If an aspiring Pokémon trainer boards the streetcar to the Chinatown-International District (CID) with dreams of becoming the best (like no one ever was), they can find a true test of their skills and passion at TableTop Village. Tabletop, a family-owned business in the CID, aims to bring Pokémon to the Seattle community by selling Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) packs and creating a space for TCG fans to unite. They also supplement their Pokémon products with other TCG packs, like Magic the Gathering and One Piece.

In a world where Pokémon cards are regularly scalped or bought in bulk and resold for profit, Tabletop offers a refreshing alternative. Possibly offering one of the largest Pokémon selections in the United States, posters, plushies, cards, figures and medals are everywhere. The shop couldn’t make it clearer that its heart lies with the culture and community surrounding Pokémon, not a place to capitalize on a trendy commodity.

“I run my business more like a family or community center, and it operates more like a third space,” Brian Myers, owner of Tabletop Village, said. “I’m more of an organizer. My education and background is in youth education and counseling, which is 100% what this is.”

Tabletop is not unlike a “real” Pokémon gym, where aspiring trainers can come and challenge other trainers and gym leaders for valor and spoils. However, these leaders aren’t only for challenging—they use their wealth of experience to help anyone at Tabletop learn more about the game and how to play it.

Polaris Altares, a two-time Regional Winner and top-8 finisher at the 2023 Pokémon TCG World Championship, is one of these ‘gym leaders.’ He is also Myers’s son, and often hangs around the shop helping out with the family business and assisting the trainers that come in.

Polaris, his father and a few employees at Tabletop are headed to London this weekend to compete in the Pokémon International Championships Europe, and are competing again at the Seattle Regional event  Feb. 27. 

Tomo Sueyoshi, a customer at Tabletop Village, recounted how her coworkers introduced her to the shop and that she now gets to pass it on and introduce another of her friends to the store. Seyoshi finds Tabletop offers a more satisfactory Pokémon experience compared to other game stores in the city. 

“It’s the biggest store, and they have the biggest focus on Pokémon” Sueyoshi said.

Alongside tournaments hosted by Tabletop, there are other events aimed at bringing the Pokémon community of Seattle together, such as family day Sundays, where parents and kids are welcomed to come and play TCG with other families. Tabletop has also helped create after-school programs in more than 30 local schools to teach kids how to play Pokémon TCG and encourage them to bond over their shared love for Pokémon.

Events at Tabletop don’t have to be Pokémon-related either, as a Drag Show is being held Feb. 21. The diversity of events hosted by Tabletop reflects its position as a community space where everyone is welcomed, especially for those in the CID.

Maya Stefanovic, a second-year psychology major at Seattle University, was dazzled by all the Pokémon plushies scattered throughout Tabletop when visiting the store.

“It felt like a place to compete, you know? But also, everyone’s really friendly. Everyone is very nice and welcoming, so it was definitely good. It felt like a very homey place,” Stefanovic said.

Whether gushing over a PSA 10 Mega Charizard or competing in a tournament with dreams of grandeur, Tabletop is a space for nerds and geeks to get together and be their Pokémon-loving selves. Tabletop’s motto encapsulates everything it stands for: “It takes a village.”

Little Shop Hops is a column in A&E with rotating writers that uplifts small businesses in Seattle.