If you’re looking for a couple of guys more plugged into pop culture collectibles, you’re going to have to really hunt for them, probably for far longer than you’ve been looking for that 1974 vintage G.I. Joe with Kung-Fu Grip or that 1981 Diecast Voltron.
But guess what? Pandora’s Box probably has them.
Erik Miller and DJ Adamcik have been friends since they were around six years old. And because of their shared lifelong passion for pop culture collectibles, they ultimately opened a store dedicated to them. Pandora’s Box initially served as a way to clear out their overburdened homes — they had their inventory preloaded. Yet despite opening a small storefront, their collection never waned, thanks to ongoing networking and word of mouth that continued to grow their warehouse. As it turns out, nostalgia is quite the growth industry.
The storefront they opened in 2018 was two locations ago. They moved into their current site during the pandemic, unsure what would happen if and when the world opened up again. They got their answer during their grand opening of their new, far larger space. About 500 people came in on that first day back.
Recently, the store had a regular customer stop by who was amazed at what he saw. There was a line. And not just any line — one that started at their door, wrapped around the entire shopping center, and was growing.
“What’s going on?”, he asked as he entered the shop. “Oh, Mankind is here.” But he wasn’t talking about the vast human chain outside — it wasn’t all of mankind, although it probably seemed that way. It was the WWE wrestler, Mankind. They come here often. Star wrestlers like Kevin Nash, Billy Gunn, and Ken Shamrock have been by. Many are names you may know — and some you won’t — but for the fans that come here, it’s like they’re giving away gold.
Wrestling is a big draw here, sure. But so are Star Wars, Pokémon, Dungeons & Dragons, Transformers, Dragon Ball Z, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Nintendo related products, an exhaustive selection of video games and nearly any other pop culture-driven collectible you can think of. Vinyl records, lunch boxes, superheroes, horror movie items, action figures, comic books — you probably can’t name a pop culture collectible that can’t be found here, most in its original packaging. Erik says it’s like walking into a KB Toys 30 years ago.
To find their unique inventory, Erik and DJ travel as far as they need to scour personal collections, warehouses, museums, drug store basements, and countless home attics and basements. They routinely host people who are looking to sell them their vintage stockpiles. This has created quite an extensive network of collectors that they’ve developed, from both sides of the counter. After all, this isn’t merchandise you can simply order from some supplier. This is a treasure hunt and Pandora’s Box is the “X” on the map.
And that’s the pivotal word — treasures. There’s a sense of urgency that exists here. People come here on a mission to find those elusive things that they just can’t find anywhere else.
It’s the rare finds that bring people in, coming from Staten Island, Virginia, Philadelphia, even the UK, sometimes coming in once a week just to see what’s there now. For many people, this isn’t just a novelty shop, it’s a community.
Erik and DJ realize how they fit in that community. They recognize the value that they have to some who simply can’t connect socially. They’ve partnered with a local special-needs school and have had kids come to work at the store. Sometimes they’re almost non-verbal coming in, but over time, they can spend hours talking about their passions. According to Erik, seeing that transformation reminds them of how much value they can bring to people’s lives.
They’ve had desperate moms race in on Christmas Eve looking for a holiday miracle and getting it. A woman came in looking for Dick Tracy’s baby - a toy from 1951. She had been searching for fifty years. They had one. This is the place where a lifetime of fruitless searching culminates into joy.
This isn’t just a business. It’s a way to connect to forgotten happiness, and that’s what makes Pandora’s Box so special. DJ explained why what they do is such a passion for them.
“It’s rewarding when your job is like Christmas morning, every day.”
Here, you ARE a kid again!
Pandora’s Box is typically closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. During the holidays, the store is open every day, usually 11-6, with extended hours as necessary.