In-store business was still going full force this week in the lead up to the Easter holiday. We sell RC cars and parts from Traxxas, Horizon and other lines. We had a banner week this week for such items. The area is completely out of my personal wheelhouse but the owner is big into it and is incredibly knowledgeable, so it works out.If you're involved in sports cards at all, … [Read more...]
What’s Hot: The Shop Sets a Monthly Mark (Again); Top 5 Sellers
Once again I find myself at the keyboard after a Nuggets win. Aaron Gordon played his first game for Denver and we looked pretty solid. Even Bol Bol got some run time after not seeing the court for some time. I'm probably getting ahead of myself here, but this team might be close to as good as it was last year and this year there are real home court advantages … [Read more...]
Shop Talk: Local Card Show Quietly Thriving, MLB Opening Day and NBA Alphabet Soup
it was a great week for shiny new cardboard as there were countless new releases hitting shelves during the last full week of March and plenty of activity both in the shop--and at a nearby show.I am personally eagerly awaiting Major League Baseball Opening Day this coming week. Thursday can't get here soon enough. With that in mind, we saw 2021 Topps Opening Day cards arrive at … [Read more...]
Shop Talk: Vacations, Basketball Busy and Bear Clawed Babe
Spring break arrived here in central PA last week and with the shop's owner on a vacation to the Outer Banks, I was left in charge. I had help from our buddy Zach for a few hours each morning, which definitely made the week more bearable. He assists in shipping the sometimes ungodly amount of orders we have on a daily basis. His help is always much appreciated. Beyond that, I … [Read more...]
Shop Talk: NBA All-Star Sales and Marveling at Marvel
Tony Reid’s weekly Shop Talk segment focuses on the goings-on at the hobby shop he helps manage in Central PA. On the heels of an entertaining All-Star game, we saw a nice, steady stream of new basketball products hitting our shelves.First up was 2020-21 Revolution. It made it's debut this past week and has showed solid sales out of the gate. The eight packs per box offer four … [Read more...]
Shop Talk: Red Hot Releases and Road Trip Interviews
Tony Reid’s weekly Shop Talk segment focuses on the goings-on at the hobby shop he helps manage in Central PA. After some tough late winter days, the weather definitely broke a bit last week with the sun making it look a lot more like spring. Inside, it continues to rain sports cards. The basketball products continue to fly out of here as soon as they are dropped … [Read more...]
Shop Talk: Retail Rules and Baseball Box Busts
Last week reminded us that despite the start of spring training, winter is still here. We had the perfect Pennsylvania mix- freezing temperatures, winds, snow, sleet and all that fun stuff early in the week. Hey, it's central Pennsylvania in February. You have to expect that kind of thing. None of the nastiness outside slowed our in store sales and it had no bearing, of … [Read more...]
What’s Hot: Traditional, Non-Traditional and To-Do Lists
I'm coming to you live from Ball Arena where the Nuggets just dispatched the Portland Trail Blazers and I'm waiting for my son Sam, who is a locker room attendant (formerly known as a ball kid) to get off work. I'm taking advantage of this available time since it is about all the time a shop owner has these days. Granted, I could be complaining about things having gone … [Read more...]
Shop Talk: A Big Week for Sports and Non-Sports Sales
Tony Reid’s weekly Shop Talk segment focuses on the goings-on at the hobby shop he helps manage in Central PA. For a sports fan like me, a good portion of this week's Shop Talk theme is out of my wheel house. In the shop, last week's trends early on were quite the opposite. It wasn't all about home runs, slam dunks and touchdowns, it was more about revving engines, … [Read more...]
Shop Talk: Supply and Demand Remains a Challenge for Hobby Shops
Tony Reid’s weekly Shop Talk segment focuses on the goings-on at the hobby shop he helps manage in Central PA. ------- In recent installments of Shop Talk I have touched, albeit very briefly, on the constant, ongoing battle of supply and demand from the card shop's perspective.Well, that all changes this week as that has become my focus of this latest installment in our … [Read more...]