CollectorFest - Calgary

Hey Collectors!

CALGARY EXPO starts tomorrow and goes from April 23rd to 26th at the BMO Center, and there will be tons of stuff to do like meet celebrities, get autographs and photos, see panels, and shop until you drop!

We'd just like to list friends of the show that we know are attending (we based this off their website / those of you who have made social media posts already, so hit us up if we missed you) that you should go out and see their wares during the show:

- Alpha Comics
- Buckle-On (www.buckle-on.ca)
- ComicTraders.ca
- FanForge
- Fire and Ice Games (Phoenix Comics NW Ltd.)
- Holy Grails
- Maverick Autographs and Collectibles
- Minifigures and More
- Nerdzilla Collectables
- nitrogeek.ca
- Out of Chaos comes Cookies
- Rawry & Pohly
- tftoys.ca
- Those Fallout Guys
- Three Rivers Novelties
- Timeless Games
- Wired Creations
- 1000 Screws (www.1000screws.com)

- A Big Kettle of Fish Design Co.
- Chasing Artwork
- Midnight Forge
- Sabtastic
- Sheldon K Bueckert
- Steve Gervais Illustrations
- Wei Yi Art

Be sure to check these friends out and help support local businesses and artists! 😊

NOTE: So, it appears there's a very low tag limit now, so tags / links to pages will be in the comments.

Hey Collectors! If you're a fan of reptiles, lizards, amphibians, plants, inverts, oddities, an exotic petting zoo, and awesome stuff in general, be sure to check out the Spring Show hosted by the Western Canadian Reptile Expo this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, April 18th (10am to 5pm) and 19th (10am to 4pm) at the Acadia Recreation Complex!

The show is hosted and sponsored by friends and sponsors of CollectorFest:

- Canadian Mouseman
- Cornel's World Terrariums
- Got Reptiles Canada

So, if you're interested in adding a super awesome animal to your family, looking at cool oddities, lover of exotic plants, or just want something to do this weekend, be sure to check out this awesome event, and help support local businesses and ethical breeding practices! ^_^

Hey Collectors! If you're looking for some awesome shows / events / collectibles this weekend, here's a few events the CollectorFest Crew suggest you check out!

We have the Calgary Toy Show hosting their spring show at the Edgemont Community Center tomorrow Saturday, April 11, 2026 from 10am to 3:30pm.

If you're into the Trading / Playing Card scene, the Face To Face Games Tour is in town at Mac Hall at the University of Calgary on both Saturday and Sunday April 11th and 12th from 9am to 8pm both days.

Finally, we have friends of the show, Holy Grails, opening their showroom tomorrow Saturday, April 11, 2026 from 11am to 4pm!

Get out there and get your collections growing friends! ^_^

Hey Collectors! If you're looking for some video games to add to your collection, be sure to head on out to the Nerd Sale hosted by YYC Video Game Collectors at the Thorncliffe Greenview Community Centre this Saturday, April 4, 2026 from 10am to 4pm!

CollectorFest Jon unfortunately won't be able to make or vend at the show this time, but there will be a litany of games both retro to modern for you to look at and buy!

You'll also find some friends of the show there, like:

- Arcane & Eclectic Collectibles
- Ink and Mana
- Midnight Forge
- Timeless Games

(We'll add more as we confirm some attendances, hahaha!)

So, if you're looking for something to do this weekend, be sure to head there for all your video gaming goodness! ^_^

A super big congrats to Jeff and Heather for 10 years of ownership of Video Game Trader! They've managed to consolidate 3 stores into 1, and make it Calgary and Western Canada's premier video game store! They've managed to cultivate, grow, and support the immense video game community in the city, and have been supporting events all over town, like CollectorFest! They've been Day One supporters, and we are eternally grateful to them! Support local small businesses! ^_^

It’s our Anniversary!

Warning, long post…

Today marks 10 YEARS since our purchase of Video Game Trader. That’s an impressive milestone for any business, not to mention taking over a business with nearly 25 years behind it. The negotiations for the purchase of VGT were difficult and long. It took 3 years to finalize the deal. The takeover and transition was equally hard due to the previous owners need for complete secrecy. One day it was the old regime with the bad reputation the next it was us, starry eyed and overwhelmed with the job of turning it into the retail experience we knew it could be. We went in with big ideas and a simple creed… Treat people fairly and don’t be a jerk.

It took two years to clean up the grime, fix the pricing, learn how to operate the stores relatively efficiently, and to start implementing larger changes that would pull the store away from poor practices and systems that were largely unchanged from the 90’s. We modernized with an up to date point of sale and inventory control system, connectivity across our stores, and data tracking to make good decisions to constantly propel the store forward. We wanted to be successful in our venture, but always kept true to our vision of a customer first, nostalgic, in-store retail experience that captured all the magical parts of the glory days of the video store era.

The road was long, with many twists and turns which we navigated as they came. The reputation started to turn around from one of the worst reviewed stores in the city to one of the best in the country. This was thanks to tireless community engagement and our desire to be the best in-store experience around. Through this we weathered a recession while starting work to expand to a new, bigger and better location that would finally embody our vision of what VGT should be. It was a big gamble that could potentially put us out of business.

At the end of 2018 we started to build our new store. We opened it February of 2019. The new location, located in the Deep South of Calgary, brought problems we hadn’t considered. The wildest of which was almost nobody knew we even existed, with our other two stores being very North-centric. We had to start building up our customer base like we were a brand new business, and not the legacy store of over 25 years that we were.

Then came 2020. With the global pandemic we faced challenges that the previous owners, and many other businesses, had never even dreamed of. It forced us to navigate challenges quickly, make changes to our operation daily, and hustle harder than we ever had to keep from going under. Covid brought us changes that strengthened us, like the consolidation of all 3 locations into the one huge one and the launch of our website (which is forever a work in progress).

Years later and we have become a very different store than the ones we bought a decade ago. We continue to try and improve. We increase our inventory to have the largest selection around, provide the best customer service in the industry, and forever try to remain a cool, nostalgic, customer first experience.

We hope to serve Calgary for many more years to come, and greatly appreciate all the support from fellow Calgarians, our out of town customers, and everyone who shops from far and away on our website. We love you all and we wouldn’t be able to provide the excellence in service and selection, a big beautiful store to browse, and a pretty okay internet page without you.

We are reminded upon this reflection of some of the negativity surrounding our purchase of VGT so many years ago. I beleive someone on Reddit said if we were stupid enough to buy the business they had a bridge to sell us? Well, we’re still here. You still got that bridge? Maybe we’ll look at it… for in store credit.

Hey Collectors! The CollectorFest Crew would like to give a big CONGRATS to CollectorFest OG Sponsor and friend, Ages Three and Up, for being voted Top Toy Store in Burnaby and New Westminster! ^_^

Boris and crew have been supporting and attending our show from Day One! We're so proud to see them grow and get the accolades they deserve! If you're visiting BC and need some toys or collectibles, be sure to stop by and support them, or check out their wares at the shows they attend in Calgary! =D

We are honoured and grateful!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to vote for Ages Three And Up as one of the top shops and services in the Burnaby & New Westminster A-LIST 2025! Your support means the world to us - we’re incredibly proud to be included among such amazing local businesses that were recognized by our community. 🙌

This recognition is truly thanks to YOU - our customers, friends, and neighbours - who continue to support us, share your love of all things unique and fun, and help make this community so special. 💖

We couldn’t have done it without your votes and support. THANK YOU for believing in us and shopping local!

Hey Collectors! If you're looking to add to your Funko Pop collection, friends of the show, Holy Grails, will be opening their Showroom tomorrow, so go check them out! ^_^

Our next opening will be Saturday, Jan 31 from 11-4pm! We’ll be there and are definitely looking forward to seeing you all there!



131-11055 50 St SE
2nd Floor
Calgary AB T2C 3E5

Hey Collectors! The CollectorFest Crew would like to give all of you a quick PSA to support your Local Game Store! With the exponential increase in popularity of Pokemon, Magic, One Piece, Riftbound, and other trading card games, there's been an unfortunate string of break-ins over the past few months! :(

These local stores are run by some of the most passionate and caring people around, and give the community a fun, exciting, safe, and wonderful place to gather to enjoy this hobby. These incidents, caused by a few bad apples, can greatly affect these stores' ability to operate, yet they are resilient as ever and keep staying open for the community!