New games and collectables shop opens in Welshpool, Powys

On Friday, June 23, Cosmic Collectibles, an online based collectibles company, opened its first physical shop on Berriew Street.

The company was founded by Amanda Thompson and Shai Edginton, who moved to Welshpool from London two years ago and said they were harbouring the ambition to open a shop within a communal atmosphere for a long time.

Having finally found their ideal premises in May 2023, they began a quick moving process to fill the shop with stock and set up the space they wanted.

Co-owner Amanda Thompson said: “It’s been a very quick turnaround and even though there’s still a few things left to move in, I think we’ve made good grounds to build on.

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"We knew as soon as we moved to Welshpool that we wanted to start a shop in a place like this, but wanted to wait for the right space that wasn’t so big that it would look empty, but large enough to fit seating in.”

In addition to selling collectables, the shop will also serve as a meeting place for people to play board games, with a seated area that people can book spaces in. They also want to host events such as card tournaments and long Dungeons and Dragons sessions.

The owners said in addition to a shop selling items, they wanted to create a community space for people with shared interests and hobbies.

Ms Thompson added: “We want lots of customer involvement. We want to hear their feedback because if we’re going to host them here then we have to make sure this is as much their space as ours.

“We like to think we can be a community space as well as a shop. A space where people can play games together but also just hang out, share an interest and talk to one another.

“Welshpool’s a family place, filled with young people. But we noticed there can be a lack of places for them to go and having a space like that can be so important, especially in towns like this. I think it’s fundamental to what makes them welcoming and we would love to add to that in any way we can.

“It can be scary to take on something like this, but if you don’t take that leap you’ll never know for sure, and so far we’ve been getting a good reception.”