A Rio Grande Valley man is taking vending machines to the next level.

In December 2023, Ibrahim Garza came up with a different way to bring a new pop culture experience to the Valley.

“I had previously had a vending machine business, we had about 12 locations, I decided to repurpose those machines and put them into malls,” Garza said.

You won't find drinks or snacks inside any of Garza's vending machines, which contain trading cards for games such as Pokémon, Magic the Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh!

“The inspiration was that in Japan, it's a very popular concept to sell a lot of trading cards and popular retail products through vending machines,” Garza said.

Garza started by putting a machine at the Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets in Mercedes in March 2024. Three vending machines were later added to that location, and Garza wants to expand to the McAllen Mercado district on 23rd Street.

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“Our inspiration behind everything is we want to provide a memorable experience to our customers so they will continue to come back, spread the word to their family and friends,” Garza said.

Garza said this is an easy and fun way to collect trading cards, and you never know what cards you’re going to get.

Garza also wants to expand in other cities across Texas, such as Austin and Houston, by the end of the year.

Ibrahim Garza and Brains TCG LLC are Made in the 956.

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