Old Town Hobbies and Games

Historic Old Town Albuquerque card shop where Gabby and Joe run a free kids' Pokemon club, Friday Night Magic, and casual Commander steps from the plaza.

Steps from the adobe storefronts of Albuquerque's historic Old Town plaza, a family-owned card shop has become the neighborhood's unlikely TCG clubhouse. Gabby and Joe opened Old Town Hobbies and Games in 2020 and recently settled into their Romero Street location, where tourists wander in for souvenirs and leave having learned to play Pokemon at a table with the owner.

That teaching instinct is the shop's signature. Google reviewers tell stories of Joe sitting down after a purchase to walk a six-year-old through his first battle, and the store is home to Albuquerque's original free Kids' Pokemon Club, which meets Saturdays at noon. The weekly calendar stays packed: free casual Magic Commander on Wednesdays at 3PM, Pokemon League Standard tournaments Thursday and Friday evenings at 6:30, Friday Night Magic, HeroClix on Saturday afternoons, and even Cookie Run tournaments on Sundays.

Inventory covers Pokemon cards, Magic: The Gathering singles and sealed, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Lorcana, and HeroClix, rounded out with board games, dice, sleeves, and binders. Reviewers hunting Pokemon cards in Albuquerque praise the clean, well-organized product and singles priced honestly against current market trends. Joe also takes private sell-and-trade appointments if you want a real evaluation of your collection rather than a rushed counter glance.

Plan your visit around the schedule: the shop opens at 2PM Monday and Tuesday, noon Wednesday through Friday, and 11AM on weekends, staying open until 9PM Thursday through Saturday for event nights. Play space is cozier than big-box game stores, so arrive early on league nights to claim a seat. Street parking around Romero and the Old Town lots is easiest on weekday afternoons — and the location makes it a perfect stop between green-chile lunch spots and plaza galleries.