A week after the inauguration of the “Fuji Store”, Pokémon card collectors from the region continue to flock to the store's doors. More than a place to buy pieces missing from their collections, enthusiasts can resell their cards and receive advice.
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2 500 €. This is the price a collector paid for a rare and highly coveted Lugia 1st edition Neo Genesis Pokémon card last Saturday at the inauguration of the Fuji Store specialty store.
The cards are presented in the style of Japanese stores, individually. Other franchises are also sold: One Piece and Lorcana.
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© Leena Gallet / FranceTV
“Since Covid, there has been a significant resurgence of interest in Pokémon cards, explains Bob, manager of the new Lille store. Well-known YouTubers have started making videos in which they open packs of Pokémon cards, like Inox Tag or Michou.“
This craze for cards from the famous cartoon of the same name is reflected in the store: no less than 200 people walked the aisles looking for cards missing from their collections as soon as the store opened.
We really feel the need for collectors to have a specialized store to buy and resell their cards.
BobFuji Store Manager – Lille
“It's been crazy for a week. Everyone who walks through this door is warm and eager for advice. Owe really feel the need for collectors to have a specialized store to buy and resell their cards“, adds Bob.
This is the case of Geoffrey and Séverine, who came from Oise, near Compiègne. Mother and son complete their collection. “It becomes addictive“, confides Séverine, with a smile on her lips. It was Geoffrey who introduced her to Pokémon cards, he who has been passionate about it since a young age. “When I was little, they couldn't afford to buy me a lot of cards. Today, I have a salary and I can please myself.”
Pokémon cards are also collected as a family, as evidenced by Séverine and her son Geoffrey, who came to complete their collection.
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© Leena Gallet / FranceTV
The entry of this 51-year-old mother into the world of collectible cards – TCGs, for trading card game in English, literally collectible card games – was accompanied by the discovery of market prices. “It was by going to major TCG events that I realized the value that cards can have. Some sell for more than 3 000 € !“, explains Séverine.
If the store attracts families from the region, its audience does not stop there. “One of the reasons that pushed us to open Fuji Store in Lille is its proximity to Paris, the United Kingdom and Belgium“, assures Kevin Escaffre, co-founder with Mister Fuji of the first store in 2023 in the capital.
After their first store in Paris, it was in Lille that Mister Fuji and Kevin Escaffre opened their new Fuji Store.
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© Fuji Store
The bet paid off: one week after the opening of the Fuji Store, “some enthusiasts have returned 4, 5, and even 6 times!“, rejoices Bob, manager of the store in Lille. “Child of the Dorothée club“, Kevin Escaffre promised himself to open a store on his favorite franchise, Pokémon. It's done.
