The Further Decline of Brick & Mortar...

[jimm]

Excellent post, wonder how many of us bowed out early 90s to return in the last few years, thought I was but a few.

[JollyElm]

"You could take a picture of his vintage counters, and two years later be assured they are still there."

This statement says it all to me. A card shop is a business, so they have to move inventory to garner revenue. Problem is, many (most?) of these proprietors treat their inventory the way we collectors do. They see such a far reaching perceived value in their cards and not what is a reasonable, true value...and therefore the cards sit there way overpriced, forlorn and forgotten.

And when it comes to how these folks treat their customers, you nailed it. If someone treats me rudely in any way, it's see ya later, never to return. Yesterday I was in a shop with a terrifically nice, engaging owner who was a ray of sunshine, asking my girlfriend about her Mini Cooper and just being exceptionally friendly. Unfortunately, he didn't have but a small box of vintage cards (nothing that I could use), but his attitude made it perfectly clear. If I want to buy newer cards, undoubtedly I'll make tracks for his place.

[KCRfan1]

I too returned to the hobby a couple of years ago. I had a favorite card shop and could find very nice cards of any decade. He also had cool unique sports items too, one of which comes to mind was a Trans-O-Gram set of the players. Wife and I moved to SoCal and ten years later we are back in KC only for me to find my beloved shop's inventory was sold and the guy retired. Sadly, I do not have much in the area to choose from and from what I HAVE found in the local shops I am happy to shop online.

I am curious if any of you think our card hobby ( and one of my life's pleasures ) is slowly dying. I am near 50, and I do not find much interest in baseball cards from kids. I realize there are too many card companies and the cards are too much in price. Society makes it hard for a kid to be a kid, and EVERYONE is so busy with life. Video games, Social Media, ect all take time and money. I find it sad that the fun I had as a kid, and now as an adult, appears to be enjoyed only by my generation or older. Am I wrong in my accessment? Perhaps it's just the ebb and flow of the tide and the circle of life. I love going to the mail box and opening my cards just like I used to love opening a wax pack when I was 10 years old. This is such a great memory and feeling to have and I feel younger generations have / are missing out.

I'm going to play Sinatra on my Hi-Fi now.......

[hangman62]

John O,
great storys......... so very true...and here on east coast..you could write the same thing

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by KCRfan1

I'm going to play Sinatra on my Hi-Fi now.......

great taste in music!!!!

[Leon]

Nice post and thread John. I took the liberty of moving it to the forum front page so more folks could see it. We have one decent card shop within an hour of where I live but even he has limited vintage. I haven't been there in probably a half a year or more. The internet, for all it's good and bad, casts a wide net.

[jimm]

Pet peeve of mine (and most everyone I imagine) is walking into a store looking around for several minutes, all the while the shop worker (or owner) has their head buried in a cell phone, no look up, no nod hello, nothing. Good gosh what a way to greet the public!!

[Rich Klein]

the one nearest us does not have much in vintage but he is a decent enough person and there is another store Nick's at Campbell and Coit who usually has a nice selection of older singles (usually a tad off condition) at ebay competitive prices. He even occassionally has some pre-war as well

Rich

[varsitycollectibles]

Originally Posted by Leon

Nice post and thread John. I took the liberty of moving it to the forum front page so more folks could see it. We have one decent card shop within an hour of where I live but even he has limited vintage. I haven't been there in probably a half a year or more. The internet, for all it's good and bad, casts a wide net.

If you don't mind me asking, is Nick's your shop of choice in the Dallas area?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by varsitycollectibles

If you don't mind me asking, is Nick's your shop of choice in the Dallas area?

Yes,That is the only one I am familiar with since the JW's? over in Addison closed (or does something different now)....I think Rich knows of another small one in Frisco that he used to do a little work at. But Nick's is the only one I know of now.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by Leon

Nice post and thread John. I took the liberty of moving it to the forum front page so more folks could see it. We have one decent card shop within an hour of where I live but even he has limited vintage. I haven't been there in probably a half a year or more. The internet, for all it's good and bad, casts a wide net.

+++1. It used to be that if you were seeking a really rare item, you might have to attend all the nationals plus tons of regionals to find the card, and even so, the task might take years of effort. Now, no matter how rare, it will eventually appear either on ebay or through one of the auction houses (which have grown so tremendously in the past decade plus) if you simply have the patience to wait.

Best to all,

Larry

[K-Nole]

Count me in as one of those that stopped in the 90's. 93 to be exact.
I returned in 2011, so I am just getting back in.
So what I am doing with my son, who is the reason I am back in the hobby, is putting sets together along with filling the 1994-2010 void of complete sets.

I live in Topeka, Ks.
We have 2 card stores, with one of those being one of the aforementioned, gamers store too.
The owners of both stores are extremely nice. However, neither has much vintage stuff, so i just buy my supplies from them. But again, both very kind.
What I have found, and you might check your local one, is that actually, the best place for vintage cards is actually, "Vintage Stock" here in Topeka.
They have a HUGE selection of 58 Baseball, a lot of other 50's stuff. HUNDREDS of 60's stuff and again 70's.
and all are priced at, or right around what you would pay on EBAY/Net.
So you might check that if you have one near you.

Another story thou. I vacation in Tampa, Fl. once a year. There is a store off of Indian Rocks Blvd and Walshingham Rd. I visited/found him this last vacation. He had a LOT of great vintage stuff. He was average on his kindness, not rude, but not overly pleasant either, just normal.
His prices were about $4-$5 over what EBAY/Net are, but I went ahead and paid it just to keep an old time dealer going. I felt it was my duty to over pay a bit just to keep a good old dealer happy. I got a nice 71 Carew, and a really good 61 & 65 Killebrew, all 3 for around $30 if i remember right.
So if you are around Tampa, Fl. go by and check him out.

[BruceinGa]

Originally Posted by K-Nole

So if you are around Tampa, Fl. go by and check him out.

We were in Tampa about a year ago and I tried to find a card shop. I used our gps and it lead us to a dead end.
I'll look a little harder next time, thanks.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by jimm

Excellent post, wonder how many of us bowed out early 90s to return in the last few years, thought I was but a few.

I was definitely one. I got tired of the mass produced crap that was all over the hobby. I returned two years ago, and found that at least there were some product lines I liked (I am a huge fan of the Bowman Chrome prospect autographs, as John referenced). And for the last year and a half, I have purchased those heavily, trying to get "caught up" on the years I'd missed.

But it's still vintage that tugs at my heart strings, and I am now getting to the point where I can start buying the cards I want. I only wish I'd started about a year earlier, because when I was working, I was making more than twice what I am now on disability, and I could have bought anything I wanted. Now, I have to pick and choose, and build my collection slowly.

But I'm in no rush, really. I'm going to enjoy this. There's something about getting one or two great cards a month, and really cherishing them.

[the 'stache]

Oh, and John, I have a lcs here in Grapevine that I really like. SMP sports cards. The owner is knowledgeable and friendly. Unfortunately, it's been about 14 months since I've been able to drop bye after my knee surgery.

I will go there and buy boxes, and the occasional single. And he appreciates when I frequent his shop. That creates customer loyalty in a big way.