Singapore's First Pokemon TCG Gym Deluxe Opens at *SCAPE

Despite the slightly warm morning on Sunday (Jan 18), more than 150 people were already in line outside *SCAPE for the opening of Singapore's first-ever Pokemon TCG (Trading Card Game) Gym Deluxe that’s located on the third floor of the community youth space. If you're anything like me, you're probably wondering what a Pokemon TCG Gym Deluxe is. Well, it's basically an official space licensed by the Pokemon Company for card shop owners to sell official Pokemon merchandise such as plushies, T-shirts, keychains and more importantly, collectible trading cards. Also on display at the gym are rare and valuable cards, some worth as much as a cool five figures, on display. Some of these cards are owned by the owner of the store, Chong Sze Wen of Rowell TCG, while some are on loan from his friend, according to staff at the store. "I'm queuing because we want to buy Pokemon packs and see what merch is available at the new opening. I'm starting to learn the card game as well," she said. Carissa's most expensive card in her collection is worth S$200, which may seem a lot, but is a far cry from one that avid collector (and investor) Isaac Pua has. The 26-year-old film producer owns a card worth at least S$5,000, and he views his hobby as a form of alternate investment. "I used to play for a short while but I think now collecting is the main goal. There are studies that show it's going faster than the S&P 500 (stock market index), but ultimately it's a market controlled by the people, just like any commodity or trade," said Pua. "I think with this year's 30th anniversary, the market will either see some drastic change, it will dip up or down depending on what cards will be released or printed. So if they follow the trends of the 25th anniversary, where previous popular cards were reprinted, then it's definitely going to tank," he said. "But if we hold it for the next few years, I think it will still hold its value unless there's some scandal that happens within the Pokemon company." Still, given that Pokemon TCG cards have continued to increase in value the last few years, and with hobbyists fuelling the demand for grading cards, it's no wonder business is booming for card shops as well, especially for Rowell TCG, whose main store is in the Serangoon North heartlands. Their new *SCAPE premise will allow them to reach a bigger market, but focused mainly on Pokemon TCG. "Opening a shop like this has always been my dream, and I am very grateful to be given the opportunity to open Singapore’s first ever Pokemon TCG Gym Deluxe store. This store marks a new chapter, a new milestone to Rowell’s history of how we have grown over the years," said Chong. "As we look ahead, we have plans to open more deluxe shops like this in the future."