Sammy Valentino grew up watching Yu-Gi-Oh with his brother, and their love for the manga series made them curious to try the card game.
A Bethlehem resident, Valentino began going to a card shop in Allentown, simply looking for a local community that shared his fandom.
He and his brother eventually started attending every Saturday, competing from noon to 10 p.m. in a room of 30 to 50 people ranging from 10 years olds to players in their mid-20s.
There, he met Joel Brito, Nick Fernandez and Cole Davis. The four became close friends through years of traveling to competitive tournaments for Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon and One Piece throughout their adolescence and still do today.
The initials of three friends — JNC — became the name of the company the four would start together: JNC Collectibles.
JNC Collectibles, a trading card game store on 1338 E. Fourth St., was launched to give the Bethlehem trading card community a place to play and trade cards, train for tournaments and build a welcoming community of knowledgeable players and beginners alike.
The storefront opened in February 2025, but JNC began four years earlier as an online venture. Before they had a brick-and-mortar location, Valentino said they were their own brick-and-mortars.
The group operated as backpack vendors, traveling to trading events with binders filled with cards they bought or collected themselves. At these events, they bought and sold cards, gradually building inventory and profit.
They printed JNC shirts and began branding themselves as a card trading company. Even at events with established vendors, they succeeded by offering more competitive prices to acquire inventory and build notoriety.
They continued vending and competing and, in 2024, decided to take a leap of faith and open a storefront.
Because they grew up in the local Yu-Gi-Oh community and had friends who played Pokémon, they already had a foundation in the Lehigh Valley. As more card games gained popularity, that community expanded.
JNC now hosts daily events featuring Bandai, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, One Piece, Gundam and Dragon Ball.
Valentino said they initially purchased products themselves to host small tournaments. As their community grows, they submit tournament results to companies, which may then provide discounted or free products to support local play.
JNC aims to provide a space for competitive play, and while many players are highly skilled, the store also welcomes those who want to learn and have fun.
New players can come in, learn a game and connect with more experienced competitors so they, too, can become traveling players
Bethlehem resident Hector Soto said JNC became more than just a shop. Soto has played Yu-Gi-Oh since he was young. He said he drove past the store one day in March 2025 and decided to stop in. He recognized Brito from playing at another nearby shop, and they reconnected.
Soto said he noticed the One Piece game — based on an anime he liked — and decided to try it. The employee at the register showed him around, then sat with him and taught him how to play.
Since then, Soto said he’s visited about twice a week to play and socialize with friends he’s made through the store and has watched it grow.
He said initially about 10 to 15 people would show up to play One Piece, but now around 30 attend. He’s also expanded his own skill set and repertoire, now playing four different card games and trying new ones when they’re released.
“I like to try different things,” Soto said. “Every time something new comes out, (Brito’s) like ‘Dude, just try it.’”
Soto said the store has become a welcome escape outside of work and that JNC has benefitted the local community because there are few places for people to gather and connect casually. He said JNC provides something they didn’t have before.
Soto traveled with JNC to a regional tournament in Maryland in November. He said the crowd was diverse in age but shared common interests in card games or the anime they’re based on.
Inside the store, responsibilities are divided. Since opening, Brito, Fernandez and another friend, Rhys Yuhas, have managed day-to-day operations, while Valentino has become the “face” of the business, traveling to tournaments and vending events to build connections and expand JNC’s reach.
“I love those guys,” Valentino said. “They are my brothers. When we would travel and do things together, they would say ‘Do your thing, and we are right behind you.’”
Valentino said starting JNC is a full-circle moment because they’re now providing people with a space that mirrors the Allentown shop where they grew up playing.
With all of them from Bethlehem and Allentown, the group has cultivated a community and reconnected with players they’ve known for years.
Valentino said they started slowly but have progressed through connections made while traveling. Their audience — and the number of tournaments they send players to — continues to grow.
“Everything has been tremendously sound,” Valentino said. “The amount of things we are able to do now from where we first started have been tremendous.”
Brito said he and Fernandez had been playing cards for a while and realized turning their passion into a business could be a strong opportunity.
“We just thought we could deliver an experience that some players seem to not be able to get around here,” Brito said.
Brito said COVID allowed JNC to gain online traction and success because they maintained an active Discord server for players to chat and were able to run their card trading business digitally.
He and his staff work to keep play competitive and serious, making sure they follow guidelines and manuals for each game. Their events are multipurpose, as many players use weekly tournaments as preparation for larger competitions.
Staff members help players prepare and improve their skills. Brito said they also occasionally host learning-focused events where players can concentrate on improving rather than winning.
“I think we provide a relatable experience,” Brito said. “Our staff here has to be involved and come from playing one of the games because I believe people can tell if you’re detached, and the people know that we are personally and professionally invested.
Brito said JNC’s events are geared toward everyone, though Pokémon differs because they offer games for players 12 and younger.
Valentino has been traveling to tournaments and vending events to expand JNC into venues across the country. Through those travels, he said he’s visited nearly all 50 states as well as South America, Canada and Europe.
While Valentino and his friends still play Yu-Gi-Oh for nostalgia, he said they now sometimes compete mainly to see friends, knowing the level of play has increased. He said Yu-Gi-Oh remains one of the most competitive card games to date.
Valentino said other competitive games are Pokemon and Arcana where winners can take home prizes as high as $25,000 or more.
He also said vending and selling cards has increased drastically, and cards from One Piece have risen in price by roughly 10 times their original value.
Valentino said hosting local events gives people who can’t travel far a way to develop their skills and enter tournaments or larger competitions nearby. JNC works to find venues and events where their players can excel.
“The first step is really just doing it, because the people who tell you don’t do it are the people who are afraid to do it themselves,” Brito said.
Looking ahead, Brito said he hopes to make the Lehigh Valley a destination players travel to for competitions rather than leave.
With momentum building, the team is also considering expanding, including opening two additional stores in Pennsylvania and Florida.
“We’re here to grow and stay for a long time,” Valentino said.