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.”
“We have a lot of amazing card stores in the area. It’s honestly super concentrated, which is awesome for collectors. Not only that, there are themed bars for Magic: The Gathering and other types of trading cards. The rise of it is amazing because it wasn’t always a hobby that was cool, and now we’re kind of in an era where it’s trendy,” says Samantha Veres, who’s part of the staff at trading card superstore Burbank Sportscards.
Strange as it is to think that the San Fernando Valley has become a mecca of trading cards, it makes sense when considering the area’s work culture.
“We have the animation studios and video game studios here, so I think, inherently, the people that work there and congregate in this world [of nerd culture] live in the area. So, I think that's an instant draw. Also, there are the costume and Halloween stores on Magnolia. There are a lot of fringe groups that have found homes [in the Valley],” says Spencer Cox, owner of Burbank board game bar Guildhall, as well as its location in Whittier.