About Us

If you are familiar with Pokemon and you live in the WNY area, then you have heard of Pallet Town Poke Shop or Professor Sam's Card Shop before. Professor Sam is the man behind both of these shops (Pallet Town is in Depew, NY and Professor Sam's is in Tonawanda, NY) and is quite possibly the most experienced and knowledge person in WNY with anything Pokemon related.

Sam has been a Pokemon fan and collector since Pokemon surfaced in the late 90's and has continued to collect since then, even through the not-so popular years. Although Pallet Town has only been a brick-and-mortar shop since 2020, it all started in 2009 selling and streaming online. Sam started streaming long before the days of Whatnot, and was truly a pioneer of the "rip and ship" streams. Presently, Pallet Town Poke Shop boasts the largest selection of Pokemon cards and merch in all of Western New York and is the ultimate one-stop shop for anything Pokemon related.

Favorite Pokemon: Dragonite

Personal Collection: Everything (or maybe just really close to everything)! Sam's PC spans the entirety of the Pokemon franchise, including cards, toys, video games, and merchandise. He also has a bunch of Japanese Pokemon collectibles too!

Favorite Pokemon Card Set: Dragon Majesty

Zach, the man behind Shake & Break 716, has been interested in Pokemon and Pokemon cards since the beginning of English in 1999. Whether it was playing Pokemon Red & Yellow on Gameboy Color, or trading cards with the other kids at school, Pokemon was a big part of his childhood. Sports has always been a big part of his life, mainly rooting for the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Bandits, Juventus, and the USMNT (soccer).

Zach has really enjoyed getting back into sports and Pokemon cards since 2020. Football cards got him back into collecting cards, but Pokemon quickly took over the majority of his interest. Pulling the Umbreon VMAX and Rayquaza VMAX Alternate Arts from Evolving Skies in back-to-back packs was all it took to fully immerse himself into collecting Pokemon cards. Zach is a staple at various shows across WNY as a vendor, specializing in English singles (anything from vintage to modern, raw and slabs). He also helps connect vendors and collectors by running a website & calendar that shows all upcoming shows/events across the WNY and surrounding regions, check it out at www.wnycardshows.com.

Favorite Pokemon: Ditto

Personal Collection: Ditto, Ditto, and Ditto. Everything and anything related to Ditto. He is also on the hunt to collect every Unown card ever made, along with various cards/arts of Charizard, Mewtwo, Snorlax, Mew, and Giovanni/Team Rocket.

Favorite Pokemon Card Set: Scarlet & Violet 151

RJ started off as a sports card collector (since the "Junk Wax" days. Yes, he is that old) and started to get back into football cards around 2017. In early 2023, RJ's better half, Erin, and RJ started to dabble in Pokemon. RJ's good friend Zach, from Shake & Break 716, helped them with their cards that they had and they have never looked back! Although their love for all Buffalo sports will always be true and strong (Go Bills!!), they have found a new passion in Pokemon cards and now only deal with Pokemon. They really enjoy all of their customer interactions, conversations, the community as a whole, and last, but not least, all the new friends they have made along the way.

RJ has grown from only doing a few shows occasionally to doing most shows in the WNY area, as well as selling on Whatnot and having a showcase at the Niagara Emporium in the Fashion Outlet Mall (formerly Prime Outlet Mall) in Niagara Falls, NY. RJ is always looking to grow and take the next step, in order to better help all of his customers!

Favorite Pokemon: Vanillish, due to his love for ice cream, and Drowzee (particularly card #210 from Scarlet & Violet Base set, due to his love for the Erie County Fair).

Personal Collection: Besides mentioned cards above, his favorite cards in his PC are cards that were gifted to him by his friends and customers. The card itself doesn't matter, but the personal meaning and connection behind the card is what he loves the most!

Favorite Pokemon Card Set: Scarlet & Violet 151