The Magic Chest opened in Carlisle on Rosemary Lane on Friday December 20 as close friends Alejandro Ruse (Alex), Robbie Evans and Craig Whiteside fulfilled their dream of having a safe space for local gamers to buy, trade and battle.
Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering are among the collectibles on offer at the trading card shop, with the co-owners hoping to host their own tournaments in the new year.
Speaking to the News & Star, Alex said: “This has been my dream since I was kid. I’ve always enjoyed playing and collecting, I’ve played Warhammer, Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! since I was young.
“The response has been crazy, all of our stock has basically sold out. It’s a bit of a hassle to get more in when distributors are closed but we will be able to full steam ahead again soon. There’s always been a scene for this sort of thing in Carlisle, and so many people have told us that a place like this is needed. Previously we’ve had to resort to going to bars or other people’s houses.”
Alex also stressed the importance of the shop being a safe space, especially for those who are new to the hobby.
He said: “Hopefully my partners and I can be the middle men to get people into the hobby. If you come in, we will have a game with you. You won’t be sat by yourself, you’ll never be alone, that’s our job to make sure of that.”
Pokémon cards in particular are enjoying a real resurgence, with some individual cards selling for well over £1000 online, and the shop certainly boasts some rare offerings for those interested in catching them all.
The shop is open from 11am (12pm on Sundays) until 10pm seven days a week, and could be the perfect place to start collecting over Christmas.