Orillia area Pokémon, Magic, One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh! players followed Carl’s Collectible Culture from Mississaga Street to its new Front Street shop and many even volunteered to help set up the new store.
“People have become like family over the past four years. The entire move … our community showed up with tools. They painted, they removed the bullet-proof glass, they cleaned,” said owner Mark O’Byrne.
The new location at 25 Front St. S. had been a Money Mart and had bullet-proof glass around the cash register, he explained.
“We had eight guys to take out all the panels,” O’Byrne said.
Dedicated card collectors and players volunteered for the renovation, moving fixtures, setting up merchandise and the computer system. One ‘valuable’ item moved from the old location to the new store was the volunteer-made Pokémon countertop, full of Pokémon cards with a clear, acrylic top.
The new location opened Oct. 1. It has dedicated parking spaces and air conditioning was installed to keep the players cool.
“We didn’t have air conditioning in the old spot and there were some hot summer nights,” said O’Byrne.
Gaming leagues for Pokémon, Magic, One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh! card <a href="https://comicvibe.com/microsoft-and-epic-games-suddenly-agree-that-ai-is-theft/” title=”Microsoft And Epic Games Suddenly Agree That AI Is Theft”>games take place Tuesdays through Fridays at 7 p.m. Players register online and scores are recorded. The registration fee is approximately $10.
“We have such a big community now. We get up to 80 people on our Friday nights,” said O’Byrne.
Carl’s also sells a variety of sports cards.
Volunteer and Orillia Terriers minor hockey player Ben Rose, 14, works the sports card section because he has expertise in hockey.
“He knows all the players and he uses that knowledge to help manage the hockey cards. If an (NHL) players is doing really well, he makes sure we get those cards out. He could be an NHL scout one day,” said O’Byrne.
Rose said he’s been volunteering at the store for a long time and loves it.
“It’s a great vibe. It’s a really organized store. It’s been one hell of a journey to see them grow as a store. They started as a small business with barely anything and now it’s a huge, actual, nice looking store,” Rose said.
Adam Smith-Hobson, 20, comes to the shop to play Magic the Gathering on Tuesday and Friday nights. He’s been coming to the store since they opened in Orillia at 61 Mississaga St. E. four years ago.
“It’s very peaceful. It’s a very welcoming community. Everyone gets along and is very friendly. It’s a fun place to come and explore and it’s very child friendly,” he said.
Devon Fleming, 25, has been playing Magic since 2014 and comes to Carl’s for game nights.
“It’s been a great escape from a lot of things. It’s very similar to chess with the mind games, playing back and forth with your opponent, trying to out pace and out manoeuvre them. It’s a really fun game,” he said.
O’Byrne started the business with his father Carl, hence the name for the ship, with no thought of having a gaming store.
“I opened it to be a comic book and sports card store because that was what my dad and I loved to do together,” said O’Byrne. “About a year after we opened, these trading card games like Pokémon and One Piece exploded.”
O’Byrne was approached by a card league looking for a new home to play, so he signed on the league officially, which allowed him to purchase official card merchandise.
“We are an official play store,” he said, meaning they get all the official product for both collectible card games and Upper Deck sports cards.
While Magic and One Piece card games are strong, the older Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon are still going strong. They attract players between the ages of four to 80, he explained.
“A 75-year-old grandma comes in and plays (Pokémon) with her kids on Wednesday nights. They love it,” O’Byrne said.
Special events such as pre-release parties for collectible cards are held on Saturdays.
“They are a big deal. People come from all over. For our Pokémon pre-releases we get 70 people to these events.
“There is a free hockey card day once a year. They come in and we give them a free hockey card pack.”
O’Byrne said he wants his store to be a welcoming place where everyone can be themselves, adding that youth playing mentally stimulating games is much better than doing a lot of other things that could get them into trouble.
Besides collectible cards and comic books, the shop sells collectible merchandise and LPs and will buy items.
The shop is closed Sundays and Mondays.
For more information, visit the Instagram page, email [email protected] or call: 249-388-3017.
