SJ's PokéStore, Crawley (2026)

11/09/2026

www.sjspokestore.co.uk

08/09/2026

SJ's PokéStore on Tour: The Ultimate European Adventure! 🚐✨ What an absolute whirlwind!

We hit the road for the ultimate family road trip, taking SJ's PokéStore on Tour across Europe. From breathtaking sights to epic family moments (and, of course, some phenomenal Pokémon pulls), it was the adventure of a lifetime. A huge shoutout to our two mini Pokémon trainers who were absolute champions throughout the entire trip! 🏆🎊🫶

If you've been following along on our TikTok (.pokestore), Facebook (), or Instagram (), you know we’ve been busy. Here is the ultimate recap of our 7-country journey!

🗺️ The 7-Country Breakdown
🇫🇷 France
Our journey kicked off in France! We got to visit my parents' house in Saint-Rabier, spent a beautiful day soaking up the sun in Nice 😁, and then hopped on the train to head into our next country.

🇲🇨 Monaco
Monaco was pure luxury! We walked parts of the actual road racing track, marvelled at the massive yachts and super-posh shops, and found the hand and footprints of famous athletes. Of course, we couldn't miss seeing the world-famous Casino!

🇮🇹 Italy
Italy was packed with sightseeing. We visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Vatican City (including the museum), the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, and multiple breathtaking cathedrals in Rome. We also checked out the interactive DaVinci museum. In Venice, we admired the canals and gondolas, and wandered through San Marco Piazza and its cathedral. A special highlight: Ethan handing out roses 🌹 to the ladies walking past!

🇨🇭 Switzerland
Switzerland was all about loved ones. We met up with Danny's brother Sorin, his wife Cilia, and their two wonderful children, Dijana and Alessio. It was exactly the kind of quality family time we needed.

🇩🇪 Germany
We stayed in Boppard for a wonderful reunion with Sarah, Sean, and their boys Nathaniel and Benjamin! ❤️ We toured the town and all went swimming together. Later, we took a trip to Trier, hired some bikes, and explored the ruins of ancient Roman bathhouses, a palace, and some beautiful gardens.

🇱🇺 Luxembourg
In Luxembourg, we took advantage of the completely free public transport! We caught the train from our campsite into the city and rode the tram around. We explored the stunning Notre-Dame Cathedral Luxembourg and the grand Palais Grand-Ducal.

🇧🇪 Belgium
Business mixed with pleasure in Belgium! We headed straight to a Pokémon TCG store called Outpost to secure some fresh stock for SJ's PokéStore. After that, we explored the incredible Brussels Atomium and ate ice cream 92 meters up in the air! In Brugge, we toured several cathedrals and took a lovely horse and cart ride around the city.
(Travel heads-up: We got to the Channel Tunnel too early and faced a €300 fee to board early! Instead, we booked a ferry for the crossing but had to endure a brutal 4-hour queue.)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England
Home sweet home! We arrived back in the UK a day early, which gave us the perfect buffer to rest, recover, and tackle an absolute mountain of washing! 😂

🃏 The Pack Rip Stats

You didn’t think we’d travel across Europe without opening some Pokémon cards, did you? We ripped into 50 packs in total across four different languages:

18 German packs 🇩🇪
13 Italian packs 🇮🇹
11 English packs 🇬🇧
8 French packs 🇫🇷

What's Next? 🚀
SJ's PokéStore is officially back up and running! Our website shop is growing, and we are beyond grateful to see our following and supporters increasing so much 🙌. We can't wait to see this amazing community continue to grow.

Ready to level up your collection? Get your Pokémon orders in today at www.sjspokestore.co.uk!

Daniel Manea Sarah-Joy Manea SJ's PokéStore

05/09/2026

Embrace the season with fresh Pokémon treasures from SJ's PokéStore Limited. Whether it's a holiday gift or a self-reward, your website has everything from sealed products and individual cards to special collection boxes and mini tins. Explore our exclusive Mystery Booster Bundles—each packed with surprises and a personalized video reveal to make every unboxing feel festive. Stay updated on seasonal offers and new arrivals perfect for collectors and fans alike. Visit your website today to find seasonal magic in every pack.

01/09/2026

Day 19 of SJ's PokéStore on Tour: Beautiful Brugge & A Midnight Dash Home! 🚐💨

Welcome back to the final daily update of SJ’s PokéStore on Tour! Day 19 was an absolute rollercoaster—starting with Belgian architecture and ending with a 3 AM arrival back in the UK. Grab a coffee (we definitely need one) and let's dive into our final day on the road! 🫶

Exploring Beautiful Brugge 🇧🇪
We kicked off the day by driving from our camp in Brussels to a parking area right on the outskirts of Brugge. With the kids loaded into the pushchair, we ventured in on foot, all eager to see the sights. Brugge absolutely delivered! There were gorgeous buildings, fancy shops, and cobbled streets galore.
It didn't take long for us to find a beautiful medium-sized cathedral. Naturally, we took this as the perfect opportunity to do our first pack rip of the day! We were cracking into some English Pitch Black today, bringing a little TCG magic to the historic streets.

Horse Carts & More Pack Rips 🐴✨
Wandering further, we stumbled upon a massive square surrounded by extravagant buildings and a huge, towering clock. After stopping for a bite of lunch, we spotted horse-drawn carts offering local tours and knew we had to hop on.
We took a lovely thirty-minute winding tour through the cobbled lanes, passing multiple museums. They looked like fantastic places to explore, though we knew the children wouldn't have been quite as entertained! Obviously, we had to rip another pack while bouncing along on the cart—because there's no bad place for Pokémon! ❤️

The Playground & The Great Van Hunt 😅
To burn off some energy, we headed for a kiosk in the park to give the kids a safe, fun environment to just run around. We found a great sandy playground and let them loose. They were having so much fun that they absolutely refused to leave—until some strategically offered sweet treats convinced them to continue on our journey!

Then came the really fun part. It was time to return to the van... but we realized we hadn't dropped a pin on the map to remember where we parked! 🤭

We navigated toward the large canal and could actually see o

01/09/2026

Day 19 of SJ's PokéStore on Tour: Beautiful Brugge & A Midnight Dash Home! 🚐💨

Welcome back to the final daily update of SJ’s PokéStore on Tour! Day 19 was an absolute rollercoaster—starting with Belgian architecture and ending with a 3 AM arrival back in the UK. Grab a coffee (we definitely need one) and let's dive into our final day on the road! 🫶

Exploring Beautiful Brugge 🇧🇪
We kicked off the day by driving from our camp in Brussels to a parking area right on the outskirts of Brugge. With the kids loaded into the pushchair, we ventured in on foot, all eager to see the sights. Brugge absolutely delivered! There were gorgeous buildings, fancy shops, and cobbled streets galore.
It didn't take long for us to find a beautiful medium-sized cathedral. Naturally, we took this as the perfect opportunity to do our first pack rip of the day! We were cracking into some English Pitch Black today, bringing a little TCG magic to the historic streets.

Horse Carts & More Pack Rips 🐴✨
Wandering further, we stumbled upon a massive square surrounded by extravagant buildings and a huge, towering clock. After stopping for a bite of lunch, we spotted horse-drawn carts offering local tours and knew we had to hop on.
We took a lovely thirty-minute winding tour through the cobbled lanes, passing multiple museums. They looked like fantastic places to explore, though we knew the children wouldn't have been quite as entertained! Obviously, we had to rip another pack while bouncing along on the cart—because there's no bad place for Pokémon! ❤️

The Playground & The Great Van Hunt 😅
To burn off some energy, we headed for a kiosk in the park to give the kids a safe, fun environment to just run around. We found a great sandy playground and let them loose. They were having so much fun that they absolutely refused to leave—until some strategically offered sweet treats convinced them to continue on our journey!

Then came the really fun part. It was time to return to the van... but we realized we hadn't dropped a pin on the map to remember where we parked! 🤭

We navigated toward the large canal and could actually see our van on the other side, but we couldn't get to it. The closest bridge was completely closed off with no access and covered in workmen. We had to take a massive detour, walking all the way to the next bridge and doubling back on ourselves. But hey, we hit a whopping 12,000 steps! 🫶 🚶🏼‍♀️

Change of Plans: The Dash for the Border ⛴️
Jumping back in the van, we originally headed for the aire de camping-car in Calais for the final night of our tour. But once we got there, we had a sudden change of heart: we wanted to cross tonight.

Instead of waiting for the Eurotunnel and paying their steep €299 early-crossing charge, we booked a ferry. What followed was total chaos:

Over two hours in motorway queues.
Absolute madness navigating the lanes through the check-in barriers.
More madness through both French and UK border control!

Because of the delays, we completely missed our booked ferry and had to wait for the next one. We ended up taking a little midnight stroll around the ferry deck to stretch our legs, fed the kids a little more dinner, and tucked them back into their seats with blankets and pillows for the final stretch home. 👏🙌

Home Sweet Home 🏡
We are finally home! 🫶 🥳 🙌 We pulled in at 3 AM and we are all completely exhausted 😮‍💨—but we are so incredibly happy to be back.

Later today, we’ll be putting together a massive full recap of the SJ's PokéStore Tour! We’ll be updating everyone on everywhere we went, what we saw, the transport we took, and most importantly... exactly how many packs we ripped (including the final breakdown of every language!). 😁

Thank you all for following along with our family adventure.

Catch you again later! 🥳🙌

SJ's PokéStore Sarah-Joy Manea Daniel Manea

30/08/2026

Day 18 of SJ's PokéStore on Tour! 🇧🇪 Atomium Heights & Antwerp TCG Finds!

Today we ventured into Belgium, stopping off at a Carrefour market on the way for some supplies and a Pokémon hunt. Supplies were gathered, but Pokémon were nowhere to be seen!
As we headed further into Belgium, we planned to visit the Atomium in Brussels. It was just under two hours from our camp directly to the monument.

It was amazing—a huge structure of an atom made of steel, with internal elevators taking you up to most of the spheres, featuring all sorts of light shows and music in each one. The kids enjoyed it, although they were a little scared! 🤭

We even ventured up to the very top for views at 92 meters high! 🫶 This is when we should have ripped a pack, but unfortunately, I'd left all the packs in the van! 🤦🏼‍♀️

We found the restaurant at the top and ordered some ice-cream dishes to share. Yum! 😋 🍦

Heading back down, we explored the other rooms, including one with moving mirrors, lights, and LED screens spelling out words.
Once we were back at ground level, we headed back to our van to set off for our camp for the night. However, we managed to find a TCG and gaming store open late in Antwerp, so that instantly became the next point on the map! 🫶

We located the store through the winding narrow streets, navigating through tram lines and one-way roads.
Once I entered the shop, I was so excited—they had so much stock! Admittedly, not very cheap, but an amazing variety. The shop was called Outpost TCG. And the best part? All of the products we bought were in English, ready to be put on our shop when we are back on the 2nd of September! ❤️ 🥳

Continuing on, we located a campsite only 15 minutes from Antwerp with all the necessary facilities. We're all set up for the evening, the kids are trying to fall asleep, and Danny and I are ready to enjoy a well-deserved break! 👏🙌

Tomorrow we head for France and aim to stay in or near Calais, in preparation for our Eurotunnel crossing at 10am on Tuesday. We might take a bus or a train to town for the day, but we'll see how it goes.

Catch you again tom

30/08/2026

Day 18 of SJ's PokéStore on Tour! 🇧🇪 Atomium Heights & Antwerp TCG Finds!

Today we ventured into Belgium, stopping off at a Carrefour market on the way for some supplies and a Pokémon hunt. Supplies were gathered, but Pokémon were nowhere to be seen!
As we headed further into Belgium, we planned to visit the Atomium in Brussels. It was just under two hours from our camp directly to the monument.

It was amazing—a huge structure of an atom made of steel, with internal elevators taking you up to most of the spheres, featuring all sorts of light shows and music in each one. The kids enjoyed it, although they were a little scared! 🤭

We even ventured up to the very top for views at 92 meters high! 🫶 This is when we should have ripped a pack, but unfortunately, I'd left all the packs in the van! 🤦🏼‍♀️

We found the restaurant at the top and ordered some ice-cream dishes to share. Yum! 😋 🍦

Heading back down, we explored the other rooms, including one with moving mirrors, lights, and LED screens spelling out words.
Once we were back at ground level, we headed back to our van to set off for our camp for the night. However, we managed to find a TCG and gaming store open late in Antwerp, so that instantly became the next point on the map! 🫶

We located the store through the winding narrow streets, navigating through tram lines and one-way roads.
Once I entered the shop, I was so excited—they had so much stock! Admittedly, not very cheap, but an amazing variety. The shop was called Outpost TCG. And the best part? All of the products we bought were in English, ready to be put on our shop when we are back on the 2nd of September! ❤️ 🥳

Continuing on, we located a campsite only 15 minutes from Antwerp with all the necessary facilities. We're all set up for the evening, the kids are trying to fall asleep, and Danny and I are ready to enjoy a well-deserved break! 👏🙌

Tomorrow we head for France and aim to stay in or near Calais, in preparation for our Eurotunnel crossing at 10am on Tuesday. We might take a bus or a train to town for the day, but we'll see how it goes.

Catch you again tomorrow 👆🫶

SJ's PokéStore Sarah-Joy Manea Daniel Manea

29/08/2026

Day 17 of SJ's PokéStore on Tour: Free Transport, Pack Rips & Ice Cream Meltdowns! 🇱🇺

Location: Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

We kicked off Day 17 exactly the way every good holiday should start: sleeping in! We didn't roll out of bed until 9:30 am, and we all caught up on some much-needed rest. After a hearty breakfast, we braved the threatening rain clouds and headed out to find the bus stop for the first leg of our journey into Luxembourg City.

We found our first bus with relative ease and took it to Ettelbruck station to catch our connecting train. And here is the absolute best travel hack for this country: all public transport is completely free inside Luxembourg! 🫶

🃏 Ripping Packs & High Street Finds
Once we arrived in the city, we had one main mission on our minds: finding a scenic spot to rip some Pokémon packs! We stumbled across a grand statue flanked by two Luxembourg flags 🇱🇺—the perfect backdrop to see what we could pull.
Wandering toward the city center, we explored the high street and were pleasantly surprised by the local Pokémon scene. Quite a few shops were stocked with cards!

Manga Factory: The main highlight, which even had Prismatic Evolutions SPC in French!
Kiosk Shops: Every little kiosk seemed to have some packs tucked away, and they were actually cheaper than the main stores.

🏛️ Sightseeing & A Culinary Divide
Continuing our urban trek, we checked off some beautiful landmarks, including the National Library and the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Luxembourg.
By then, we had worked up an appetite. We found a fantastic restaurant serving authentic Kazakh 🇰🇿 and Georgian 🇬🇪 cuisine. Danny and I absolutely loved the rich, tasty dishes. The kids? Well, let's just say they were definitively not impressed. 🤮😂

Next on the map was the Palais Grand-Ducal. Once we finally found it, it was undeniably lovely—but we honestly couldn't find a way in. In fact, we weren't even entirely sure if we were looking at the front of the building! 😅🤦🏼‍♀️

🍦 The Great Ice Cream Meltdown
It was time for a sweet treat to boost morale, so we picked up an ice cream for everyone. Safe to say, everything melted—both the ice creams and the children.
Cue the multiple meltdowns and screaming because, naturally, everyone decided they wanted Mummy's ice cream instead of their own. 😕 We all learned a very begrudging lesson in sharing today!

🚌 Transit Triumphs & Playground Fun
As we wandered back through the city streets, the kids' weary legs told us it was time to find a tram back to the station. Navigating the large, multi-platform station to find our return train proved a little tricky, but we eventually boarded the right one back to Ettelbruck.

Finding our connecting bus back to camp was another mini-adventure. Due to building works, the bus stops had been completely relocated! In the confusion, we missed our intended 131 bus. Thankfully, the travel gods were smiling, and the 130 showed up just 5 minutes later! 🙌

Back at camp, the kids got their second wind. We let them loose on the playground where they had a blast climbing, sliding, swinging, and making new friends. Just as the rain finally started to come down, we retreated to the van to change for dinner.

🥩 A Smashing Dinner!
We decided to keep it easy and try the restaurant right on the campsite, and what a phenomenal call that was!
For the adults: A beautifully cooked steak and chips with butter sauce and full access to the salad bar.
For the kids: Fish nuggets and chips, which easily won their seal of approval after the Georgian food incident at lunch.

Ella had a specifically smashing time... literally. She managed to smash a glass bottle right on the floor! 🤭 Whoops.
Now, we are back at the van. The kids are finally tucked up and sleeping soundly in their beds, and Danny and I are enjoying some very well-deserved quiet time. 🧘‍♂️ ahhh 👏

🔜 What's Next?
Tomorrow morning, we are packing up and making a move! We’ll be crossing the border into Belgium 🇧🇪, hunting for our next place to stay, and hopefully finding some more Pokémon along the way! 🙏

Catch you again tomorrow 👆

SJ's PokéStore Sarah-Joy Manea Daniel Manea

28/08/2026

Day 16 of SJ's PokéStore on Tour: Rain, Ruins, and a TCG Jackpot! 🇩🇪 🇱🇺

Location: Trier, Germany ➡️ Fuussekaul, Luxembourg

The campervan life is all about adventure, but sometimes that adventure means surviving a rainy morning in a confined space! Today started wet, wild, and a little bit stir-crazy, but it ended with border crossings, epic card hauls, and a whole lot of fun.
Here’s exactly what we got up to on Day 16 of the tour!

🌧️ Morning Cabin Fever
We were completely rained in for the majority of the morning, forcing us to hunker down in the van. Naturally, the kids went a little stir-crazy and decided the van’s interior was an obstacle course, climbing on absolutely everything! Eventually, Mummy reached her breaking point—she couldn't stay inside for one more minute. Rain or shine, there were Pokémon to be found in town! 👀 ❤️

🚲 Bikes, Baths, and a TCG Jackpot
By 12:00 PM, the weather finally broke. We unhooked the bikes and cycled across the river to check out some of the local historical attractions.

Stop 1: Barbarathermen: We kicked things off with a visit to these incredible, ancient Roman bathhouse ruins.
The TCG Detour: On our way to the next historical site, we got happily sidetracked by the local shops. We hit the absolute jackpot when we stumbled across a fantastic TCG store called X-Comics! We managed to score an amazing haul of both English and German Pokémon cards.
Lunch: All that shopping worked up an appetite, so we popped into the Kebap Haus right opposite the comic store for a much-needed, delicious lunch.

Stop 2: Kaiserthermen: After lunch, we made it to our second set of thermal baths. These are much larger and better preserved, but we decided to save some euros and just appreciate the views from the barriers—still totally worth it!

🏰 A Palace Pack Rip and Playground Fun
Next, we wandered over to the Kurfürstliches Palais. The palace grounds are breathtaking, filled with extravagant gardens, trickling fountains, beautiful flowers, and perfectly maintained mini hedges.

Of course, with scenery this spectacular, we had to do a pack rip right in front of the building! Sadly, the pull gods weren't with us today—no hits this time, but the backdrop couldn't be beaten.

Wandering further through the gardens, we found a massive play area and sandpit. We let the kids loose for over an hour, and they absolutely loved it. However, all that exploring eventually caught up with them, and we could tell they were getting tired and a little hungry again.

🍦 Sweet Treats and Border Crossings
Back on the bikes we went, setting our coordinates for McDonald's! We treated everyone to ice creams and doughnuts, which resulted in some very happy kids 🫶 🥳. The sugar crash hit exactly on schedule, and Ella actually nodded off on the back of the bike on the way back to the van!

Once back, we packed up the bikes, serviced the van (water, waste, and toilet sorted!), paid for our stay, and hit the road.

We officially crossed the border and are now in Luxembourg! 🇱🇺 We drove to our next spot, Camping Fuussekaul, and got ourselves all checked in, parked up, and set up for the night.

🌙 Wrapping Up Day 16
The kids are finally fast asleep in bed, and we are just about to break out a game of Bohnanza to wind down before we turn in, too.

Tomorrow is going to be brilliant—we're heading off on a train adventure to Luxembourg City to do some serious exploring! 👀🫶🥳🇱🇺

Catch you tomorrow!

SJ's PokéStore family

27/08/2026

Day 15 of SJ’s PokéStore on Tour! ☀️ Adventures on the Rhine, Roman Ruins & Sunset Pack Rips!

Welcome back, Trainers!

Day 15 of our epic European road trip was an absolute blast, filled with amazing friends, historical sights, and of course—some Pokémon hunting!

Meeting up in Boppard with our great friends Sarah and Sean, along with their boys Nathaniel and Benjamin, was exactly the kind of adventure we needed. After fueling up with a good breakfast, we met at their Airbnb around 10 am, ready to see what the day had in store for us.

With eager kids and slightly tired parents in tow, we made our way down to the incredible River Rhine. We wandered along the river’s edge, taking in the beautiful scenery, and the kids had a great time burning off some energy at a local fountain and play apparatus.

Next, we ventured into town to explore some ancient Roman ruins. The kids had an absolute blast playing together among the stones, letting their imaginations run wild and even putting on a little show for us! 🫶🥳

Of course, it wouldn't be a true SJ’s PokéStore tour without a bit of Pokémon hunting! We headed through the town and down the local parade of shops, hoping to uncover some hidden gems or foreign-language booster packs. Pickings were a bit slim this time, but we did manage to locate a magazine bundle with a single Fun Pack inside! 😂 Never one to turn down a pull, we tucked it away to rip later in the evening.

By then, we had worked up quite an appetite. We stopped for lunch at a fantastic local restaurant to sample some of the local cuisine—delicious schnitzel and chips for some, hearty bratwurst and rice for others, and a nice, fresh salad for me.

To cool off from the afternoon sun (and get the kids a bit more exercise!), we tracked down a local outdoor swimming pool. The water was very chilly, but it was such a lovely day out with our friends! 🤗 There was even a sandy playground where the kids got to do some climbing and sliding. 🫶

We’ve all had such a phenomenal day, but as evening approached, it was time to say our goodbyes. We hit the road and headed west towards the historic city of Trier, where we've now pitched up camp for the night.

After the kids had their dinner and were tucked into bed, Danny headed out to grab some food for himself. As for me? I got to enjoy the absolute best part of the day: evening pack rips in the camp by myself as the sun went down! 🥰🙌🤭

We didn't just have that single magazine Fun Pack, either. I managed to break into a German Series 3 box! 🫶🥳 It was an absolute joy pulling some of our Kalos favorites in another language—shoutout to Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie making an appearance! ❤️

The tour continues, and who knows what awesome Pokémon products or scenic views we'll stumble into next.

Catch you again tomorrow, Trainers!

(Don't forget to check out our latest sealed Pokémon products, collection boxes, and Mystery Booster Bundles back home at SJsPokeStore website)

SJ's PokéStore

11/09/2026

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