There are very few things I would rush out in a frazzled mess from work for, especially on a Sunday where I could simply be going home to take a much-needed nap. TATE’s Comics annual Park & Swap happens to be one of those rare occasions where I can be found careening across town lines with a friend in tow, attempting to arrive to the haven for geeks that is TATE’s before the event ended at 3p.m.
The Park & Swap is an annual, and sometimes bi-annual, pop culture themed flea market event hosted by the Lauderhill location of TATE’s Comics. It features almost up to forty vendors selling all sorts of memorabilia from all different walks of nerdy life, as well as in-store discounts for any who attend. While times may vary from year to year, the event usually begins as early as 9 a.m. and lasts until 3 p.m., allowing attendees to fully appreciate a Sunday outing.
We arrived with time to spare, and the sight was something to behold. The entire parking lot in front of the store was covered with parked cars; comics, toys, video games and all sorts of odds and ends spilled out from their open trunks waiting to be snatched up by dozens of excited patrons milling about.
My friend and I were two of those excited swap goers, and I could barely contain myself as I rushed into the fray, quickly buying a wonderfully crafted monster shirt and accompanying pin from a local artist. From there we walked around the parking lot, ogling at the rows upon rows of old comics, the towers of Pop figures and all other sorts of curiosities that can be found at such flea market type events. One car had a large display of antique toys and decorations that would make a grandmother swoon. Another boasted large incredibly detailed figurines from niche to well-known sci-fi and fantasy stories, right across from a vendor who displayed ginormous canvas posters from Marvel movies such as “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” and “Iron Man 3.”
My friend and I milled around the lot some more before snatching up some choice finds, she a Mystique and Iron Man Pop figurine and myself some comics, a small Miles Morales figurine and some miscellaneous fantasy, sci-fi and Universal Monsters trading cards. As the day neared its end, my friend and I made our way to a closing booth stacked full of comic books, old toys, a gallon of fake blood and a large clear skull glimmering in the fading afternoon light. With a bit of light conversation on the possibility of this treasure being cursed exchanged with the vendor, I excitedly bought my new prized possession for a non-regrettable ten dollars.
While I myself had never been to a comic con, my friend recalls the atmosphere and structure of the Park & Swap itself to be incredibly similar to one. Not only in the sheer amount of pop culture memorabilia being bought and sold, but also in the very interactions between the vendors and patrons themselves. There was an air of kinship sweeping through the crowds, the special type only seen between strangers and old friends apart of this geeky community, sharing in their love for these stories and games.
This is where the true nature of the event, and of TATE’s itself, shines through. Not only is the Park & Swap a wonderful event where the opportunities to find some geeky riches for reasonable prices rise with every booth you visit, but it is one of the few places where you will see a small dog walking around in a barbershop quartet’s hat, or talk with a prop maker who drives a Godzilla-mobile and regales you with tales of the hay days of creature feature films, or spend time looking for hidden treasures in the form of comics and collectibles with a good friend you haven’t seen in a while. The truest treasure, as they always say, were the people you met along the way. Nothing can top that, not even a glimmering crystal skull.
