Sports card collectors are fans of watching sporting events, too. So, why not combine the two into a single experience? What could be better than busting open a box of cards while having a meal and watching sports on the big screen?
That idea has come to fruition in Virginia’s capital city.
A trio of businessmen in Richmond opened Parlay at Graybo’s, a new sports bar and card shop in the city’s historic Scott’s Addition neighborhood, an entertainment mecca filled with bars and restaurants.
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The grand opening for the club was May 18, which included sports card breaks, live music, food, drink and a viewing of the Preakness Stakes. Parlay at Graybo’s scheduled an “official” grand opening on Friday, May 24.
The two businesses moved into the area once occupied by the Circuit Arcade Bar at 3117 W. Leigh Street.
The “elevated sports bar” will be located next door to Graybo’s, connected by a breezeway and a small putting green, according to RVAHub.com.
Developer Duke Dodson teamed with Ryan Fitz and his brother-in-law, Gray “Graybo” Burnette, to open Graybo’s Sports Cards on W. Grace Street in January 2023.
Dodson, born in 1979, said he began collecting cards with his friends around 1987.
“It was my favorite thing to do from 1987 to 1992,” he told Sports Card Investor in 2023. “I fell out of the hobby around middle school/high school.
“We fell back in love with it in late 2021.”
Dodson earned a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from Randolph-Macon College in 2002 and his master’s degree in finance three years later from Virginia Commonwealth University. He started the Dodson Companies in 2007 and has been involved in real estate in the Richmond area.
Burnette, a history buff, was a former middle school teacher and basketball coach in the Henrico County Public Schools district but left the education system after schools went live after the COVID-19 pandemic had subsided.
“After coming back from COVID, the education system was fractured,” Burnette told Richmond Magazine in October 2023. “During virtual school, teachers got mentally drained trying to figure out a whole new online system, and kids were turning off their cameras and playing video games.”
Fitz worked in property management and had been working for a tech firm in customer integration.
Opening a sports card shop seemed much more appealing to all three.
Dodson, along with Burnette and Fitz, believed that the sports card industry was making a comeback.
“We were all collectors as kids. We saw that the industry was having a resurgence,” Dodson told the Richmond Times-Dispatch in an interview this week. “A lot of people our age are getting back into it.”
Then they came up with an interesting idea.
“We thought: What is the card shop experience we would want now as adults? We all had experiences at sports card shops as kids. Some were good, some were bad,” Dodson told the Times-Dispatch. “We wanted a place where you could watch sports or bring your friends for a fantasy football draft or your kids could have a birthday party.”
The men expanded the sports card shop online, setting up an eBay store. They have a weekly podcast and do online breaks on Fanatics Live.
The original sports card store was a modest 500-square-foot enclosure. Now, it’s been expanded to 2,200 square feet. The new location in Scott’s Addition, plus its proximity to the sports bar, will certainly increase foot traffic into the store. The sports bar covers 3,300 square feet, according to Richmond BizSense.
“Richmond has an active and growing group of collectible hobbyists,” Fitz told the Times-Dispatch. “Whether it’s people just getting into the hobby, seasoned collectors, breakers, flippers, or investors, there is a place for everyone. We’re excited to see continued growth in Richmond and beyond.”
The Circuit closed in late 2023 after six years. Dodson paid $4 million for the property a few months before it went out of business, according to Richmond BizSense.
Parlay at Graybo’s will allow collectors to watch box breaks on a screen, while enjoying food and drink at the sports bar.
“Combining a sports card shop with a sports bar, where customers can opt-in to live breaks going on next door and watch them throughout the restaurant is something you don’t see anywhere else,” Burnette told RVAHub.com. “Customers will get that electric, gameday feel no matter which side of the building they’re in.”
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