Card tables were packed from the moment doors opened Sunday at the Pokoee Card & Gaming Expo, where parents, kids and longtime collectors spent the day flipping through binders, digging in bulk boxes and hunting for the piece they came for.
The show ran Sunday, September 27 at Lakeshore center and by late morning the aisles were busy enough that shoppers were working around strollers and lining up three deep at popular tables. Plenty of attendees arrived as families. Kids in soccer jerseys and backpacks stood shoulder to shoulder with adults at the display cases, pointing out cards they wanted, and several younger shoppers walked away with paper bags from their first purchases of the day.
Pokémon was the main draw, but the floor covered a lot of ground. Generations Card Shop and Damien’s Cardboard set up buy, sell and trade tables stocked with singles, graded slabs and bulk, and banners around the room advertised Magic: The Gathering, Lorcana, One Piece and sports cards as well. T. Rex Comics & Collectibles brought back issues, LEGO sets and a wall of display cases filled with minifigures, while other vendors sold Funko Pops, stickers and enamel pins. Handmade crochet plush characters, priced from a few dollars up to a showpiece at $100, drew steady traffic from shoppers who came for cards and left with something soft.
Collectors said the deals were the real reward. Vendors were open to trades and offers, and buyers could be seen going through binders page by page with phones out to check prices. One collector dropped to the floor in the middle of the aisle to sort through a long box of cards, which says something about how hard people were hunting. Many tables posted Venmo and Zelle codes next to their cases, so closing a sale took a few taps.
The atmosphere stayed relaxed throughout. Shoppers chatted with vendors, traded tips on what to look for, and stopped to admire the costumes, including one vendor who worked the room in a full Charmander onesie.
Local shops and conventions supported the expo as sponsors, including Generations Card Shop, West Orange Comics and Video Games, Windus Comics and Collectibles, Charlie’s Comic Con and Lake County Card Show. Florida Geek Scene is also a sponsor of the event.
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