Thinking of opening a shop

[abothebear]

I’m thinking about opening a card store? What would the ideal card store look like (ideal for both the shop and the customers) What is necessary? What should be avoided? How would one best incorporate vintage and pre-war elements? There was a good store where I used to live and I think I picked up some good ideas from watching him be successful even during leaner years. But vintage and earlier was not something that was part of what he did. His vintage case had cards all priced at Beckett prices with a sign that said ‘make an offer.” The other stores I’ve been to in recent years have been the same or worse.

The reason I’m thinking of starting a shop are because there aren’t any in my immediate vicinity, i am trying to change careers, and because I may have an opportunity to buy the remaining stock from a guy who had a store a while back.

Or... talk me out of it.

Thanks,
George

[jcmtiger]

Not sure a store in this era would make it. With the internet, ebay, auction houses would be tough sell. I started. Collecting in the 70’s, the era of card shops & card shows. And Scd sports magazine. Also flea markets, antique stores. That is all gone now. I wouldn’t do it. Just my opinion. Joe. I miss them, but not there now.

[G1911]

The only chance of making it is to cater to the largest market segments, which is the invest-in-modern-rookies crowd. As I understand it, getting a significant quantity of product from Topps is exceptionally difficult unless one has been with them for years now, which will be the key to a baseball card shop moving enough product to turn a profit.

I wish an old-school card store was still viable, and I really miss them. But they are almost all gone because it doesn't make cents anymore. If you got money to blow and want to do it just for fun and don't need to turn a profit, that's different, but as a career? I would not.

[egri]

I also don’t think a new brick and mortar store would be a good idea. Is it an option to buy the stock from the guy who used to have a store and sell it online? Might be a way to scratch that itch without the high fixed costs (rent, utilities, security system, etc) that having a physical store entails. And you’d already have connections to potential customers on the BST here.

[Fballguy]

There's a reason all the brick and mortar stores went away and that reason has only gotten more pronounced. If you want to open a store, I'd do it on ebay.

[abothebear]

Good to know about the difficulty in getting product from Topps. That is how the store I mentioned makes most of its money (combined with eBay sales from stuff he gets from opening boxes himself or from purchases from customers). That would a how I figured I’d make the rent, but if I couldn’t get cases from Topps I don’t suppose that would work.

I understand the vintage stuff wouldn’t make any money, or was just curious of better ways of making it at least a part of the life blood of a store.

The shop I keep mentioning had a great weekly consignment board system that kept people coming in twice a week at least, and kept the shop full of new and interesting affordable inventory. If there is an itch that needs scratching, I suppose that is it. I loved that consignment board and how it makes the store alive.

[SD]

Shops that rent areas to trade/ battle are fairly successful in San Diego. My son participates in Magic, Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh. You pay $5 to play.
Post covid, this shop is packed. Literally no sports cards whatsoever and they have lines to get in.
https://tcsrockets.com/

My favorite local sports card shop that's been there since the early 90s has basically transformed into a modern era refractor show room. One section of overpriced vintage. Everything else is shiny and colorful. They do card pack openings where you pay for a card slot. You literally pay to blindly get a card out of an unopened pack. If its a 10 card pack, they will sell 10 slots starting at .50-$5 a slot depending on the pack. I can't hate them for reinventing themselves to the modern market but it's not for me. Nothing like spending a $1 to get a 2021 Topps Wade LeBlanc.


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[Jobu]

There are also a lot of brick and mortar stores that spend their down time putting their listings on Ebay, so this is not a one or the other decision. You have the extra fees to account for on Ebay sales, but if you name your seller account the same thing as your store and put all of the store info very clearly into each listing, you get a lot of free advertising and will get people contacting you directly and stopping in.

One other question is whether there are any card shows still going in the area. Might help you gauge local demand and be a good place to set up to spread the word if you do start a store.

Good luck whatever you choose!

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Jobu

There are also a lot of brick and mortar stores that spend their down time putting their listings on Ebay, so this is not a one or the other decision. You have the extra fees to account for on Ebay sales, but if you name your seller account the same thing as your store and put all of the store info very clearly into each listing, you get a lot of free advertising and will get people contacting you directly and stopping in.

One other question is whether there are any card shows still going in the area. Might help you gauge local demand and be a good place to set up to spread the word if you do start a store.

Good luck whatever you choose!

That's what the local place near me does, lots of online selling. Even before ebay was big. One guy mostly runs the shop, while the other does the online.

They also moved to a bigger place where the kids that play magic and pokemon etc can hang out and play.
They also sell some toys, snacks and new memorabilia, although I don't think the memorabilia is a big part of it. They did comics on the old place.

[Directly]

Vintagetoppsguy, sounds like you have a thriving shop, where is your shop located?

Please keep in mind---nothing matters in the long scheme of things but maybe retirement income--many don't plan to fail, they just fail to plan--so use your brain, not your heart!

If you have other income coming in a shop can be fun--

[buymycards]

I think it can be done. However, you will need a strong presence on eBay and COMC and these 2 items will probably account for a large portion of your sales.
You should have your own website and online store.

The store owners that I know have told me that the thing that keeps them in business is the high number of people coming in the store trying to sell their collections. You have an opportunity to come across some great items from walk in customers, and even buying junk year collections can be profitable if you can get them for a low price.

One thing that I see with card shops and antique stores is that their hours are posted on the door or on their website, yet when I go to the store it will be closed. Make sure you are open when you are supposed to be open, and plan on a lot of 12 hour days and 7 day work weeks.

Good luck. The best advice when I opened a store back in the 90's (not a card shop) was the formula for the amount of money that you will need to open up. The formula is : Figure out how much money you think you will need, then double that amount, and you still won't have enough.

[Huysmans]

Originally Posted by Directly

Vintagetoppsguy, sounds like you have a thriving shop, where is your shop located?

Please keep in mind---nothing matters in the long scheme of things but maybe retirement income--many don't plan to fail, they just fail to plan--so use your brain, not your heart!

If you have other income coming in a shop can be fun--

Did he claim to OWN a shop at any point in his post??
You're able to read and understand... correct?

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Directly

Vintagetoppsguy, sounds like you have a thriving shop, where is your shop located?

I don't have a shop. I don't want a shop. I'm very happy in my current career.

Here's the point that I wanted the OP to take away. If you want to be successful in something, study what other successful people do in that same field. You don't ask people that have no experience.

Let me give you a good example. I was reading an article just this morning that said Ndamukong Suh wants to be an investor once he retires from football. So, what did he do? He shadowed Warren Buffett for several weeks in 2010 and looks at him as a mentor. He wanted to learn and he went to the best. He probably observed a lot and asked a lot of questions. He didn't go to Bernie Madoff for advice - a failed investor (and fraudster).

https://markets.businessinsider.com/...lessons-2021-7

If you were having marital problems and wanted solid advice, would you go to the guy that's been divorced three times or the one that's been married for 50 years?

Anyway, some will get my point, some won't. It is what it is.