Christmas season is often the time that you can treat your family, friends and even yourself to something special. One family-owned local business has Christmas present ideas for young and old and could very well be some of the coolest ideas around.
Cards 2 Collectibles in Wetaskiwin has aisle after aisle, shelf after shelf and cabinet after cabinet of pop culture, licensed and sports gifts for just about everyone on your shopping list.
John Stachyruk, owner/operator along with his spouse Andrea, said he’s heard about some of the biggest gift ideas this year for kids and adults in the Wetaskiwin region. “We didn’t realize how big some things are out here,” said Stachyruk at his store Dec. 8.
Stachyruk said just about anything that has Nintendo’s Pokémon logo on it is popular: trading card game, figures, blankets, binders and much more. “Anything Pokémon is huge this year,” he said, noting big box stores don’t always have the biggest selection or the best prices.
He said another popular gift this year are vinyl figures made by a company called Funko. The company makes a huge variety of different characters based on movies, video games, TV shows, sports, comic books and more.
One of Funko’s popular series is called “Mystery Minis,” that are offered in different genres; which character you’ve purchased is also a surprise.
Sports is always a popular gift genre and Stachyruk said one of the biggest gift ideas is anything with Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid on it. He said he’d be happy to help anyone who needs a gift idea for a sports fanatic.
A popular sports card series right now is called “The Cup 2015-16” by famed company Upper Deck. The series was just released and is the last of the year.
Stachyruk said he and his family are more than happy to help Christmas shoppers find that special gift. His advice for parents is to get a list from their kids of what Santa is supposed to deliver. “Get that information,” said Stachyruk. “We can take it from there.” Stachyruk also noted price is a factor. Gift ideas can range from $5 to $500. Age also is a consideration; even sports cards can range in price from very affordable basic series to quite rare deluxe sets.