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Two beloved hobby shops in metro Detroit were left rattled and reeling after early morning smash-and-grab burglaries — both seemingly fueled by the skyrocketing value of Pokémon trading cards.

The first hit came just before dawn last Friday at RIW Hobbies & Gaming in Livonia. Owner Pam Willoughby wasn’t prepared for what she saw on her security footage. Two masked individuals used a hammer to shatter the front door, then went on a rampage inside the store.

"They weren’t just stealing — they were swinging wildly at things for no reason," Willoughby recalled. “Watching them loiter inside like that, hammer in hand, it felt like a violation more than anything.”

Their main target? Pokémon cards — some of which can fetch thousands of dollars on today’s booming secondary market. With demand at an all-time high and collectors scouring for rare pulls, these cards are no longer just childhood nostalgia; they’re assets.

“It’s become cyclical,” Willoughby explained. “Every couple years the market spikes, but right now it’s hotter than I’ve ever seen.”

Coincidentally — or perhaps not — the Motor City Comic Con kicked off that same day, drawing crowds of vendors and collectors. Willoughby believes the timing isn’t accidental. “They knew there’d be a market for what they stole,” she said.

Just four days later, on Tuesday morning around 5 a.m., another card shop — Eternal Games in Warren — experienced a nearly identical break-in. A single masked figure forced entry, skipped smashing glass cases, and instead leapt behind the counter to carefully remove and pocket more Pokémon merchandise.

“They knew exactly what they wanted,” said assistant manager Dakota Olszewski. “No hesitation, no wasted movement. It was in, grab, and gone.”

This isn’t the first time local card shops have been targeted. Back in December, two thieves posed as customers before robbing stores in Macomb County. They were eventually caught and prosecuted, but the fear they left behind still lingers.

Now, both RIW and Eternal Games are stepping up security — reinforcing doors, adding more cameras, and warning other small business owners in the collectibles scene to stay vigilant.

“It’s not just the inventory,” Willoughby emphasized. “It’s the feeling of being safe in your own space. That’s what they took.”

Police haven’t formally linked the two recent break-ins, but with the similarities — time of day, use of hammers, and specific focus on high-value cards — investigators are keeping all possibilities open.

For shop owners in the trading card world, these break-ins are a reminder that when a hobby becomes an investment, it sometimes attracts the wrong kind of attention.

Anyone with information about the Warren break-in at Eternal Games is urged to contact Detective Kranz at 586-574-4780. For the Livonia incident, call the Livonia Police Department at 734-466-2470.