Posted By:
MiguelI'm not sure that selling Internet access is profitable for anyone in the U.S. anymore (where there are so many free WiFI spots everywhere you look...contrast this with many parts of the EU, where access is less available in public areas).
However, I do like the idea of card shops being more "hang out" types of places than they have been historically. Why not have free WiFI access, some seating, a big screen TV, and maybe some (packaged) refreshment for sports fans. In the winter, you could play baseball videos/DVDs until live baseball came back.
Recently I was back in my hometown in the midwest (Pop. ~70,000), and I was very delighted to discover that a new sports card shop had sprouted up. I went by and was really impressed -- they specialized in older unopened material, which is one of may favorite things to buy and collect, and also had a decent selection of post-war vintage. It gives me hope that similar shops may appear, perhaps with a similar focus on older material. In order for these or any shop to survive, however, I think they need to figure out what they can offer that will compete with eBay and the deep discounts one can get online. In the alternative, they can run their shops as primarily warehouses and showcases that support their online business, and do not seek to make a profit from the brick-and-mortar store alone.