A postie from Lea is creating the first-ever Lancashire Card Show.
Martin Robinson, who has worked for Royal Mail for 17 years, launched his side hustle in trading card supplies, HobbyStock, at the end of 2023.
HobbyStock provides products to protect and display trading card collections. The company was created as a ‘one stop shop’, with the aim of bringing some of the biggest brands from around the world to UK collectors. A variety of items are on offer including binders, stands, protective sleeves and display cases.
Martin told Blog Preston: “Card collecting has seen a huge resurgence over the past few years, and like so many others I rediscovered my love for it during lockdown. I’ve always enjoyed collecting, going back to swapping football stickers in the playground at school.
“It’s a hobby that continues to grow in the UK, but it’s one that’s well established in the US, where kids grow up collecting and visiting card shops.
“After realising that certain products were not readily available in the UK, I came up with the idea of creating somewhere collectors can find all of their favourite products in one place. Over the past year, we have built our online store that serves collectors all over Europe.”
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With the business doing well, Martin is now turning his attentions to building a community for collectors in Lancashire.
“As a business we vend at shows all over the UK, but we felt that there was an opportunity to create a card show within our own county,” said Martin.
“Since securing the venue, The Lancashire Card Show has had a fantastic response from local collectors already, and our vendor tables sold out almost immediately.”
On the day there will be over 50 stalls covering Pokemon, TCG (Trading Card Games), Sports, Collectibles, Accessories and Grading. A local TCG store will be on hand to provide opportunities to learn and play a range of trading card games.
A variety of ticketing options are available, with Martin’s focus being on making the event accessible and family-friendly.
“We wanted to break away from the norm of charging a premium ticket price that some events charge for a VIP early entry,” said Martin
“Instead, we’ve created an early access ticket at the same price as our day tickets, to help those collectors who would benefit from a quieter start to the event. It’s an opportunity for people to familiarise themselves with the venue, at a slower pace, before general admission begins.
“Free tickets are also available for all under 8s, and there will be a host of activities to keep little ones entertained.”
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Martin has enjoyed the process of planning the event and says he has been overwhelmed by the support from the venue and other local businesses.
He added: “With the help of our family, friends, and the local card community we are hoping to put on an event that can continue to grow.”
The Lancashire Card Show will take place on Saturday 5 April at Bloomfield Road in Blackpool.
Priced at £8.23 for the full day, tickets are available via Eventbrite.
For more information, visit the HobbyStock website and follow @thelancashirecardshow on Instagram.
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This story was made possible by you, our readers, and a host of organisations in the city, through our Crowdfund Lancashire appeal, which unlocked support from the Lancashire Culture and Sport Fund provided by Lancashire County Council. You can see all our coverage and, if you know of an arts project or event in the city we should be covering, you can submit it for our event listings and/or send details to [email protected] for us to cover it as a story on the Blog.
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