ot - card store

[Econteachert205]

Growing up in northern Rhode Island there were 4 shops I frequented as a kid 6-15 all of which are no longer there. Two were in Pascoag, one run by a nice guy named Dan who used to have me make grab bags in the back room and who wasn't the most business savvy guy. I ended up buying out his entire 80s commons inventory for 100 dollars when I was 9 or so and he went out of business. Lots of 84 donruss that helped me turn a small profit at the time. The next shop that replaced his sold video games and non sport, was not a trustworthy place but friendly enough and had mostly new stuff. The two in Woonsocket were much better. One was run by a guy named Don who had a great business sense and was very friendly. He retired off cards and moved to Florida I think, very successful. The other was Joe 's moldy oldies , a record store mostly with cards. It was run by a great old time dj who was very fair with prices. The formula for success in the bigger shop in Woonsocket was a pleasant knowledgable owner with solid inventory and competitive though not low prices in a fairly busy location.

[bravesfan22]

Baseball card exchange in Indianapolis is a great card shop. Mostly modern but has some vintage as well. The owner is very nice guy and is ways helpful.
As far as making the card shop work they do case and box breaks every week, most his customers are into modern cards. He sends out emails about the breaks and card shows and any other info that may be important to his customers. Overall he runs it very well. From the stories on here and what I've seen, if the owner/workers are nice, helpful and genuinely interested in the hobby it's got a chance to survive. You got to go with the times though ie: box/case breaks, magic cards etc. I live about an hour from indy and if that shop was within a half hour Id probably go once a week or so.

I've always wanted to open up a store but the general overhead and start up costs have scared me away. Sure we all can talk on here about cards and buy cards off ebay and through auction houses but sometimes it's nice to sit down with people in person and talk about your cards or current things going on on the hobby. To me that's the best part about cards shops.

[paulcarek]

There are a couple of card shops near where I live (Marin County, California) that sell vintage, but they don't seem to get much new material. I like to stop in once in a while to chat with the owners and pick up supplies.

Near where I work, though (Silicon Valley), is one of the best vintage shops I've ever seen -- Stevens Creek Sports Cards. They're a big eBay seller, too. They're constantly adding inventory, and I stop in every couple of weeks.

Beverly Hills Sports Cards is also great. Whenever I'm in LA for work, I try to make time for a visit.

[EvilKing00]

Never walking into one yet, but if i did id like to see old cards, old advertising sports related, tobacco cards and advertising, old tobacco boxes and stuff. Also old collectables, like tvs, radios from the 30s to 50s, old typewriters, gum or nut machines, maybe an old gas pump, coke signs etc, etc. i can add more but too much to list

[callou2131]

I think one thing killing shops is wax. Look at 2014 Topps chrome football. It was selling pre order for $800 retail. It is now about $520 retail in just one week. That is less than wholesale. If you are a small shop, you cant take too many hits like that. The price of a lot of wax falls days after its release. People realize how massively overproduced things are compared to their numbers. Topps chrome production went up a ton this year. Only do preorder cases prepaid. You can lose your butt quickly otherwise.

[slipk1068]

V&M Sports Cards
5419 Merrick Road
Massapequa, NY 11758

Stopped in yesterday. Two guys running it. Mike was there when I visited. He is more knowledgeable about modern. His partner is more the vintage guy. They had some vintage which is always cool. Not a lot of material, but it looks like they are just getting set up and the other owner usually takes the higher priced stuff home with him when he leaves. Prices seemed high but as Mike explained, they are negotiable. I looked through maybe 15-20 T206 commons and almost bought a mid/low grade T202 because the price was fair. Saw some Bowmans including a mid grade 52 Mantle, Topps from the 50-70's, Gerald Ford and some other autos. We talked cards for an hour or so and I picked up fourteen 1959 commons for my set.

Again, they are just getting set up, so hard to gauge what type of material they will have, but it is what I expect in a card shop. Vintage, a place to stop by a couple times a month, maybe pick up a few things, and talk cards with friendly people. I will definitely check it out again in a few weeks after they are all set up.

I told Mike about net54, so maybe he will sign up and can contribute more information about his shop.

[EvilKing00]

Originally Posted by slipk1068

V&M Sports Cards
5419 Merrick Road
Massapequa, NY 11758

Stopped in yesterday. Two guys running it. Mike was there when I visited. He is more knowledgeable about modern. His partner is more the vintage guy. They had some vintage which is always cool. Not a lot of material, but it looks like they are just getting set up and the other owner usually takes the higher priced stuff home with him when he leaves. Prices seemed high but as Mike explained, they are negotiable. I looked through maybe 15-20 T206 commons and almost bought a mid/low grade T202 because the price was fair. Saw some Bowmans including a mid grade 52 Mantle, Topps from the 50-70's, Gerald Ford and some other autos. We talked cards for an hour or so and I picked up fourteen 1959 commons for my set.

Again, they are just getting set up, so hard to gauge what type of material they will have, but it is what I expect in a card shop. Vintage, a place to stop by a couple times a month, maybe pick up a few things, and talk cards with friendly people. I will definitely check it out again in a few weeks after they are all set up.

I told Mike about net54, so maybe he will sign up and can contribute more information about his shop.

Good to know! Like i said its like a block away from me, ill have to drop by! You see any t205s? Or ruth stuff?

[slipk1068]

Originally Posted by EvilKing00

Good to know! Like i said its like a block away from me, ill have to drop by! You see any t205s? Or ruth stuff?

Nothing like that, but they seemed to be still setting up and getting organized.