I hope you all enjoyed a tremendous Thanksgiving and that it helped you forget about the one you might not have fully enjoyed in 2020. I hosted my wife's family during the inevitable Lions loss and then went over to my brother's house for Thanksgiving part deux. Suffice to say, I wish typing burned more calories than it does. It has been an interesting time at … [Read more...] about What’s Hot: Wading Through the Waiting; Top 5 Selling Boxes
Hobby Shop Talk
Shop Talk: Promotion Drives Black Friday Hobby Shop Traffic
Tony Reid offers his weekly dose of happenings inside Sports Zone, the Central Pennsylvania shop where he works. ----- This week was spent, for the most part, gearing up for our big Black Friday event.My good buddy and the owner of Stone State Entertainment, Mr. Chad Evans came by the shop recently and created a great commercial for us in the lead up to this holiday season. … [Read more...] about Shop Talk: Promotion Drives Black Friday Hobby Shop Traffic
Tony Reid: Thankful for My Lifelong Journey in Sports Cards
I have collected sports cards from as early as I can remember. I vividly remember walking to Collector’s Haven, the only card shop in my hometown of Northumberland, Pennsylvania. It was owned and operated by a man named Kirk McGaw, or at least that was what all the kids in town thought his name was for some reason. It was a dusty corner store that offered boxes and packs and if … [Read more...] about Tony Reid: Thankful for My Lifelong Journey in Sports Cards
Shop Talk: Managing Moss Expectations, Early Holiday Spirit
Black Friday and the holiday shopping weekend is almost here and last week was the first week where we really saw a noticeable uptick in online orders and in store traffic ahead of the holidays. We've seen many familiar faces and also many that we haven't seen before. This isn't the first time it's happened and I'm sure it won't be the last but mid week we … [Read more...] about Shop Talk: Managing Moss Expectations, Early Holiday Spirit
Shop Talk: Monday Night Football, Tuesday Morning Shipping
Last week got off to an exciting start but it had very little to do with being at the store.After going in and shipping a weekend's worth of orders Monday bright and early morning, I left work at lunch time, picked up my wife and headed to Pittsburgh for the Monday Night Football game between the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers and my Chicago Bears. We made it to Heinz Field … [Read more...] about Shop Talk: Monday Night Football, Tuesday Morning Shipping
Shop Talk: Adding Icons to the Inventory, Hotlanta Braves Items, Wrasslin’ Sells
Tony Reid offers his weekly dose of happenings inside Sports Zone, the Central Pennsylvania shop where he works. Last week was another busy one, with the lead up to the holiday season, a topic you'll probably be hearing me touch on in every piece until about mid-January. It's becoming harder and harder to find time for Shop Talk pieces. I'm kidding, of course. I will … [Read more...] about Shop Talk: Adding Icons to the Inventory, Hotlanta Braves Items, Wrasslin’ Sells
Shop Talk: Talking Shop and Developing Bonds Through Sports, Cards
I'm pretty sure I heard Jeff before I saw him the first time he and his wife Harriet came in to the card shop.When I walked out to meet the couple for the first time, I sure as heck didn't know what to think either. With Jeff being a little loud and Harriet being a bit of a fast talker, I wasn't sure what I was in for or how long I was in for it.Jeff is a huge Dallas Cowboys … [Read more...] about Shop Talk: Talking Shop and Developing Bonds Through Sports, Cards
What’s Hot: Appetite for Boxes, Hot Players Still Hearty
As always it is an interesting time to own a card shop. In between either answering questions from collectors who are wondering what will eventually happen when Fanatics becomes more involved with the sports card community OR being “told” what will happen, it is still pretty insane at my shop these days. Pretty much from when the door pops to when things shut down for … [Read more...] about What’s Hot: Appetite for Boxes, Hot Players Still Hearty
Shop Talk: Prepping for Holiday Season, Sales Leaders, Football Restocks
Tony Reid offers his weekly dose of happenings inside Sports Zone, the Central Pennsylvania shop where he works. Day after day and week after week, we can feel the holiday season approaching. Our back room continues to fill up more each day, getting closer and closer to its breaking point. Concerns about the potential that we might not get enough product come holiday season … [Read more...] about Shop Talk: Prepping for Holiday Season, Sales Leaders, Football Restocks
Shop Talk: Vacations, Deliveries and New Releases
Tony Reid offers his weekly dose of happenings inside Sports Zone, the Central Pennsylvania shop where he works. Last week meant rallying the troops to pitch in. The owner of the shop was away on vacation and for the most part, I had ample amount of help over the course of the week. Our longtime associate Zach comes in to help me out for two or three hours each … [Read more...] about Shop Talk: Vacations, Deliveries and New Releases