Dhampire Toys and Collectibles

Downtown San Diego collectibles den packed to the ceiling with Pokemon cards, comics, retro games, vintage toys and records, run by a collector-minded owner.

Dhampire Toys and Collectibles is wedged into 319 Market Street in downtown San Diego, close to the Gaslamp, and the shop's own regulars say it is stocked up to the ceiling. This is not a clean-lined card boutique; it is a dense, treasure-hunt shop where Pokemon cards sit near comics, vintage toys, records and sports memorabilia, and the fun is in not knowing what you will find.

Owner Ruben gets repeated credit in reviews. One comic reader says he helped track down a specific rare issue they had been hunting for months and suggested new series to follow. Another collector says he has something for everyone no matter how niche, down to PSP games they thought had disappeared. That personal attention is the shop's real inventory.

For card people, the appeal is variety. Pokemon cards are part of the mix, but visitors also come for retro-to-new figures, video games and records, so it suits households where one person collects cards and another prefers comics or toys. Customers describe the shop as organized despite the density and say prices on the incredible stuff are reasonable. If you collect across categories, expect to lose an hour.

Plan around the unusual hours. Monday through Thursday, plus Saturday and Sunday, the shop opens at 2PM and closes at 9PM. Friday is the outlier: it runs only noon to 2:30PM. That evening-oriented schedule makes it a good after-work or post-dinner downtown stop, and a poor one on Friday night.

Dhampire is at 319 Market Street, San Diego, CA 92101. Call (619) 395-1296 or visit dhampiretoys.com before heading down, since small independent hours can shift. As a San Diego card shop that doubles as a nostalgia museum, it rewards a slow browse.