Tabletop Village: the CID's real-life Pokémon Training Gym
In Seattle's Chinatown-International District, a family-run shop turned a taekwondo studio into a real-life Pokémon Training Gym, and the motto on the wall is "It takes a village."
Tabletop Village: the CID's real-life Pokémon Training Gym
Ride the light rail or streetcar into Seattle's Chinatown-International District with dreams of becoming a Pokémon trainer, and Tabletop Village is where you test those dreams. It is a family-run shop that calls itself a Pokémon Training Gym, and the motto on the wall is "It takes a village."
The village belongs to owner Brian Myers and co-owner Adelaide, who opened the shop in February 2020 by converting the taekwondo studio Brian managed into a card shop. Myers came from youth education and counseling, and he says that background runs the business. In a February 2026 "Little Shop Hops" profile for the Seattle Spectator, he described running the shop "more like a family or community center," a third space for the neighborhood. That profile also notes the shop helped build after-school programs in more than 30 local schools.
Real gym leaders
Every good training gym needs gym leaders, and Tabletop Village has a great one: Brian and Adelaide's son, Polaris Altares, a two-time Regional winner and a top-eight finisher at the 2023 Pokémon TCG World Championship. Collecting runs through the whole household—Brian chases Mewtwo, Adelaide collects Ditto, younger brother Cyrus hunts Charizard, and Polaris is known for his massive Pikachu collection (plus his own custom $7 sleeves at the counter). Between tournaments, Polaris hangs around the shop helping run the family business and coaching anyone who walks in.
Reviewers notice. One first-time league player wrote that the manager asked them, by name, how their night went, and called the place the best Pokémon-focused card store they had ever seen. Google reviewers back that up with a 4.8-star average across more than 100 reviews.
Photo: Tabletop Village (tabletopvillage.com)
Culture over commodity
What the Village stocks hardest is Pokémon, at a scale the Spectator profile describes as possibly one of the largest selections in the country, with Magic, One Piece, Lorcana, Digimon, and the Gundam TCG alongside. Regular Tomo Sueyoshi told the paper the appeal is simple: "It's the biggest store, and they have the biggest focus on Pokémon."
That focus is backed by generosity. The Great Seattle Pokémon Giveaway has handed hundreds of packs to kids in the community. Prices run at or below MSRP, trades are welcome, and the $10 starter pack comes with a little extra thrown in. In a market where cards get scalped and resold for profit, the Spectator called the shop a refreshing alternative, one whose heart lies with the culture and community around Pokémon, not with turning it into a commodity.
The calendar matches the philosophy. Weekly league nights and Friday tournaments keep the competitive crowd sharp, and Lorcana Set Championships fill the tables too. Sunday Family Days bring in parents and kids, and events are not all card games: the shop once hosted a drag show, which the Spectator reads as proof of its place as a community space where everyone is welcomed, especially in the CID. One visitor summed up the vibe for the paper: friendly, homey, a place to compete and be welcomed at the same time.
Last episode's Mox Boarding House was the blueprint for premium game-store hospitality, so here is the neighborhood counterpoint: a shop that proves deep roots and one big obsession can make a place a landmark. Episode 6: Mox Boarding House is worth a read if you missed it.
Find it: Tabletop Village, 616 8th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 · (206) 880-8654 · tabletopvillage.com
Cover photo: a packed Pokémon league night at Tabletop Village in Seattle, with players of all ages seated at tables under walls of Pokémon posters. Photo: Tabletop Village (tabletopvillage.com)
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