Gainesville card shop to join Florida Legends Experience this weekend

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) -The Florida Legends Experience this weekend will feature Gator greats and several vendors, including a Gainesville card shop that specializes in sports cards, Pokémon and other collectibles.

Meelypops owner Jameel Mohammed says his shop will have plenty to offer collectors at the Florida Legends Card Show. The shop will give away nearly 6,000 packs to kids. Collectors can also bring in their own cards to trade, sell or have submitted for grading.

“It is not just Gator stuff. It is going to be Michael Jordan to Lionel Messi, to Mickey Mouse, to Charizard. I mean, everything that encompasses this trading card world, we will have at the show. And we are actually also one of the biggest buyers of cards in the Southeast. So a big part of these card shows is people love to get cash for their collections,” Mohammed said.

Mohammed says his shop’s cards range from a few cents to hundreds of thousands of dollars, covering sports and non-sports categories including Marvel, Disney, Star Wars and TV shows, along with trading card games. A free trade night is scheduled for Saturday, where collectors can buy, sell and trade with other enthusiasts.

“Our store is a sports card slash TCG mecca when it comes to anything cards. So we have cards that range from 10 cents to half a million dollars. We have cards that range the gamut of all sports to non-sports, so things like Marvel, Disney, Star Wars, TV shows, things of that nature. And then TCG, and TCG stands for trading card game,” Mohammed said.

“So number one, if you’re a kid, we’re going to have close to 6,000 packs that we’re going to be giving away, whether it be Pokemon, baseball, basketball, football. We want to bless people. So if you’re a kid and want some free cards, it’s number one, come out to the show. We’re going to have some of the rarest Gator, Gainesville, Gator memorabilia, slash cards that you haven’t really seen. I know a lot of the other vendors will have that too, but we’re going to have some unique stuff that we haven’t put out,” Mohammed said.

Mohammed says the event stands out because the money raised through vendor fees and admission goes toward helping children in foster care.

“So number one, we live in a world where it’s so much, it’s transactional. We don’t get to know each other. We don’t get to see each other face to face. We don’t get to initiate a trade or have confrontation or disagreement. And I actually think that’s all good. Those are things that build character, build social skills. And whether you’re young or old, I think we’ve gotten away from that. So I love the fact that card shows bring people together in that sense,” Mohammed said.

The Florida Legends Experience runs Aug. 22-23 at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center. Admission to the card show is a $5 donation, with that money going toward the Isaiah 117 house.

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