FARBO Co

Queer-owned since 2017 and sitting beside Central Market, FARBO Co pairs Pokemon and Magic with Japanese imports, Gunpla kits and a 4.9-star reputation in Lancaster.

Nine West Grant Street puts FARBO Co about thirty steps from Lancaster Central Market, up a stairway into a dense, cheerfully overstuffed room that has been operating since 2017. Also trading under the name The General Nerdery, it is queer-owned and operated, and its 4.9 rating across more than 340 Google reviews is the highest of any card shop in the city.

The TCG counter covers Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering, and the shop is a Wizards Play Network core member — Magic tournaments and D&D sessions run on a recurring basis in the space. Baseball cards are stocked too, though the real point of difference is the import wall. Japanese-language video games, Gundam and Gunpla model kits, mini-painting supplies and imported oddities give the store an inventory profile that nothing else in Lancaster attempts. "Lots of stuff from Japan and all over the world," one reviewer wrote, still slightly surprised.

Customers consistently praise the guided approach. Multiple reviews describe staff spending real time explaining what a card actually is before a purchase, which matters when a parent is buying for a kid and has no reference point. Special and custom orders are handled readily, and online orders can be picked up in store.

The owners run a second downtown location, The Midnight Oil, a community cafe opened in 2024 — the two businesses are deliberately linked, and the pair function as a small nerd-culture anchor for that end of the city. Local artists get consignment shelf space here as well.

One practical note: the entrance is up a stairway, which multiple reviewers flag as an accessibility limitation — worth knowing before you plan a visit. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11AM to 6PM and Sunday 11AM to 4PM, closed Mondays, though event nights have historically run later; call if you are coming for evening play. Parking garages are under a five minute walk, and Central Market next door makes a Saturday morning trip an easy combined stop.