PandaPops & Collectibles

Ravenswood Manor shop where Chicago Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh collectors browse alongside collectible Funko Pop and anime finds.

Right next to the Francisco Brown Line stop in Ravenswood Manor sits PandaPops & Collectibles, a shop that started as a Facebook side hustle run out of a co-founder's apartment before growing into a full storefront in 2022. Owners Kevin Gerena and Jose Velez met working at a trading card shop in Irving Park and eventually decided to build their own version of it, one built around the stuff they were already collecting themselves.

Trading cards share shelf space here with collectible vinyl Funko Pop figures still in original packaging, action figures, and anime merchandise, but Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh product is the backbone of the card side of the business. Pricing runs from everyday $20-$80 finds up to serious grail territory, including limited edition Pokemon packs that have sold for as much as $1,500, so there's something here whether you're a casual opener or chasing a specific chase card.

The shop's name comes straight from Velez's personal obsession with pandas, right down to the tattoo, and that personality shows up throughout the store rather than feeling like generic big-box shelving. It has become one of the more distinct Chicago card shop stops on the North Side precisely because it doesn't try to be everything, it leans into a curated pop-culture and TCG mix.

Hours run seven days except Monday, with weekday afternoons and evenings on Wednesday through Friday, and extended Saturday hours through 7pm for anyone who wants a longer browsing window. The Brown Line stop right outside makes it one of the easier card shops in the city to reach without a car.

For Pokemon cards Chicago shoppers who also happen to love Funko and anime collectibles, PandaPops offers a one-stop mix that's hard to find anywhere else in the city.