One of the world's biggest and oldest sports card shops is located in a city of barely 12,000 people. It's not in the geographic middle of the country but you can almost see the center from there. Located about 100 miles northeast of St. Louis, Baseball Card Connection calls Effingham, IL home, and has for over 30 years. The business owned by the husband and wife team of Jon … [Read more...] about Card Shop Q&A: Baseball Card Connection Thrives in Small Town Middle America
baseball card shop
Bel Air Cards Brings Sports Bar Concept to National Convention
Bel Air Sports Cards in Bel Air, Md. has successfully combined the sports bar and card shop concept at home in Maryland, so they thought they would take it on the road. That's why when you come by booths 257 and 259 on the floor of the National Sports Collectors Convention, the first thing you will see is a nicely constructed wood bar with colorful bar stools. It's the … [Read more...] about Bel Air Cards Brings Sports Bar Concept to National Convention
Minnesota Shop Heads Into 31st Year
You won't find many sports card shops that launched in the 1980s still in operation today. The Ballpark in Apple Valley, MN is one of them--and not because they carry all of the "latest products." Owner Calvin Havercamp has done it his way--with a heavy emphasis on vintage cards and memorabilia. The shop opened on July 5, 1988 and sold plenty of … [Read more...] about Minnesota Shop Heads Into 31st Year
10 Reasons to Head to Your Local Sports Card Shop
These days, buying cards is largely limited to the internet and, when in your area, shows. But while there aren't nearly as many card shops as there were in the boom of the 1990s, many dealers are still doing business at brick and mortar buildings. And new ones even continue to spring up. Here are ten reasons why you should still head to your local card shop. 1. See and buy … [Read more...] about 10 Reasons to Head to Your Local Sports Card Shop
Autograph Signings a Long-Running Hit for Philly Area Shop
Man cannot live by bread alone. And card shop owners usually can’t live on selling cardboard alone. Unless they have a strong base of card-a-holics, most successful shops usually have some degree of diversification. For Carl Henderson, the long-time owner of Carl’s Cards & Collectibles in Havertown, PA, bringing in autograph guests has proven to be … [Read more...] about Autograph Signings a Long-Running Hit for Philly Area Shop
Notes: Taking the Card Shop Plunge; Dow Jones vs. Card Market; Kirk Gibson Fundraiser
A lot of people dream about opening a card shop. Lifelong collector Aaron Bertram of Traverse City, MI decided to stop thinking about it and start doing it. On Friday, the former sales manager at a local auto dealership is opening the doors to The Vault Sports Cards and Collectibles. It’ll be mostly sports cards, but he’ll also try to appeal to gamers and … [Read more...] about Notes: Taking the Card Shop Plunge; Dow Jones vs. Card Market; Kirk Gibson Fundraiser
Q&A: Fond Memories Spur New Florida Hobby Shop
Collectors on the east coast of Florida have a new hangout. Long-time collector Ron Gustafson has opened a new shop in Sebastian, between Vero Beach and Melbourne. Originally from Brooklyn, Gustafson opened MVP Sports Cards and Collectibles this fall. In the latest of our ongoing series of Q&A sessions with sports card store owners, he discussed his … [Read more...] about Q&A: Fond Memories Spur New Florida Hobby Shop
Car Crashes Through Pennsylvania Card Shop
Sports card shops aren’t known for drive-up service but one shop in Pennsylvania had a car inside its building on Monday. An older woman parked in front of Kel’s Sports Cards in Scott Township near Pittsburgh hit the gas instead of the brake and, well, you probably know what happened next. Her Toyota sedan crashed through the glass storefront about 2 PM and mowed into … [Read more...] about Car Crashes Through Pennsylvania Card Shop
‘Sweet Old Lady’s’ Card Shop Kept Alive By Her Children
She was known as the sweet old lady who ran the baseball card shop in a small West Virginia town that hugs the Ohio River. But Shirley Ann DeQuasie did more than sell cards and supplies for 29 years in Ravenswood. Her store, S&S Baseball Cards & Collectibles, was a gathering place for friends. Shirley would bring homemade “dessert things” to her shop, … [Read more...] about ‘Sweet Old Lady’s’ Card Shop Kept Alive By Her Children
Card Shop Q&A with ‘The Rookie’
There may not be as many sports card shops as there were in the "boom" period of the late 1980s and early 90s but as a recent Facebook thread revealed, there are still plenty of successful stores and collectors who spend time in them. As part of our ongoing series of Q&A sessions with card shops around the country, we connected with Tony Kirby of The Rookie, a … [Read more...] about Card Shop Q&A with ‘The Rookie’