HELLERTOWN, Pa. – A one-time destination for roses, carnations, and sunflowers will soon be home to Pokémon, Star Wars, and sports cards in Northampton County.
T-Rex Sports Cards & Gaming, offering a wide array of sports and non-sports trading cards, will hold its grand opening from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 202 Main St. in Hellertown.
The store will occupy an updated space that was previously home to Pondelek’s Florist & Gifts, which closed in June after more than 80 years of operation.
The first brick-and-mortar location of T-Rex Sports Cards & Gaming is coming soon to 202 Main St. in Hellertown.
Ryan Kneller
Shoppers will be able to browse a wide assortment of sports cards, including baseball, basketball, football and tennis, along with non-sports cards such as Pokemon.
“I’m very eclectic as a collector,” T-Rex Sports owner Robert Parsons told 69 News.
“So, my store is going to be very eclectic as well. We’ll have sports cards and non-sports cards like Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and Pokémon. There will also be some UFC, WWE, F-1, and One Piece. So, we’ll have a little bit of everything when it comes to cards.”
The Hellertown store will be T-Rex Sports’ first brick-and-mortar location.
Parsons has been operating T-Rex Sports in a mobile format, setting up stands at card shows across the country, for the past several years.
“I started the business in 2013,” Parsons said.
“It was originally just a baseball and softball equipment company that we transitioned into sporting equipment and sports cards, and then eventually, it became just cards. When I stopped playing softball as seriously as I played it for a long time, traveling to do the sports equipment stuff didn’t really make much sense anymore.”
Parsons has been passionate about card collecting since childhood.
T-Rex Sports Cards & Gaming
“I got out of [collecting] for a bit, but I got fully back in it around 2014,” Parsons said.
“It’s been kind of crazy ever since. I’m a huge Star Wars collector. So, we’re going to have a massive amount of Star Wars inventory,” he added.
In Hellertown, T-Rex Sports Cards & Gaming will occupy the ground floor of a 19th-century structure that has been home to a multitude of businesses over the years. Originally, it was used as a high school.
Parsons and his team are repainting the walls, refinishing the hardwood floors, and performing other cosmetic updates.
“We’ll have tables for people to just sit down and go through boxes and also for when we start hosting Pokémon tournaments and other events,” Parsons said.
Parsons, a resident of Lower Saucon Township, is excited to further his passion for card collecting with a welcoming shop in his hometown community.
He will continue attending card shows nationwide, including the Dallas Card Show (Nov. 2-4) and Philly Card Show (Dec. 2-4).
His next appearance will be at the Hellertown Card Expo, which is happening from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 24 at the Hellertown American Legion, located at 935 Main St.
“I’m looking forward to setting up, introducing myself to the community, and letting local people know about the new store opening soon down the street,” Parsons said in reference to the Hellertown Card Expo.
“I’m excited to build community at the store, giving kids and people of all ages a place where they can go, shop, and just hang out. I chose to open on Main Street because I want to be a mainstay in the community. I want to sponsor Little League teams and give back to the community.”
The new Hellertown shop is tentatively set to operate 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, Parsons said.
Hours will likely expand as staffing grows.
“I’d like to eventually operate seven days a week, but I need to hire some people first,” Parsons added.
For the latest T-Rex Sports updates, follow the business’ page on Facebook.