”

The new store, much like the original, stocks Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering and One Piece cards, along with sports cards, autographed memorabilia, Funko Pops and 3D-printed items.

The stores also carry raw and graded singles across those categories and have begun bringing in other trading card games, including Lorcana, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Palworld.

Beyond merchandise, the new location provides more space for its customers to enjoy, whether they are playing a quick pickup game, cracking packs or lounging on couches and watching cartoons. The shop includes arcade machines where customers can purchase 10 minutes of play for $1 and offers snack options like sodas and chips. A dedicated gaming space has room for up to 36 people to enjoy.

Shupe said the store plans to hold weekly game nights featuring Pokemon, Magic and One Piece, and may add Dungeons and Dragons in the future. A monthly trade night, open to any trading card game, is already established, with the next one expected around Sept. 18.

Those events typically draw a mix of regulars and newcomers, Shupe said, and often include raffles for customers who make a purchase.

“We want to be the big place for people to go and enjoy themselves, not just come here and buy things, but to come and use our space to play games,” Shupe said.

In keeping with the welcoming and family-friendly focus, the store also gives out mystery packs of Pokemon cards to young customers who come in on their birthdays.

The new location has also introduced the shop to customers who never knew it existed at its smaller Arthur Avenue spot, Shupe said, and its proximity to the college campus is expected to further widen that reach. A new logo and store merchandise are also in the works.

Shupe said the store continues to grow and is open to feedback and suggestions from its patrons. The goal, he said, is to be a place for people to enjoy themselves and have fun, not just to buy things, but to come and utilize the space with their friends.

“We’re a community-oriented business,” Wallin said. “We started out as community-oriented. We like people coming back and repeat customers, and we don’t just help serve people. We make friends. We help them be more knowledgeable about what they’re doing, like Magic, like One Piece, like Pokemon, like sports, like all the stuff that we do. Everybody’s got their niche, and we’ll take the time.”

Updates on tournaments, trade nights and other events can be found on X-Treme Collectibles’ Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts.