A local resident is cashing in on the continuing craze of Pokémon.
Noah Joy has run Pokemadness online for about a year, but now he’s ready to wind that down and move it into a spot in downtown Orillia.
“This was basically my dream since I was a child — to own my own card store,” Joy said.
His Pokémon passion began when he was in Grade 6.
“The artwork got me into it. I love to draw,” he said. “It’s also about the luck of the draw, picking the right cards.”
Doing so can pay off. Joy said he has seen Pokémon cards sell online for anywhere from 25 cents to more than $60,000.
He decided to go into business when he saw a resurgence in Pokémon’s popularity, including the Pokémon GO mobile game.
“That made me think, ‘This is coming back and I want to get into it,’” he said.
He recently received the keys to 154 Mississaga St. E., where he and his husband, Shawn Crewson, who looks after the financial side of the operation, plan to open Pokemadness early this summer. The store will focus on selling Pokémon cards and merchandise, as well as a variety of classic and international candy.
“Candy and Pokémon go together,” Joy said. “It’s that nostalgic, kid thing. You come in and you feel like a kid.”
He said he’s excited to set up shop in the heart of downtown Orillia, where condos are being built and new businesses are opening.
“I think it will be great to have the bricks and mortar downtown,” he said. “A downtown business will give us more access to distributors because we’ll have a physical store.”
Joy was at Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop’s Orillia office Friday to pick up a certificate acknowledging his new venture.
