Collector Cave

Pelham Bay shop spanning Pokemon, sports cards, silver-age comics and retro games, with nearly 400 Google reviews behind its Middletown Road counter.

Middletown Road in Pelham Bay gained a genuine hobby destination when Collector Cave opened, and the store has since accumulated close to 400 Google reviews — an unusual volume for a shop of its size and a fair indicator of how much foot traffic the block generates.

The card side covers more ground than most stores in the borough attempt. Pokemon and Magic anchor the cases, but Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Dragon Ball Super, Digimon and Gundam all get real shelf space rather than a token facing. Sports cards run alongside them, which makes this one of the few Bronx card shop options where a baseball collector and a Pokemon player can both leave satisfied. Sealed product and singles are both available, and staff will submit cards for grading on customers' behalf.

What sets the store apart is everything surrounding the cards. Silver-age comics, vintage action figures and retro video games and consoles fill out the floor, and the shop leans into that nostalgia deliberately. Customers regularly describe wandering in for one thing and leaving with something from a completely different decade of their childhood.

Parking is straightforward by Bronx standards, which reviewers mention often enough that it clearly matters. The layout is clean and well lit, and staff have a reputation for enthusiasm — though, as with any shop this busy, experiences are not universally glowing and a handful of reviewers have found service inconsistent.

One scheduling note that trips people up: Collector Cave is closed on Sundays, and Monday and Thursday are short days ending at 5PM. The full 12PM to 7PM window applies Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. An online store at collectorcave.shop covers some of the gap for anyone who cannot make it during those hours, though the in-person stock — particularly the vintage and retro material — is considerably deeper than what appears on the website.