• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on eBay
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched CSG,CGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Ronald Acuna Jr. Cards
      • Shohei Ohtani Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Nikola Jokic Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2021-22 NHL Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Rich Klein's Ramblings / Retirement Vision Becomes Reality for Twin Cities Sports Cards

Retirement Vision Becomes Reality for Twin Cities Sports Cards

January 6, 2015 By Rich Klein

There are a lot of shop owners out there with interesting stories to tell. I have been trading email with Rob Hunegs of Minnesota who recently opened Rich Ramblings 2014up a store as a retirement venture.   Twin Cities Sports Cards is located in the suburb of Golden Valley.

He gladly consented to answer some questions and we’re always happy to have a Q&A with store owners and show dealers with an interesting story or two inside Rich’s Ramblings.

When did you start collecting, Rob?

RH:  When I was approximately eight years old I was introduced to baseball cards by the kids in neighborhood. Minnesota did not have its own major league baseball team at that time and so I became a fan of the Minneapolis Millers, a AAA team.  I also followed the St. Paul Saints, another AAA team.  Like most kids at that time I spent my nickel for a pack of baseball cards at the local drugstore. 

Life intervened and college and early married life put the hobby on hold for me. It was when my son became old enough to get interested in the hobby, that I brought up my old collection to show it to him and things just took off from there for me and how I remembered how much I loved working with the cards.  As my wife will tell you, once I get a passion about something I have a tendency to go full speed ahead. Ultimately, I built my collection to include complete sets from 1948 through 1955 Bowman, and complete sets from 1952 Topps through 1987 Topps. My 1952 set included all the high numbers.

Now that’s a nice collection indeed and to finish any 1952 Topps set in any condition is an accomplishment.  And by the way, among those to have played for the Minneapolis Millers are three great HOF outfielders: Ted Williams, Willie Mays and Carl Yastrzemski. Wouldn’t it be great to say you saw players like these before they became famous?).

Twin Cities Sports CardsWhy did you decide to open up a card shop after retirement?

RH:  I had been participating in our local Twin Cities Sports Card Club shows for number of years, I would go primarily to get reconnected with the hobby and I met a lot of great people there. Throughout that time I always felt that there needed to be a vintage brick and mortar card shop in Minneapolis and our area was missing that type of store. 

My wife and I used to drive around and whenever we saw a for rent sign in a strip mall we would stop and look in the windows and I would imagine what it would be like to have a baseball card shop there. Finally after being retired for about a year I found the right location and best of all it was only five minutes from our home.

What have been the biggest challenges and surprises since you opened up your doors?

RH:  I’ve been pretty good with email for a number of years. But the thing that was the most difficult for me was working with the social media and technology aspects that are required to run the business today. Finding somebody who could convey my ideas that I wanted to express on the web site was really hard. Setting up a Facebook page didn’t come naturally to me either.  I had to rely on friends and family who were much more knowledgeable about all of this then I am. In my previous business, I really didn’t have a need to use social media and the various firms I represented ran their own web sites independently.

Has anything surprised you about this business?

Memorabilia Twin Cities Sports CardsRH:  When my partner and I open the store, we anticipated that supplies for the hobby would be a large part of our sales. We worked with vendors to get our hobby supply inventory very deep as we wanted to have different supplies that people might not be able to find anywhere else. I think the thing that surprised us the most is how strong our vintage card and memorabilia sales have been and that although it has been good, supplies haven’t been as big of a seller that we thought they were going to be. 

The other item that surprises me is this popular card game called Magic and the number of people who came in and asked if we sold Magic cards. Luckily for us we have a comic shop about 2 miles from our store and we actually do a very good job referring business back-and-forth to each other.

What is the nicest item or collection you have seen since you opened?

RH:  I have truly been surprised by the number of nice buys that have walked into the store. I was hoping that would be the case but you’re never really sure until it starts happening and I’ve had really good luck in that regard. A very nice gentleman came in with a set of golf clubs that were approximately 60 years old. Wooden handles you know, an interesting piece but not something I really wanted to purchase, but I’m in business and he was nice enough to bring these in and offer them to me for sale and so I purchased them. Those golf clubs are still sitting in my store, but within 30 days of my purchase of those golf clubs this the same gentleman started bringing in his baseball card collection which included which included complete sets of 1959 Topps,1959 FleerTed Williams, 1964 Topps, 1964 Stand Ups, 1964 Topps Coins and much more…not a bad buy starting out with a set of golf clubs I really didn’t even want to purchase.

I have also purchased complete sets of 1948 Bowman 1956 Topps, 1954 Topps, 1958 1960 1963 1968 and ‘69 sets. I have also purchased partial sets of 1933 Goudeys and 1952 Topps, to name a few.

What are some of the promotions you have done to get people into your store?

RH:  At different shows that I set up at I handed out coupons good for $5 off any $25 or more purchase in the store. Within the store I also handed out the same coupon to people who had made purchases to entice them to return.

I also partnered with my bank and set up a display with in the bank to promote our card store.

Tell me about your family.  Have they helped you?

RH:  All of my family has been so supportive and helpful to me in getting this business off the ground. My wife, my two children and my three grandchildren. Families been a huge help, my son help me find the website designer because I had no idea how to go about that. Everyone has offered good advice and thoughts around the website and the Facebook page, As well as the layout and merchandising of the items in the store.

Is there anyone else involved in the business?

RH:  I do have a partner in this venture. I developed a friendship over the years with another vendor from those club shows that I went to. He focuses on selling memorabilia where as I specialize in vintage cards. As I talked about this bricks and mortar store over the years, he thought it sounded like a good idea so when the time came we put our two inventories together and have a incredibly well-rounded store to offer buyers.  We have significant vintage sports cards and also interesting memorabilia to offer for sale, including a huge collection of bobble heads, programs, tickets, game used bats and autographed baseballs.
 

Thanks to Rob for sharing his story with us.  If you’re a collector, especially one who appreciates the hobby as a whole, it sounds like a great place to visit and collectors are lucky to have Rob’s store in the Twin Cities.  If you’re in the area, his hours are:

Monday – Wednesday 12-6

Thursday 12-7

Friday 12-6

Saturday 10-5

Sunday Closed 

You can find him on the web here and on Facebook here.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

Notes: Curry, Durant Playoff Jerseys Bring Bring $; Fan to Give Pujols Milestone Ball; Hobby Shop Video Notes: Durant’s MVP Warm Up Brings Big Bucks; Tobacco Pack Break; 1 Shop Opens, Another Closes Notes: Small Town Shop Thrives; Charity Shows Draw Collectors; RR Auction TV Segment 10 Tips for Running a Good Sports Card Shop sports card shop trade nightShop Owners: How To Save A Buck… Or $2,000 Topps 2015 hobby boxEditor’s Blog: Recent Newspaper, Magazine, TV Coverage for the Hobby Lower Level Mike BergmannRamblings: Shop Owner Prefers to Concentrate on Brick-and-Mortar Business Chicago Area Shop Owner Expands

Filed Under: Rich Klein's Ramblings Tagged With: baseball card shops, Minnesota, shop owners, sports card business, sports card shops, sports card stores

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

Shop Sports Cards on Ebay
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card eBay Auctions
  • PWCC Premier Auction
  • PWCC Fixed Price Marketplace
  • Graded Rookie Cards on eBay opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos on eBay opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window
  • Buy Boxes Directly from Topps opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • REA Midwest Consignment Trip – Consign Today
  • MEARS Auction of Memorabilia and More Ends October 7, 2023
  • 2023 Auction Schedule

Footer

Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Featured Articles
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window