Chicago-based Pokémon trade show Collector’s Vault came to Madison for the very first time this past weekend, with plans to be back in a few weeks.
The organization puts on trade shows for all things nerdom with an emphasis on Pokémon. This past weekend, on May 9, it came to The Black Business Hub, 2352 South Park St., for its first time in the state. The trade show has only been going on since December of last year, but Collector’s Vault has gained a steady following in the Chicagoland area and looks to expand its events to other cities in the region.
“This is a sneak peek at our show in two weeks, just to give a taste of what to expect,” said Lauren Pingad, organizer for the event.
Pingad wanted to bring the Collector’s Vault to Wisconsin to breathe some more life into trade shows. She notes that often, cards are just shuffled around between people in one city. A new event for it with traders from other areas will help improve what’s available.
(Photo by Omar Waheed)
But Pingad also wanted to make the event more accessible with family-friendly options.
“As someone who enjoys the hobby, I was running into things that I felt like, ‘Oh, the show could be better.’ I feel like a lot of shows are just run to sell tables and just have vendors there, and there’s not more to it,” Pingad said. “It could be more family-friendly, family-oriented, which is why I have lots of kids’ activities.”
While the events are all ages, oftentimes kids will get dragged along with their parents with nothing to do, she said. Pingand wanted the environment to be more enjoyable for everyone, regardless of their age.
That approach resonated with Madison. In its first hour, Collector’s Vault had around 300 people show up, ranging in all ages, with people by themselves, as a family or a group of friends.
But this show was only a teaser for what’s to come in a couple weeks, as Collector’s Vault is scheduled to return at the Middleton Conference Center with hundreds of vendors.
Opportunities like Collector’s Vault trade shows are lucrative for some vendors. Milwaukee-based Tag Team Collectibles, a Pokémon trading card collector and seller, can fund its life off the fandom.
(Photo by Omar Waheed)
Saad Khan was able to recently purchase his house from what was a childhood hobby of his. He started collecting cards as a kid, but only got back into collecting in 2019.
“My collection was able to fund a lot of that down payment,” Khan said. “It’s cool because it’s a hobby of mine, but then it can also help with real-life things, because a lot of the things that I had, they all went up in value.”
Collector’s Vault will be back in the area on Saturday, May 23, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., at the Middleton Conference Center, 1313 John Q Hammons Dr. It is free to attend. Registration is open for those interested in the raffles at the event.
