For many millennial parents, Pokémon is more than a game. It’s a shoebox full of trading cards tucked away in a childhood bedroom, Saturday mornings spent watching Ash and Pikachu, a Charizard card everyone wishes they’d held onto. Today, many of those same fans are introducing Pokémon to a new generation.
Heather and Murray Keller know the feeling well. The husband-and-wife team is preparing to open CITY Cards N More (5850 Hampton) in Princeton Heights on July 3, the first Pokémon-focused trading card shop in St. Louis city. But the store isn’t just about buying cards, the Kellers explain: It’s designed as a place where families can gather, kids can play, collectors can trade, and newcomers can learn the hobby together.
“We wanted it to feel like an experience,” Heather says. “Not just somewhere people come in to buy something.”
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A business born alongside their son
Opening a card shop wasn’t part of the couple’s original plan. Heather was a teacher. Murray worked in real estate. Pokémon was simply a hobby they shared.
Then their son was born.
“I knew I couldn’t go back,” Heather says. “I wanted to be able to do something that we could do together as a family.”
The couple began selling extra Pokémon cards online in 2024—sometimes for as little as 25 cents each. Soon, the hobby became a business. “It was a struggle at first,” Heather says. “We were on food stamps for a while. We were working all day, all night.”
Murray often woke up at 4 a.m. to upload inventory before working until evening, while Heather cared for their newborn between packing orders.
What started with a handful of cards has snowballed relatively quickly. Within months, the Kellers launched the CITY Card Show, which has grown into what they describe as St. Louis’ busiest recurring trading card show. Less than two years after turning their hobby into a business, they’re opening the doors to their first permanent storefront.
More than collecting
Pokémon has been around for nearly three decades, but Murray believes its staying power comes from something bigger than nostalgia.
“It’s just such a wholesome story,” he says. “It’s something that resonates with everyone.”
For children, though, the hobby can become much more than collecting cards. As a former teacher, Heather has watched Pokémon help children practice reading, problem-solving, sharing, and social skills.
“When you make learning fun, kids want to do it,” she says. “Reading a Pokémon card is a lot more exciting than reading a textbook.”
Trading cards also encourage kids to negotiate, communicate, and build friendships. “There’s a huge level of sharing,” she says. “That’s really what the hobby is about.”
A place to belong
That sense of community became one of the biggest priorities for the new store. Both Heather and Murray were relatively new to St. Louis when they began collecting, and they quickly found friendships through local Pokémon events.
“We wanted to give that back,” Heather says. “We wanted people to have somewhere they could come, even if they don’t know anybody.”
Inside CITY Cards N More, families will find more than display cases. There’s a dedicated play area, tables for trading card games, a TV and couch where visitors can hang out, a chalkboard wall where kids can draw, and a colorful Pokémon mural for photos.
The Kellers hope the message their store sends is this: You don’t have to buy anything to feel welcome. “If somebody just wants to come in and ask questions or hang out, that’s okay,” Heather says.
New to Pokémon? Start here.
Parents whose children suddenly become interested in Pokémon often feel overwhelmed, Murray says. His advice? Skip the big-box stores.
Although Pokémon products often sell out at major retailers, local game shops can help families figure out whether their child wants to collect cards, play competitively, or simply learn more about the hobby. “The average Walmart employee probably can’t answer those questions,” Murray says with a laugh. “A local game shop can.”
While headlines often focus on six-figure card sales, the Kellers say most families who walk through their doors aren’t hunting for an investment. They’re looking for a hobby that they can enjoy together. Some children just love collecting fan favorites such as Pikachu or Charizard. Others become fascinated with obscure Pokémon that few collectors ever think about.
“There isn’t a right or wrong Pokémon to collect,” Murray says. “Everybody has a different favorite.”
For the Kellers, the store isn’t really about Pokémon. It’s about creating the kind of place where they hope their own son grows up visiting, where kids trade cards instead of scrolling screens, where parents strike up conversations while their children make new friends. And where a hobby that started around one family’s kitchen table helps other families build memories of their own.
