New independent shop to open in Bristol selling Pokémon cards

A unique shop is set to open in Bristol where people can buy, trade and play Pokémon cards.     

Sam Jackway is opening the Card Catcher Shop on Staple Hill High Street - and it’s believed to be the only store of its kind in Bristol outside of the city centre. 

The 29-year-old has spent the last two weeks transforming a former baby shop into the new store, ahead of it opening tomorrow (December 2) to tie in with the annual Christmas on the Hill celebration.        

Sam, who has his own collection of thousands and thousands of Pokémon cards, has stocked the shop with various Pokémon card-related products, with the more expensive items costing hundreds of pounds.

The Pokémon superfan has been selling cards online for the last two years and has also appeared at local events to sell the products in-person.  

He has also been running a pop-up playing club at a local cafe, which he says has led to him opening the space on the High Street in Staple Hill.       

Sam said: “It’s my local high street, so I feel an affinity towards it. It's close to where I’ve been doing the club so I know that there is interest here and it feels like the perfect place.”   

Sam, who lives in Mangotsfield, has a background in retail and started selling Pokémon cards online full-time after taking redundancy during the pandemic.     

“You find that people, when they reach a certain age, go back to things they enjoyed when they were younger,” explained Sam.  

"During the pandemic, I experienced this myself and found joy. I began collecting, trading, and exploring something new, which led to the creation of an online store."     

As well as an array of Pokémon cards, Sam also sells snacks and drinks at the shop, for the playing sessions he plans to host here.    

He added. “There aren't many places like this around, so people are genuinely interested. It provides an opportunity for them to go out and experience something new.  

"I aim for the store to be accessible, which is why we offer sweets, drinks, and snacks to create a comfortable environment for people to come, play, and trade.”     

In the long-term, Sam also wants to explore expanding the shop to include other card games as well.

He continued: "I want to build upon the existing Pokémon community and transform it into a local gathering space where people can come together and play various games. 

"I believe it will have broad appeal because when people see it and have access, it sparks their imagination. It may still be a niche, but it's a highly popular niche."