How many card shops have become just like this......

[ScottFandango]

Originally Posted by queencitysportscards

I think there are a lot of factors on what defines a successful card shop. Yes, there are certainly less of them today then 5-10 years ago and the business has changed with online sales with less retail sales, but there are still plenty of thriving card shops.

I opened my shop recently and quite frankly, am really surprised at the traffic we are already getting. As of late, it's been really busy. People like the local card shop for many reasons, but also the human aspect of it...to interact with other collectors to talk about sports / collecting, selling and trading cards and just shooting the stuff. Its a nice place to get away for awhile. That's where the online market misses the mark...the stories, friendships & memories you establish at the "old card shop."

For us, it's our business and we are focusing on upcoming auctions and online sales, however, we opened to provide a nice place for collectors young and old to talk about the hobby and to build relationships with other collectors just like us...that's what makes it fun...and if you keep up with the hobby enough and adapt, you can make it a successful business too.

Happy Collecting!

Good,luck to you....you are so rigght about the relationship aspect...my local card shop was always busy...he did a lot of giveaways...if you spent 20$ you got a ticket...on Sunday they would do a raffle with the tickets and give stuff away...there was standing room only on Sunday's!
Guy sold the store at its peak and the new guy ran it into the ground..this was only in 2004

[martyogelvie]

i visit a card shop maybe once a year... There is only one shop close to me and they don't focus on baseball cards as much as they do other sports trinkets. Hard to blame them, got to stay in business somehow.

[dabigyankeeman]

No good card stores around here at all. One good one closed up to sell on the internet only not too long ago. Nowhere to go anymore, just one decent show a month.

Cant believe the National is only 15% baseball cards? Geez!! Thats all i am buying now. I was intending to go up to Cleveland next year as i can visit a close friend who lives there, not sure about the show now if its so weak on baseball cards. Last show i went to was Dallas around 1990, boy, that was almost all baseball cards!

[insccollectibles]

My local card shop seems to be thriving. They have a great inventory of vintage cards and have been on ebay for a very long time. Online sales are critical to maintain in today's card market.

[Julz24]

I only have 1 shop that's near me at the moment and it's surprising to me how he stays in business. He almost never has new inventory and the cards behind the glass never get changed out. In the few times I've been there, I was the only customer.

The guy doesn't sell on Ebay either so its kind of a mystery how he pays the bills??

[quinnsryche]

Originally Posted by Julz24

I only have 1 shop that's near me at the moment and it's surprising to me how he stays in business. He almost never has new inventory and the cards behind the glass never get changed out. In the few times I've been there, I was the only customer.

The guy doesn't sell on Ebay either so its kind of a mystery how he pays the bills??

This is EXACTLY what I could have wrote about the 1 store in the Nashville area.
Not such an uncommon occurence I guess.

[bbcard1]

Originally Posted by quinnsryche

This is EXACTLY what I could have wrote about the 1 store in the Nashville area.
Not such an uncommon occurence I guess.

I think I went there! Excellent selection for about 1992...but it was 2012. Went pretty far out of my way and left without finding anything I could possibly consider purchasing.