I wanted to start things off with my thoughts that I shared with my collectors on social media right after Kobe Bryant had passed. It gives you some insight to what it is like to own a card store at the time when there is no official right or wrong answer and making the wrong move can have long-lasting effects. Sure there is the usual hot list to follow, but since … [Read more...]
2019 Mikey Awards: Hot Stuff, Cool Stuff, Weird Stuff, Good Stuff
Hello fellow card maniacs, We survived another year in the hobby and man was it one to remember. We experienced Acunamania, Lukamania, Lamarmania and sadly the absence of any real hockeymania, but the NHL season isn't over yet fortunately. We also experienced Zionmania, but perhaps he should play a regular season game before we start voting him into the … [Read more...]
Box Bonanza: Prizm Basketball Heads the Hot List
Hello, fellow card maniacs! Welcome to the December installment of What's Hot In The Shop, at least one particular shop in Colorado. Mine to be specific :) Looking back at November, we enjoyed a trifecta of manufacturer support programs like Upper Deck Singles Day, the Topps Holiday Pack giveaway and Panini's Black Friday. Most recently, shops enjoyed National Hobby Shop … [Read more...]
What’s Hot: Panini Black Friday is Back
Some collectors will be doing their Black Friday sports card shopping online but for collectors lucky enough to have a card shop nearby, it's a weekend to mark on your calendar. 2019 Panini Black Friday is here and live (unless your city got 14" of snow from Monday night until Tuesday and you're still waiting for your packs to arrive like one certain card shop owner and … [Read more...]
What’s Hot: The Cup Runneth Over
Hello fellow card peeps, I'm somewhere near 36,000 feet paying $8 for Southwest Airlines wifi to allow me to cook up this hot list as I return from sunny Miami where it was warm, but not hot. I went there for my cousin's wedding and the hitching fortunately went off without a hitch. We're entering an interesting time of the year in hobby shops, with baseball just … [Read more...]
What’s Hot: When Seasons Mix, it’s a Sports Card Buffet
Hello fellow card maniacs, Welcome to my monthly share of what products are rocking at Colorado's Best Card Shop. Along with nearly 100 other hobby shop owners, I recently attended the 2019 Industry Summit in Las Vegas. Also on hand were league and player representatives, manufacturers like Leaf, Panini, Tristar and Ultra Pro along with other hobby movers and … [Read more...]
What’s Hot: Top 5 Sellers and a Post-National High
Hello fellow card maniacs! The last edition of What’s Hot was a video version we shot a month ago at the National. I've had a month to recover from the show and we're quickly approaching the Industry Summit in Las Vegas this September. Man, I'm glad my wife lets me go to all these cool hobby events. For those of you who did not see my video testimonial from … [Read more...]
What’s Hot, NSCC Edition: Top Selling Sports Card Boxes
It's been an active stretch of new releases in recent days. Collectors are seeing some additional 2019 football boxes, some draft-oriented issues and a couple of old favorites hit the market. We've got look at the top 5 hottest selling boxes with Mike Fruitman of Mike's Stadium Sports Cards, who left the shop and jetted into the National Sports Collectors Convention in … [Read more...]
What’s Hot: Catering to a New Generation of Collectors
So it's been an interesting time at the shop (when is it not?) with new products arriving, nice collections coming in, finding restocks whenever possible and signing up 100 younger collectors into my new Kid's Club in about a month’s time. You may have heard “kids aren’t interested in collecting anymore.” I beg to differ. Starting in May, we invited kids to sign up for … [Read more...]
What’s Hot: Overworked Shop Owner Stops Thief, Offers Top 5 Hottest Boxes
So I'm sitting here at 12:56 AM starting to put together my weekly (cough cough), fine...monthly What's Hot piece wishing I could do it more regularly, but grateful that my editor only kicks me in my backside occasionally because plain and simple, time is not on my side. I wish I had more of it, but realize that if I could just buy more time, I would probably just use it … [Read more...]