On Saturday, Oct. 31, the Washington State Toy Show opens in the Showplex at the Washington State Fair & Events Center. More than 200 vendors will be selling vintage and modern toys, comics and collectibles. Downtown, Puyallup Main Street Association's BOO-allup trick-or-treat runs from 3 to 5 that afternoon. At 118 S. Meridian, Atomic Comics plans to open its doors for the first time during that same window and give away free comics.
For years, the comics and vintage goods sold at the fairgrounds came in for a weekend and left with the vendors. This fall, downtown Puyallup picked up permanent homes for both, two doors apart on the same block of South Meridian. Halloween is the first day the fairgrounds collector crowd and the downtown storefronts are open at the same time.
A Block of South Meridian That Didn't Sell Comics or Vintage Clothes Before September
The first shop opened on Sept. 19. Ben Vandouris, 24, opened Grandpas Garments at 116 S. Meridian, in the alley by Wicked Pie. He has been collecting and selling vintage clothes since 2019, when he was a student at Puyallup High School. He told The News Tribune that 99% of his stock does not come from thrift stores. He buys from estate sales and in bulk from people who have been holding onto piles of old clothes, and some of those deals started with a conversation at the post office.
The racks run from the 1940s to the early 2000s. There are a lot of early-2000s women's jackets, pants and T-shirts, plus Americana-style workwear, men's jackets, crewnecks and jeans, and vintage hats toward the back of the store. A kids' section is planned. The checkout counter is a 1900s display case that Vandouris drove 2 miles down a dirt road in Yelm to buy. The decor is vintage too, but it isn't for sale.
Vandouris calls it Puyallup's first strictly vintage clothing store, "to my knowledge." He also acknowledges the town's many antique and consignment shops and says, "correct me if I'm wrong."
Next door at 118 S. Meridian, Shane Ziemer is bringing Atomic Comics to Puyallup. He has run the original store at 4020 S. Steele St. in Tacoma for 22 years. He lives in Puyallup and told The News Tribune he has "been dying to put one there." He says the Puyallup store will lean further into the collector side than the Tacoma one: "more graphic novels here, more toys, more merchandise, more back issues, more wall books."
"Puyallup hasn't had a comic book shop in 15 years," Ziemer said. "You need a right spot, the right place. Finally, everything fell together." He describes the store as almost a decade in the making.
Back issues, toys and wall books are a big part of what the Toy Show sells. That puts Ziemer's planned opening on the same afternoon as more than 200 vendors selling vintage toys and comics at the Showplex.
How the Day Lines Up
The Toy Show closes before BOO-allup ends, so a single Saturday can cover both.
| Time, Sat. Oct. 31 | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| 9 to 10 AM | Showplex, Washington State Fair & Events Center | Toy Show early entry, $10 |
| 10 AM to 4 PM | Showplex | Toy Show general admission, $5. Free for kids 12 and under |
| 3 to 5 PM | Downtown Puyallup | BOO-allup trick-or-treat |
| During BOO-allup | 118 S. Meridian | Atomic Comics' planned opening, with free comics |
| Store hours | 116 S. Meridian | Grandpas Garments |
The Washington State Toy Show uses the Blue Gate, and parking in the Blue Lot is free. It runs again on Sunday, Nov. 1, from 10 AM to 4 PM. The prices in the table come from the organizer's own site. The Fair's event listing shows a different set of tiers, so check the organizer's page before you go.
Puyallup Main Street Association's BOO-allup page lists the date and the 3 to 5 PM window under the line "All treats, no tricks." It credits community volunteers and business owners with making the event happen. The page doesn't list a route or which businesses are taking part. Watch the association's channels closer to the day for those details.
Atomic Comics' Halloween date is still a plan. Ziemer said the formal grand opening will come after BOO-allup. Check the shop's Facebook page that week to confirm the doors are open.
The Week Before Is Horror Con
Halloween caps a stretch of fairgrounds weekends for collectors and fans. One week earlier, Washington State Horror Con runs Oct. 23 to 25. The organizer promises celebrity guests, more than 200 vendors and artists, panels, a car show and costumes. The Fair's listing puts the event behind the Blue Gate. According to the organizer's vendor page, vendor booths go in the ShowPlex and Artist Alley goes in the Pavilion.
Horror Con costs more than the Toy Show:
- Hours: Friday 2 to 8 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 7 PM, Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM
- Adult admission: $35 Friday, $55 Saturday, $45 Sunday, or $100 for all three days
- Child admission: $25 per day or $55 for all three days
- Tax: tickets carry a 5% Puyallup admission tax
A Saturday adult ticket to Horror Con costs $55. A general admission ticket to the Toy Show a week later costs $5. Many people who attend one will likely want to attend the other, so it helps to know the gap before you plan the month.
Before both of those, Oktoberfest NW takes over the fairgrounds Oct. 9 to 11. Hours are noon to midnight Friday, 11 AM to midnight Saturday and 11 AM to 6 PM Sunday. Entry is free on Friday from noon to 3 PM. After that, event-day general admission is $17 Friday, $22 Saturday and $11 Sunday, and kids 12 and under get in free.
Where to Start and Finish
Puyallup also has a new morning stop this fall. Woods Coffee opened its first Pierce County location at 1115 E. Main Ave. on Monday, Sept. 28. The Puyallup Herald reported that Woods took over the space after Starbucks backed out of its lease.
For the evening, Firemind Brewing at 211 W. Stewart Ave. is the place to look for two beers that were nearly lost. Off Camber Brewing, the garage-turned-brewery that opened in June 2017, closed on Sept. 26 when owner and brewer James Brandt retired. According to The News Tribune, Firemind agreed to buy Off Camber's brewing equipment and the recipes for the Off Camber Amber and the Rubicon IPA. Brandt expected the beers to be on tap at Firemind around the time Off Camber closed. Ask at the bar whether they're pouring yet.
One downtown spot is out of the Halloween plans this year. The Puyallup Skatepark closed for a $620,000 rebuild that started Sept. 8, replacing worn wood features with concrete. It's expected to stay closed through December.
What Downtown Gains After the Toy Show Leaves
The Toy Show packs up on Nov. 1, and Horror Con will be gone a week before that. Grandpas Garments and Atomic Comics stay. Vandouris told The News Tribune that his TikTok videos have brought people in with items to sell, so his racks keep getting restocked. Ziemer is planning a grand opening after Halloween. Starting this November, back issues, toys and decades-old jackets are available on South Meridian year-round.
Changes like two new shops on South Meridian or a new coffee stop on East Main shape how a home near downtown Puyallup gets presented to buyers. If you'd like to know how the latest downtown openings figure into your home's value, Serving The Sound can put together a free home valuation built on what's happening on your block right now. Request a Free Home Valuation, and Anne Watkins will walk you through it personally.
