Home Town Cards & Collectibles

Home Town Cards & Collectibles is a trading card store at 1514 Ed Bluestein Blvd in East Austin, built around play space as much as retail. It has five themed play rooms with more than 64 seats, a calendar that usually runs two or more events a day, and a counter that buys cards for cash or trade. It suits players who want a table and a tournament any night the doors are open, and sellers who would rather deal face to face.

What's on the shelves

The store carries Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece Card Game, Disney Lorcana, Flesh and Blood, Dragon Ball Super Card Game and sports cards, along with Gundam, MetaZoo and Riftbound. Snacks and drinks are sold in the store for between rounds.

Weekly play

Sunday is the fixed-schedule day for casual play, and both events are free.

Beyond these two, the rest of the calendar rotates through drafts, pre-releases and tournaments, with entry fees from free to $35 in October.

November entry

Every in-store event is free to enter for the month of November, with packs and prizes provided at no charge. The month kicks off with a Re-Grand Opening on Sunday, November 1, which brings 10 vendors on site, free events all day and giveaways.

The play space

The five rooms are each named for a piece of Austin. Championship Hall seats 24 and handles tournaments and big events. Zilker Arena seats 16 for league nights and pods. The Moontower seats 12 for Commander and casual play. The Bat Cave is set up for drafts and side events, and Barton Springs Lounge is the spot to hang out between rounds. PC gaming desks can be booked by the hour.

Players who show up short a pod can start one at an open table, and others looking for that game get notified.

Selling and trading

The store buys cards for cash on the spot, and trade credit always pays more than cash. Singles, vintage, modern chase cards, sealed product and bulk are all bought across the major games, including Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Disney Lorcana and Dragon Ball Super. Sellers can get an estimate for any card ahead of time, build a list and submit it before visiting. The final offer is set at the counter after each card's condition is checked, and payment is made the same day.

Card shows

The store also runs its own card shows around Austin, with vendor tables available to reserve. The Sunday, November 8 show is at the Austin Marriott South, starting at 11 AM. The Sunday, November 15 show is at the Holiday Inn Town Lake, 20 N Interstate Hwy 35, from 11 AM to 6 PM, with 40 tables of local vendors selling Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh! and more. Entry and parking are free and the shows are family friendly.

Hours

Friday and Saturday run latest, which leaves room for evening events to go long.

The local scene

Several other card and game stores sit within a few miles: Tanuki Games and King's Hobby at about 1.9 miles, Game Over Videogames at 2 miles, and PixelHaven Games & Collectibles and Capstone Comics at about 2.7 miles. For shows, Kenny's Collectibles Sports Card Show is about 7.1 miles away, with dates on November 14 and December 12, and ATX North Card Show, about 49.7 miles out, runs November 21.