KINGSBURG – A locally-operated Pokémon card business is looking to evolve, and its owners are set on bringing Kingsburg something new to enjoy.
Cody Webb and Kayla Grant are the pair behind CK Games, an online trading card store with aspirations of establishing a brick and mortar location. Engaged and living in Kingsburg, the two are currently working to set up shop in their city of residence, and to bring new activities to youth in the community.
“I’m trying to bring something to the community where people can gather together, have fun together, get to know one another and make more friends outside of social media,” Webb said.
Webb and Grant currently operate their business through TCGplayer, a popular online marketplace for trading card game products. Webb opened the online shop around May of last year, and chose to pursue the business full-time just a few months later.
Seeing the clear passion and dedication to the vision, Grant decided she would support in any way she could. As the “K” in CK Games, she has played an important role in helping plan the business’ future and narrowing down ideas.
“My goal, really, is to be his support, his rock, to help him lock down his ideas and be there to support him through this,” Grant said.
Webb and Grant currently source all of the cards themselves, searching for booster packs in retail stores and using the cards they pull to keep the store stocked. While they eventually plan to expand their sales to include more of Magic: The Gathering and other trading card games, the primary focus has been Pokémon cards.
Aside from the franchise’s high demand in the current trading card market, Pokémon has been a staple of both Webb and Grant’s childhoods, serving as an escape for Webb and as a source of engaging storytelling for Grant. CK Games has allowed the two of them to enjoy their lifelong hobby while earning a bit of money to better support their family.
In less than a year, the shop has found a moderate, but steady success that gives Webb confidence in taking the leap on a physical store.
One of the benefits of having a physical location, Webb said, is the increased chance of securing a distributor to stock more products. More importantly for the pair, however, a physical store will give CK Games the opportunity to go beyond the chase for elusive cards, and establish a sense of community around the games they’re meant for.
Grant shared that the primary vision for the store is to host tournaments, as well as learning nights to teach newcomers how to play games like Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh! and more on a weekly rotating basis.
“For us, it’s mostly about giving everybody some place they can convene, they can learn about something, play to enjoy or play to see who’s better if they want. We want them to have that space, because there’s nowhere like that in our current area,” Grant said.
Unfortunately for the pair, in an unexpected turn of events, the original planned location for the store recently fell through.
In a Jan. 24 social media post, CK Games announced that an opening date would be revealed soon, but days later, this was followed by another post sharing the news that the building’s owners decided they were not a “good fit.”
Though undoubtedly a worrying setback, Webb feels confident in ongoing talks about other buildings that may be better suited to the desired store layout. He said he is cautiously optimistic about the store’s spring timeline, and hopes to be open by May at the latest.
In the meantime, CK Games will continue to grow its online presence and establish its base of supporters. Most recently, the shop held a 200 Facebook followers giveaway, giving a lucky winner a PSA 9-graded Mega Charizard EX card from the 2016 Pokémon set “XY: Evolutions.”
Updates on the business can be followed on CK Games’ social media accounts, primarily through Facebook. While some of the store’s logistics are still ongoing, Webb is determined to bring something to a scene that has pretty much always been a part of his life.
“This is my way of giving back, so that’s really all that this is about,” Webb said.
