Reminiscing about childhood and sparking joy in the next generation is at the heart of Richmond Retro, a growing event that brings together toy lovers, pop culture fans and collectors for a day of trading, buying and sharing memories.
The brainchild of Craig Burne, Richmond Retro is now in its third year and continues to gain momentum.
“My wife Ana set up the plant market and that was a success,” Craig says. “I’ve got my finger in many different worlds online with fandom, and a number of smaller towns were setting up successful events, so I thought ‘let’s give it a go’.”
He quickly discovered there was an appetite for it in the region. This year’s event will see the return of a life-size R2D2, retro gaming consoles set up to play, and a mix of regular local stallholders and out-of-town vendors. There will also be giveaways at the door.
Card Merchant will host ‘learn to play’ tables, offering a chance to try out a range of trading card games.
Craig says, while most vendors are passionate about what they sell, it’s the conversations that he enjoys most.
“One of the cool things is the buzz when someone comes along as an adult and something they see makes them remember their childhood, or a toy their sibling had. It’s really fun having those conversations.”
Craig’s personal passion is action figures from the 1980s – including Hangman, Transformers and G.I. Joe.
“I have got a couple of reasonably large pieces. Generally I try and bring along the really big pieces or the more special things that are really detailed.”
He says there will be a wide variety of products to suit all budgets.
“When a kid has an interest in something you cut them a deal because they’re looking at it from a collector’s perspective, and toys are there to be played with.”
Richmond Retro is on Saturday, 15 November, 10am-2pm at Richmond School hall. Gold coin donation.
