Two places are considered the “home” of the trading card hobby. The first is 5,000 miles away in Tokyo. The second is much closer. In fact, it’s in the Valley.
Since the pandemic, no hobby has seemingly been hotter than trading cards. Values have soared across all brands, with sealed Pokémon products outperforming the S&P 500. Influencers and celebrities are now “cracking packs” alongside collectors, searching for cards worth thousands. It’s a gold rush, with its main vein running along the streets of the San Fernando Valley.
“There’s a multitude of places that you can go to, and each one has its own niche within the TCG [trading card game] community,” says Dominic Soggiu, a lifelong Valley resident and trading card fan. “How they sell their cards ... what they sell, it all seems to be unique. The great thing about the Valley is that if you’re looking for something, there’s some place that probably has it. That’s what I love.”