Weekend Adventures
Hallie Church Former Shopper
I made my first trip to the Dragon Centre Mall in 1995. Looking back, this was quite a significant year in my life. I was in grade four, my parents had just divorced, and Sailor Moon was first aired on Canadian television.
Sailor Moon is a shōjo manga series, originally published in Nakayoshi Magazine during the 90s and eventually adapted into an anime series. The story revolves around a ‘pretty moon princess soldier’ who is destined to save the earth from the forces of evil.
My obsession with Sailor Moon began with drawing the characters. A good friend at school who had just moved from China was extremely talented when it came to drawing anime. She and I would find a quiet place at recess, after school, and during class, where we would draw the characters, and ourselves, as moon soldiers. We eventually discovered the trading cards which even furthered our fascination and provided a new way to act on our growing obsession.
I collected many things when I was younger; pogs, baseball cards, stamps, and rocks– but these all seemed to fade into the background of my mind once I discovered Sailor Moon trading cards. Even now, looking at them, it is clear to me why I loved them so much with their dreamy but vibrant colour palette and psychedelic illustrations.
To store and protect my growing collection I went out and purchased a pristine, white, loose leaf binder, complete with plastic slips where I could keep my drawings and display my cards. My more valued cards were placed in a smaller Sailor Moon branded book which I stored in the side pocket of the binder. This book was probably the most organized and well curated part of my life at the time, and for that matter, to date.
After depleting the stock at my local card stores along Queen West and in ChinaTown, my friend and I made a plan to widen our search. My father had just moved out, and it was agreed upon that my sisters and I would spend every other weekend with him. During this transitional time, my dad was, much to my surprise, ready and willing to indulge me in excursions and adventures that would fill a whole day. I realized this was my chance to explore the far reaches of the GTA, in search of the most rare and unique Sailor Moon cards out there. My father was perfectly happy to entertain these whims, and this is how I first found my way to the Dragon Centre Mall.
Those days we would wake up early to beat the traffic and head off with my friend and younger sister in tow. Upon arrival to whichever mall we were frequenting that day, my dad would buy us all a pop to stay hydrated while we explored. He would patiently wait as we entered every store to see what cards were behind the counter (strangely the cards were never on display, you always had to ask to see them). The Dragon Centre, while filled with busy colourful storefronts, always felt more calm then the other malls and provided the space and time to meticulously sift through each stores’ collection. I think it may have been where I learned to haggle, as I remember store owners being open to negotiating a deal with the five or ten dollars of allowance I had saved up. I’m not sure how long this went on for but these trips to the Dragon Centre and the Mississauga Chinese Centre remain vivid in my memory.
It amazes me how the very thought of this place can evoke such feelings of deep nostalgia. It is a special reminder of the profound well of memories we each hold and how they may be reflected upon our surrounding landscapes.
I’m sad to say I cannot show off my amazingly curated book of collections, as it disappeared at the end of that school year, I assume it was stolen by a classmate. Though I was distraught, it was always more about the adventure for me.