Putting two and two together, Whelan said she wanted to take a leap of faith and open a card shop of her own.
“I was like, let’s just follow the dream,” Whelan said. Thus, The Goblin’s Den was born in 2024—located in the heart of North San Antonio at 14415 Blanco Road.
Respecting the craft
The store offers several brands of trading card games, or TCG, for customers.
Whelan said the store is “mainly focused” on Magic: The Gathering packs and standalone cards, plus buying and selling services. Additionally, the shop has new and graded Pokémon cards, plus a smaller selection of Yu-Gi-Oh! options as well.
“We stand out because we’re honest and I’m here every day,” Whelan said.
Aside from just cards, the shop has Dungeons & Dragons accessories, a few tabletop games like Warhammer and more.
What is there to do?
Every week, The Goblin’s Den hosts a variety of events, according to Whelan. Every Thursday, the store hosts Dungeons & Dragons, while Pokémon games are held each Tuesday.
“It’s a good time for people to dip their toes into the community,” Whelan said. For those looking to get into the hobby, Whelan said she recommends players try games first and then get into collecting.
“It can be overwhelming at first, but it’s a good first step,” she said.
Looking ahead
In the future, Whelan said her main focus will be expanding her business beyond its original brick-and-mortar location.
“We want to add a second location over there [in Stone Oak],” Whelan said. Additionally, Whelan said she is also planning to increase the size of the main location off Blanco Road.
“We need to be able to fit more than 52 people in here for events,” Whelan said. “Basically, we outgrew this space in the first three months of business.”
To learn more about the shop and to see a full list of upcoming events, check out The Goblin’s Den calendar here.
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