Prince Albert fans will soon have a new place to meet, trade and compare collections as Tramp’s Music & Books hosts a Pokemon trade event on May 3.
The event will run from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is open to collectors of all ages. Organizer Alice Read said the idea grew out of something simple. She kept seeing local Pokemon Trading card collectors pass through the store without ever really connecting with one another.
“I’ve seen all the local collectors go in and out and cross each other’s paths, but not meet,” Read said. “I thought there has to be a solution to this, because we all are here, but we’re not stumbling across each other.”
Read, who has collected Pokemon Trading cards casually since the 1990s, said the event is meant to be welcoming to everyone from longtime collectors to curious newcomers. People can bring trading cards, plush toys, or other officially licensed Pokemon merchandise to trade or show off, but they do not need to bring anything at all to take part.
“If you just want to come learn, you’re welcome to come learn. It’s open to anybody who loves Pokemon. The only restriction is that you must enjoy Pokemon,” Read said with a laugh.
She said children are welcome, though younger attendees should come with an adult. The hope is to create a family-friendly setting where people can get to know one another, learn more about the hobby, and possibly help build something bigger in Prince Albert.
“The goal is, once we all meet, we can connect together and hopefully actually start playing Pokemon, which will be fun,” Read said. “We just have to find each other.”
To help with that, Read recently created the Facebook group PA Pokemon Trade Post. She said the group had already climbed past 40 members within about two weeks, a sign there may be more local interest than many collectors first realized.
Read said her connection to Pokemon goes back to childhood. Some of her favourite cards from the 1990s were stolen after she accidentally left them behind at a restaurant, a memory that still sticks with her and shows how personal a collection can become.
Among those taking part in the trade meet is Jason Schwanke, a collector originally from Edmonton who moved to Prince Albert for work. Schwanke said Pokemon has been part of his life since childhood, starting with the television show, games, and cards. For him, the hobby is about more than rarity or resale value.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
Alice Read holds a rare Pokemon card similar to one she lost as a child, while Jason Schwanke also shows part of his Pokemon collection at Tramp’s Music & Books.
“If you get the card from a certain friend or you go through a challenge to get the card, that makes it more valuable to me than just it’s worth money,” Schwanke said. “For me, I don’t like to resell them. I like to just collect and get them from friends or give them to family and stuff.”
He said events like the one planned for May 3 matter because they give people, especially youth, a safe and positive way to spend time together.
“I think they would be great for Prince Albert,” Schwanke said. “It’s time for youth to come together. Safe place for them, instead of wandering around on the streets or doing other stupid stuff, or at least they can come here, engage with each other, and it’s safer for them, and it’s better.”
Schwanke said he has seen through his job just how important it is for young people to have healthy interests and supportive spaces. Read echoed that view, saying gatherings like this help people feel connected and remind them there are good people in the community.
“It adds more connection, which is always so important,” Read said. “You just have to find that connection, that place to meet them.”
The Pokemon trade event will be held at Tramp’s Music & Books, 29 12th Street West, on Sunday, May 3 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Read said anyone with an interest in Pokemon is welcome to drop in, whether they are bringing a collection or just stopping by to see what the local scene looks like.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
