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Southport shop opens after couple discover 'same level of interest' as Amsterdam

Co-owner Levi Bailey said the reaction to his new shop has been "overwhelmingly positive"

[Couple Levi Bailey and Keira Reid have now become business partners]

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Couple Levi Bailey and Keira Reid have now become business partners

A new Pokmon card shop has been welcomed by a growing community of collectors after its owners say the town has shown "the same level of interest" as Amsterdam.

Couple Levi Bailey and Keira Reid were inspired to open Gawtos TCG on Post Office Avenue in Southport following a trip to the Netherlands, where they were impressed by the number of dedicated Pokmon and trading card shops. The store opened in mid-July in the former Dog Haus unit at 14 Post Office Avenue.

It sells individual Pokmon cards, sealed products and other collectibles, while also giving enthusiasts a place to meet and trade.

Levi, 22, who is from Southport, told the ECHO: "We had been thinking about it for a while and playing with the idea of it. In late 2025, we went to Amsterdam, and they have a ton of card shops and Pokmon shops. We were really impressed with what they have and thought to ourselves, 'Why can't we have something like this back home?'

"We initially started vending at card shows, including the local Southport card show, and that's when we first realised that people wanted a dedicated shop.

"We realised we weren't the only people who thought people wanted something like this. It was something people were actually asking about, and we realised there was 100% the same level of interest in Southport as there was in Amsterdam."

[Gawtos TCG Pokemon shop is found along Post Office Avenue]

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Gawtos TCG Pokemon shop is found along Post Office Avenue

Levi began collecting Pokmon cards around 2016 while he was still at school and said the community surrounding the hobby is one of its biggest attractions.

He said: "There are multiple factors that bring people together. Pokmon cards in general are art, so people can connect over the art and the general fanbase, as well as the community aspect of it.

"People enjoy having others to talk to. When people are queuing outside shops, there's a social aspect to it as well, because you'll see the same people and build up conversations and relationships around Pokmon. We're approaching our third week, and it's been going great so far. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive."

Levi said the enthusiasm for the new shop has been particularly rewarding given divisions that have emerged within the Pokmon collecting community in recent years.

He said: "Over the last year or two, it all has been divided into two different factions: the people who are buying it simply to resell it on the internet, and the people who actually collect and enjoy Pokmon. We don't have a strict policy as such for those scalpers, we just have to trust they have the right intention and are being honest and hope for the best. Thankfully it isn't something we've encountered yet but we are having background talk for when it does happen.

"So to see the community rejoice and fully invest their time into the shop, have conversations with us and generally just see the community interact with each other has been amazing. It has made it all worthwhile."

[Levi Bailey and Keira Reid from Gawtos TCG, Southport]

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Levi Bailey and Keira Reid from Gawtos TCG, Southport

Levi continues to work as a civil servant while running the shop part-time alongside Keira. The couple secured the premises around a month before opening and spent the following weeks transforming the former hot dog stand into their new Pokmon store.

They now hope to turn Gawtos TCG into a wider hub for the local Pokmon community. The couple has applied to become a Pokmon Play Store, which would allow them to host official tournaments and help customers learn how to play the trading card game.

With the shop already attracting regular customers, the pair hope the new venue can become a permanent meeting place for Southport's growing community of Pokmon fans.

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