It was a crazy idea

One year and 2 months ago, I had a crazy idea.

And for the first 6 months, many people laughed at or were skeptical of this idea. But after a lot of time, sweat, and more time, Collector's Vault came to be.

I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted Collector's Vault to become. If anything, I probably had too many ideas. I could picture the kind of experience I wanted people to have, the different hobbies I wanted to bring together, and the kind of community I wanted to build around it.

I also knew it wasn't all going to happen at once.

The first event was never going to look exactly like the Collector's Vault I had envisioned in my head. There were too many things I wanted to eventually do, and I knew it would take time to get there. So I started with what I could and figured I would build the rest along the way.

I'm not an event production expert. I'm not a professional web designer, and I certainly didn't have a playbook for building something like this. I'm just a Pokémon nerd who had a lot of ideas and decided to see where they could go.

Some things came naturally. Other things I had to figure out along the way. I designed the website myself. I worked through different versions as I figured out what I liked and how I wanted Collector's Vault to look and feel. I learned about marketing, ticketing, vendor management, event layouts, social media, and all the other pieces that come with putting on a show.

A lot of it came from simply doing it, seeing what worked, and making adjustments along the way.

I'm still doing that today.

And while I was the one who had the idea and spent the time building it, I didn't do it completely alone. My family and friends helped me get Collector's Vault off the ground. They listened to my ideas, helped when I needed another set of hands, gave me feedback, and were there through those early stages when everything was still being figured out.

Eventually, the first show happened.

It wasn't perfect, and I don't think I expected it to be. There were things that worked, things that didn't, and plenty of things I learned simply by putting an event together and opening the doors.

But seeing people actually walk into the room and experience something that had previously only existed in my head was a pretty incredible feeling.

The idea was real.

From that point on, every event became another opportunity to get a little closer to what I had originally envisioned.

Some of my ideas have changed. Some have gotten better. Some didn't make sense once I actually tried them. And there are still plenty of ideas that haven't happened yet.

That's something I think is important to acknowledge.

Collector's Vault isn't exactly where I want it to be yet.

There are still things I see in my head that haven't made their way into the shows. There are experiences I want to create, communities I want to reach, and ideas that I'm still trying to figure out how to bring to life.

But when I look back at where I started, it's pretty cool to see how much has changed.

What started as an idea has turned into actual events. I've watched thousands of people walk through the doors, worked with vendors and creators, and watched people come together over the hobbies they love.

And honestly, that's been one of my favorite parts.

It's not necessarily the numbers or the size of the shows. It's seeing a kid get excited about a hobby for the first time. It's watching someone find a card they've been searching for. It's seeing two people who didn't know each other start talking because they both collect the same thing. It's watching families spend a Saturday together doing something they enjoy.

Those are the moments that remind me why I wanted to do this in the first place.

Because Collector's Vault was never supposed to be just another place to buy and sell cards.

Of course, the cards are a huge part of it. So are the Funko Pops, anime collectibles, sports cards, art, games, and everything else that people bring into their collections. But the things themselves are only part of what makes collecting fun.

It's the excitement of finding something you've been looking for.

It's showing someone a piece of your collection that you're really proud of.

It's making your first trade.

It's discovering a new hobby.

It's meeting someone who gets why you care so much about a piece of cardboard, a figure, a piece of art, or whatever else happens to be your thing.

There isn't really a right or wrong way to enjoy collecting. You can spend hundreds of dollars on something you've wanted for years, or find something for a few dollars that ends up becoming one of your favorite pieces.

You can come to a show looking for one specific card, or you can walk in with no idea what you're going to find.

That's what I wanted Collector's Vault to be: a place where you could come in however you wanted and still feel like you belonged.

And I'm still working toward that.

I have a lot of ideas for where Collector's Vault can go from here. More cities, more events, more vendors, more ways for kids to discover hobbies, and more experiences that bring people together.

I'm sure some of those ideas will change. Some probably won't work. Others might become something completely different than what I originally imagined.

That's okay.

I've learned over the past year and two months that building something doesn't necessarily mean having everything figured out. Sometimes it just means having an idea, giving it a shot, learning from what happens, and deciding what to do next.

One year and two months ago, Collector's Vault was a crazy idea.

Today, it's a real community that I get to watch grow.

It's not everything I envisioned yet.

But we're getting there.

And for a Pokémon nerd who started with an idea and a lot of ambition, I'm pretty happy with that.

To my family and friends who helped me get this off the ground, thank you. To every vendor who took a chance on a new show, every person who bought a ticket, every parent who brought their kids, every collector who came looking for something special, and everyone who has shared, supported, or simply shown up — Thank you ☺️

You became part of something that started from an idea.

And there's still a lot more to come.