From San Diego to Redding
Southern California has the most choice, but it is split across a lot of city names. Los Angeles has separate entries for Valley neighborhoods such as Northridge, Tarzana and Woodland Hills, so check those if you're in the San Fernando Valley. Orange County and the Inland Empire (Riverside, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Corona) each have enough shops that you can stay local. San Diego's shops are mostly Pokémon and card-game stores.
In the Bay Area, San Jose and the South Bay have more listings than San Francisco. Highway 99 runs through a quieter chain of cities — Bakersfield, Visalia, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton — where sports cards are more common than on the coast. North of Sacramento, Chico and Redding are the main stops.
For Japanese cards, start with the Garden Grove and Salinas listings.
Card shows, conventions, and tournaments happening across California.