Jason Paige, original singer of the Pokémon theme tune, will make his first visit to Belfast from LA to sing for the fans
If you have been looking for a place to ‘Catch ‘Em All’ in Northern Ireland, Belfast’s new home of Pokémon is going to be a must-visit.
The country’s first fully dedicated Pokémon shop is preparing to open its doors in Belfast city centre on Saturday, November 15 with a free family-friendly event to mark the occasion.
After the local Pokémon community brought them together only a handful of months ago, Joey, Chris, Steven and Daniel said it was ‘now or never’ to come together and open a store for all things trading, grading, buying and selling.
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Elite 4 Trading & Grading, located in the Fountain Centre, is hoping to be a go-to destination for collectors and fans of all stages and ages and has been born out of a passion for the franchise.
Speaking to Belfast Live, the Elite 4 team explained that they all came together streaming online and decided to open a store after they discussed the lack of options for collectors trying to shop in Northern Ireland.
Joey said: “There very many Northern Irish streamers on the streaming platform so one thing led to another and we started getting to chat to each other and make groups.
“Then we all met up and from there the idea of Elite Four came around. What makes us different is not only do we do a lot of more grading and Pokémon-related stuff but our love for the community as well.”
Chris said that the idea to open a dedicated Pokémon shop had been on the back of his mind for years as getting stock can be difficult at times in the city but it wasn’t until he connected with Joey, Steven and Daniel did the wheels get into motion.
As a lot of Pokémon trading, buying and selling happens online, the team wanted to create a space where local customers could feel completely safe from scalpers and scammers while being able to buy singles, packs and memorabilia from real people with real knowledge and passion.
Steven added: “I’m from Belfast and trying to find anything Pokémon is just an absolute nightmare – you go to four different shops and they’ll just say no stock, no stock, no stock.
“We’re always going to have stock. We’re always going to have individual cards, your favourite Pokemon cards from the Japanese or English era and if we don’t have it, we can certainly try and get them for you.”
The store will offer professional cleaning, pre-grade checks and grading advice as well as being a submission point for multiple grading companies.
Daniel continued: “There are a lot of people out there that have collections and they just don’t know what to do with them – they’ve maybe had them from the 90s and had cards that they want to grade but just don’t know about grading.
“We can help show people the worth in their own collections and if they need any cards, they can come in and buy those single cards to complete them rather than spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on loose packs in they hope that they’ll get that card for the collection.
“Stocking here is a major issue, and anybody that has stock is charging through the roof for it so we can to come in and kind of break that cycle by offering really fair prices and get people excited about Pokémon again.”
As part of the free opening event on Saturday, Jason Paige, original singer of the Pokémon theme tune, will make his first visit to Belfast from LA to sing for the fans.
Those wanting to get their favourite cards signed by him can purchase a meet and greet pass from Elite 4 Trading & Grading’s social media pages.
The team said the local Pokémon community has been “really receptive” to the news of their opening and they are excited to create a new safe space where people can socialise, meet like-minded collectors and “nerd out” with them about all the fun stuff happening in store.
“We have a love for the community and a love for a love for the game,” Daniel added
“All of us have small kids who are also into Pokémon, which is massive to even share that on a family level as well as a community level – it’s fantastic.
The team have plenty of ideas for events and community get-togethers that will happen in-store in the future, including Pokémon Go meet-ups.
Chris explained: “Pokémon Go is quite community-based as well but again, if you don’t know anyone else that does it then it’s hard to make that connection with people, so having that us here being a hub for these sorts of things will be so good.”
The ribbon cutting will take place at 10am in front of the store where Jason will sing the theme tune for the first time – guests can expect a DJ, face painting, food and are encouraged to get dressed up to celebrate NI’s new home of Pokémon.
“Sometimes, whenever I talk to people about Pokémon,” Chris added, “You’ll find that people have it as a guilty pleasure almost – so then opening a shop and having somewhere where people can go makes it more relaxed and gives them somewhere to get advice and meet people.”
The Elite 4 ‘Poké Stop’ inside the store will be open as a place for all ages and all Pokémon interests can grab a coffee, chat with friends, new and old, and find connection unlike anywhere else in Northern Ireland before.
Find out more about the store here and the opening event here
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