Time Lapse in the News: Media Coverage of Collingswood's Retro Store

There is a particular kind of pleasure in recognizing something you have not seen in years: a favorite action figure, the board game that once took over the kitchen table, or a VHS cover you could identify from across the video store. Time Lapse was built around that feeling. Since opening on Haddon Avenue in Collingswood, the shop has become a destination for people who collect vintage toys and pop-culture artifacts—and for people who simply enjoy the surprise of finding an old memory on a shelf.

The mix is deliberately broad. Visitors might encounter vintage video games, comics, records, clothing, Japanese toys, Pokémon, blind boxes, VHS tapes, original creations and pieces of wonderfully strange décor. Just as important is the setting: Time Lapse is meant to be explored in person, at a pace that leaves room for discovery. That approach has drawn the attention of television crews, newspapers and regional publications interested in nostalgia, independent retail and the enduring appeal of physical things.

Time Lapse on television

The most complete look inside the store comes from 6abc Philadelphia and Localish’s video feature, “Time Lapse Vintage is a toy-filled trip down memory lane.” The segment walks through the shop’s densely arranged world of toys, games, comics, clothing and memorabilia, capturing the experience of seeing one familiar object after another. It is an especially good introduction for anyone wondering what a visit feels like.

The same spirit is at the center of ABC’s “Secretly Awesome” feature, “Step into the past: Time Lapse reawakens childhood fun.” In a little over three minutes, the story shows why the store appeals to serious collectors without becoming intimidating to casual visitors. The point is not simply that old objects are for sale; it is that they still have the power to start conversations and bring back remarkably specific memories.

Time Lapse has also appeared in Philadelphia-area holiday news coverage. A CBS Philadelphia report on Small Business Saturday visited Collingswood and spoke with owner Eric Ingala about what makes shopping locally—and finding a gift in person—different from scrolling through an online marketplace. FOX 29’s Super Saturday report likewise stopped at Time Lapse while following last-minute shoppers around town. Both stories place the shop in the larger life of Haddon Avenue, where independent businesses make an afternoon of shopping feel personal.

From a new idea to a Collingswood destination

The earliest substantial profile appeared before the doors opened. In November 2021, NJ Pen introduced Time Lapse and the thinking behind it. The story traces Eric Ingala and Jessica Howell’s shared interest in VHS and physical media, explains the store’s name, and describes the ambition to create a transportive space rather than a conventional retail showroom.

That origin story became part of a wider conversation about why vintage pop culture matters. In 2022, MyCentralJersey included Time Lapse in a feature about the renewed enthusiasm for retro toys, games and entertainment. Nostalgia is certainly part of the attraction, but the store also reflects something more lasting: people enjoy objects with history, personality and a life beyond the moment they were manufactured.

Recognized in regional shopping guides

As the store has grown, Time Lapse has increasingly appeared in guides to shopping and exploring South Jersey and the Philadelphia area. SouthJersey.com selected Time Lapse for collectibles in its Best of the Best 2025 feature, noting a rotating inventory that ranges from VHS and NES games to current blind-box releases. The Philadelphia Inquirer included the shop in its guide to notable vintage destinations, highlighting the kind of deeply specific ’80s and ’90s finds that can turn browsing into time travel.

Time Lapse also appears in SJ Magazine’s guide to thrifting and consignment in South Jersey, a Philly Home Girls walking tour of Collingswood, and the Toy Store Guide’s New Jersey coverage. Taken together, these mentions reflect the shop’s unusual place in the region: part toy store, part vintage shop, part pop-culture archive and part neighborhood gathering point.

See Time Lapse for yourself

Media coverage offers a useful glimpse, but the inventory changes constantly and the best part of Time Lapse is still the unexpected thing waiting around the next corner. The store is located at 689 Haddon Avenue in Collingswood, New Jersey, a short trip from Philadelphia. Check the current store hours, browse a selection in the online shop, or follow @timelapsejersey on Instagram for recent arrivals.

Journalists and producers interested in Time Lapse can reach the shop at TimelapseNJ@gmail.com or (856) 559-7439. If you know of another published feature about the store, please send it our way.