ATLANTIC CITY — When Branden Von opened PokeBlitz in Egg Harbor Township earlier this year, he took note of a lack of trading card game shows in Atlantic County.
“There are a bunch of shows (in North Jersey) that we enjoy going to, but they’re an hour or two hours away,” the 31-year-old township resident said.
Von and a handful of card shops are partnering to put on the first ever Atlantic City TCG Show on Oct. 17 at Showboat Resort Atlantic City. Von has 60 to 80 vendors confirmed for the show, and his goal is to have anywhere from 100 to 150 next month.
The Atlantic City show will feature some of the top trading card games, especially with the heightened popularity of Pokémon, as well as sports cards, Labubu and more. The show will also feature 360 Auto Works in Egg Harbor Township, which will bring cars showing off some anime designs.
“(Trading card shows) are really fun, a great environment,” Von said. “The Pokémon community is great. I thought it would be great if we brought this to Atlantic City. No. 1, it has the Tourism District. Showboat was our No. 1 spot with it being kid friendly with the arcade and waterpark.”
The global trading card games market is assessed at $7.8 billion, rising to $11.8 billion by 2030, according to Yahoo Finance. Top games include Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Disney’s Lorcana.
Von, a former Atlantic City police officer, opened PokeBlitz at 2511 Fire Road in Egg Harbor Township in May. The shop specializes in Pokémon and has developed a strong following through TikTok, so it wasn’t hard for Von to get some partners on board, like fellow card shops Wax Packs & Throwbacks in Linwood and Cardboard Colosseum in Middlesex County.
Labubu, a Chinese collectible that is all the rage, is a line of plush toys that are sold exclusively through the online store Pop Mart.
Atlantic City TCG will run from 2 to 9 p.m. inside the Showboat’s 50,000-square-foot event space, The Terminal. Early bird admission (2-3 p.m.) is $15, and the $10 ticket will cover 3-9 p.m. Tickets are sold at the door. Vendors can register at linktr.ee/AtlanticCityTCGshow.
“There’s a lot of product, and all the great deals and best product will be gone in that first hour,” Von said.
Vendors and attendees will receive a special code to get $10 parking in Showboat’s garage, which is normally $25 on weekends. Guests could pay for parking after getting an entry ticket, which will include the code for parking, Von said. The Terminal is located directly across from the exit to the self-parking garage.
The ticket also includes a $5 coupon to Lucky Snake Arcade as well as a discount code for the Island Waterpark at Showboat ($25 instead of the usual $75).
Von said he wants the show to be more than a one-off event. If October’s show does well, he will look to schedule another one in December or January. He said Showboat has been very easy to work with and is onboard with the idea of multiple shows throughout the winter.
With new product always coming out, an active trading community and a high interest in collectibles, people will want to return to Showboat for future shows, he said.
“We have a lot of people in the TCG market always trading, moving product very quickly and having cash,” Von said. “It’s a big trading market. There are always new releases. When Pokémon releases a new set, it goes crazy.”
Contact John Russo:
609-272-7184
jrusso@pressofac.com
X @ACPress_Russo
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