11 Comments

If you are in the area be sure to stop by the shop and mention this article.
We look forward to seeing you in Northern Va’s newest sportscard superstore!

I think everyone ignored the elephant in the room. I don’t know where it stands, but one of the things I saw last year was Blowout complaining about not being able to receive product the same time dealers do, or something along those lines, because they did not have a storefront. While there may have been other reasons for this move as well, but I honestly believe that is the biggest reason. However, if I ever have the time and money, I’m going to have to take a vacation and drive to some of the bigger known stores just to say I’ve been there.

It’s not THAT big of a store. At least it doesn’t look all that big from the outside.

We all know why this store exists: It’s a front so that Blowout can continue to sell Upper Deck stuff.

its not that they want to get product when dealers do…its so they can sell upper deck and panini on the day of release without having to hold it back a week like all the other on-line sellers.
as a side note, the article mentions that blowout is doing the opposite of all the other hobby retailers…which is a good thing. hobby shops arent on the decline (solely) for lack of buyers, they’re on the decline because they refuse to embrace the technology and aren’t growing WITH the hobby. Hobby shops need to back up their business with an online presence, which blowout obviously does well.

Exactly. This shop was opened solely to get around the AIR restrictions from Panini and others. Sure they’ll give you the “feel good” PR spin saying it’s about the customers, but they got spanked with the week delay that opening this money pit was their only way around it.

Personally, I don’t care WHY Blowout did it, I’m just ecstatic that they did. Hobby shops (near me, at least) have either disappeared or grown stagnant. They line there shelves with dusty packs of 92 Score and other meaningless old sets and haven’t pulled in the high-end products I’d love to be able to go to a store and pick up, in my hand, right now. I’m in Chesapeake, so it’s roughly a 3 to 4 hour drive to Chantilly, but I’ll pack up the girlfriend and head that way with money in pocket! THANK YOU!

Sports Cards Plus is celebrating our 20th Anniversary. I agree that card shops must embrace the internet in order to flourish. The internet is an economical means to advertise and communicate with current and future customers. And, the internet provides a means for collectors to find/buy every possible card. Sports Cards Plus has teamed with Beckett Grading. If you want to sell your cards for a profit on the internet, card grading is a 100% must do.

However, the decline of the card shop can also be directly tied to the popularity of the internet and the resulting oversaturation of sellers/retailers/wholesalers. In the 1990’s, there were 52 sports card shops in San Antonio, today, we have three. The problem is that too many collectors left the hobby. There are many reasons they left the hobby. One issue is no one likes to see their collection/investment loose money. The oversaturation of sellers and the resulting price wars on the internet drove card/box values down (investment losses) and collectors out of the hobby. This hobby needs to win them back and cultivate new collectors. This is where the local card shop plays a valuable part to the future success of this hobby.

At least three new/young collectors come into my store every week. While most of these prospective collectors may not now spend tons of money, they are the future of this hobby. They have many questions and are seeking human interaction. They are confused by the mix messages they read on the internet and don’t know how to separate fact from fiction. I answer their questions and introduce them to other collectors in my shop.

In March, I will attend my second Sports Card Industry Summit in Las Vegas. This Summit provides cards shops a means to interact with the Manufacturers and Hobby Distributers to work towards making this a better hobby. It also facilitates a platform for exchange of ideas for card shop owners to improve their business and card collecting experience.

I see this hobby improving and working its way back to the popularity of the 1990s. As a card shop owner, I look forward to the rest of 2012 and meeting many more future sports card collectors.

it’ll go out of business within a year, just like every other card shop

I live in San Antonio, and while i agree with Mr. DiPietro on his points i think something bigger happen to collecting, i know times change, i don’t see it as collecting anymore it’s more about making the bucks, what i mean is that MLB, NFL, NBA, and the players assc. they took a once proud industry and killed it, not allowing compition between card company’s, card companies, making you wait for months sometimes years for your product ” redemption”, recent questions about the authenticity of game worn jeresey cards, theres a reson it’s called blow out cards it’s in the title its just buisness sell cheap make the most just another day. but go to a place like i go to buy cards WHATS ON SECOND yes it mite cost a couple of dollars more than some of the online wholesellers but collecting is still alive there, you breath, taste it as soon as you enter, you will spend hours talking and listening to real collectors to an owner who is pasionate about his dreams, yea mite sound a little cornnie, but its what keeps the kid in me alive, and able to remember the days when things where not so complicated, but times change that is a fact, just saying

Sports Cards Plus/ Charlie great post and congrats on 20 years
New collectors are vital to the success and future of the hobby and 1 of the many reasons we opened our store.
Hope to meet you in Vegas at the Industry Summit.

Today was our 1st Saturday open for business and I can tell you collectors in Northern Va are excited about The Fantastic Store.
We still have work to do for the Grand opening weekend 3/1 and look forward to sharing our passion for this great hobby with our customers & our friends.
One of the benefits of owning a store is having access to products that can only be had by maintaining a brick and mortar hobby shop.
We hope that all visitors to our shop enjoy it and I welcome any comments or feedback.
I am always available at Fish@blowoutcards.com

Thanks again and hope to see you at Blowoutcards- The Fantastic Store in Chantilly Va.

What happened with the lawsuit against Upperdeck? They must have been told to bite it, hence a store opening to go crawling back to UD. Funny.