The End of an Era - Hero Stash Shop Front Update

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Story time!

The Beginning - Opening Hero Stash

I (Simon) started Hero Stash at the end of 2015 as an online only business, but in July of 2016 I opened the first physical shop in Manningham, South Australia. When I was planning the shop front and signage, I didn’t want a standard plain facade, I wanted something big and bold that represented the kind of genres and characters I was selling.

Hero Stash is a collectables and trading card game store based in Paradise, Adelaide, specialising in Pokémon, Disney Lorcana, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece, and more. Over the past 10 years, the store has grown into a local hub for collectors and TCG players.

The Original Airbrushed Panels

I also wanted to support local artists, so I commissioned a local airbrush artist to paint three large panels for the shop frontage. I broke it down into three themes: Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Thor. At that time the Marvel Cinematic Universe was extremely popular and a lot of the products I sold were from those movies, so it made perfect sense for the shop frontage.

Those three panels have now been on the front of Hero Stash for 10 years across two different store locations. Through heat, cold, sun, and rain, they have held up very well and become part of the identity of the store. A lot of customers still tell me they remember seeing the artwork for the first time when driving past, and it’s something that made the shop recognisable from the road.

But after 10 years, it was time for a change.

Hero Stash in 2026 - A Different Store

Hero Stash in 2026 is very different to Hero Stash in 2016, evolving into a dedicated TCG and collectibles store in Adelaide. The store has grown and evolved, especially in trading card games with organised play, leagues, and tournaments now a large part of what we do every week.

With that in mind, I decided it was time to update the shop front to better reflect what Hero Stash is today and where it’s going in the future. After a lot of brainstorming, I came up with the idea of having the three new art panels represented as “teams”, like in a '90s video game where you select your team before you start playing.

The three teams are Disney, Pokémon, and Dragon Ball/One Piece. The design shows each team standing there looking fierce, ready for selection. The new artwork also gives a much clearer indication of what we sell in store for anyone driving past the shop, and they’ve been designed in bright colours to stand out and draw your eye.

So the question is… what team do you choose?

Supporting Local Artists

Because I wanted to support another local artist again, I commissioned my good friend and talented tattoo artist, Pete Cox, to do the physical drawing for me. We discussed the plan and worked on a mock layout together before he got to work. He approached it very similar to how a tattoo is designed, digitally drawing every line of each character and then shading each one by hand. I think he has done a fantastic job and really brought the vision to life. You can check out more of his work on Instagram @tattoospetecox.

The End of an Era

Taking the old panels down was a strange feeling. They’ve been there since day one, and for 10 years they’ve been part of the store’s story. But change is part of growing a business, and this is a really exciting next step for Hero Stash.

A Piece of Hero Stash History

For anyone who is curious, the original airbrushed panels are now available for sale. They are original commissioned artworks (not prints), painted on metallic board and built to last outdoors, and they would make great statement pieces for a games room, home theatre, garage, or even a business fit-out.

More importantly though, they are a piece of Hero Stash history.

And now, we look forward to the next 10 years.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Hero Stash over the past decade. Whether you’ve been coming since the early days or you only discovered us recently through trading card games and events, your support is the reason the store is still here and growing.

I’m very excited for what comes next.

Visit Hero Stash in Adelaide

Hero Stash is a collectibles and trading card game store located in Paradise, Adelaide. We specialise in Pokémon, Disney Lorcana, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece, Dragon Ball and pop culture collectibles.