Whether you were looking for vintage playing cards or comic books, unique art or the latest video game, Barrie ComiCon had it all on Saturday.
The Barrie Curling Club was home to dozens of vendors selling everything from comic books, new and vintage toys, and jewelry, to DVDs, anime, prints, and a variety of other “awesome geek stuff,” including vintage sports cards Sharon Hill and her husband had collected over the years.
“We started collecting cards back in the ’90s when our kids were little. In about 1995, we put them all away and just brought them out just over a year ago. This is all vintage, and we’ve just started to sell them,” she said, noting the collection included a variety of sports cards and non-sports cards, including a vintage GI Joe card that came inside the box of a GI Joe action figure.
Surrounded by boxes of what he said contained mostly Marvel comics, Joe Taylor said he has spent decades building his collection, which dates back to the 1960s, but has recently decided to sell it.
“This is my personal collection and I finally got to the point in my life where I just want to sell them and let other people enjoy the books,” he said.
Huntsville resident Kayla Beach, dressed as a White Mage from Final Fantasy, found out about the event online, and said she decided to come check it out thinking it would be a fun way to spend a few hours.
“I haven’t really been to too many conventions this year, (so) I had to go because I am missing my nerd fix,” she said, adding although she enjoys wandering around and checking out all the items on display, she was mostly there for the artists. “I love supporting local artists.”
Beach has been interested in cosplay since 2013. She enjoys coming together and sharing her love for such niche passions.
“When I was younger, Pokémon was a really big thing, but then the culture just sort of faded out. Now it’s seeing a big resurgence, so I am really enjoying that and connecting over that,” she said.
Another cosplay enthusiast, a ‘furry’ named Echo, spent Saturday exploring the vendors and looking for that “unique treasure” to bring home. She told BarrieToday this was the first time she’s attended a convention.
“I am just browsing around. I thought that this would be really fun and so far it really is,” she said.
