Canadian Local Card Shop of the Week: Superstars Sports Cards (Winnipeg, MB)

Kyle Franklin began collecting sports cards back in 1975 with World Hockey Association (WHA) cards. A combination of collecting cards and attending Winnipeg Jets games with his father, as early as the age of 5, helped give him develop the passion of sports card collecting he still has today.

In 1990, Kyle opened his own card shop and remains a fixture in Winnipeg some 29 years later. I recently caught up with Kyle to discuss the hobby and his store.

Canadian Local Card Shop of the Week is brought to you by Universal Distribution, Canada’s premier distributor of CCG’s, sports cards and non-sport cards, trading card games, role-playing games, comics, toys, figurines and more.

JS – Thanks for taking the time to talk with me Kyle. You have been in the hobby most of your life as you began collecting around three-years old. Can you tell our readers what led to your decision to become a card shop owner in 1990?

KF – Back in 1989 after a few years of being out of the hobby, I attended a local card show. I was amazed at how many dealers were set up, and the large number of collectors in attendance made it very difficult to get near a table to view the merchandise. That was when I realized that this hobby was taking off and I wanted to be a part of it again!

JS – Can you tell us a little about your store? Can you talk about your setup and what type of inventory you carry? Also, what services do you provide?

KF – When I opened the store in 1990 it was a small shop with a few showcases and shelves for sports card boxes and supplies. As the years rolled along, expansion became necessary as we added souvenirs and collectibles, as well as expanding into non-sport and gaming cards. This has allowed us to carry all licensed brands of cards and collectibles with an inventory of over 1 million cards sorted by year, brand, and card number for easy access to those customers looking to finish sets or just collect their favorite players. As for services we provide; we have been a BGS drop-off site for over 15 years now and look forward to continuing to provide this service for many more years. We also provide a jersey customizing service as well as framing of photos and jerseys.

JS – This is a new series for 2019 that we are running to include card shops in Canada. For collectors who haven’t been, what would you say are the main differences, if any, between your shop and what are found in the United States?

KF – The amount of hockey product sales would be the obvious difference compared to many non-hockey market stores in the US. I think the biggest difference that anyone coming to our store will see is that we carry a large inventory of collectibles for sports other than hockey. We have many customers who are football, baseball, and basketball fans. We take pride in being able to provide them with the collectibles they are looking for in their sport of interest.

JS – You are located in Winnipeg so I would imagine you have your fair share of Jets fans. Can you talk a little about your local collectors and what teams and players they support most?

KF – Yes, the Jets fans in Winnipeg are very passionate and it is nice to see the team doing so well. As I stated earlier, many of our customers expand beyond the local teams. Canadiens, Leafs, Bruins, Oilers, Vikings, Packers, Raiders, Lakers, Warriors, Celtics, Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, and many more are very popular in our store.

JS – Hockey appears to be a huge seller in your store but there are many posts that include the other major sports. How much of each of the sports releases are in demand among your customers?

KF – Yes, hockey is number one at our store but NFL football is a strong number two. We have a large NFL customer base so having the products available for them is very important to us. Baseball and basketball have seen a big surge over the past few years where sales have been year round, not just during their respective seasons. Another area that we have seen a greater demand over the past couple of years has been in the MMA and WWE products.

JS – As it relates to particular products, what performed very well in 2018 and what made those products so popular?

KF – 2018 was another great year for UD 1 & 2, SP Authentic, and OPC Platinum Hockey. In football, Contenders and Select were huge in NFL and the CFL trading cards were more popular than ever. Topps baseball base brands are a mainstay in anyone’s collections, and Bowman products were impossible to keep on the shelves. Contenders and Prizm took top honors by our basketball customers in 2018. All these products were popular based on their collectability, affordability, and rookie content.

JS – Are there any products that are on the release calendar you are really looking forward to in the next few months?

KF – I am really looking forward to seeing how Engrained and Clear Cut do for hockey. The initial reaction from customers based on information Upper Deck has released for each product has been very positive. With Duke stars Zion Williamson and Canadian RJ Barrett coming into the NBA next year, we already have non-basketball collectors talking about buying basketball in the coming year. 2019 will be another exciting year for collectors.

JS – We recently celebrated National Hockey Card Day. Can you tell us about this promotion and how you celebrate it at your store?

KF – National Hockey Card Day is a big day in our store. Every year, we do a different event for our customers. This year we had our “Grab Bag” event where, with a small purchase, customers would get to “Grab a Bag.” Each bag was full of UD cards, store gift cards, exclusive promo cards, and additional prizes, ranging from one-of-a-kind Upper Deck blow-up cards to UDA Autographed Memorabilia, as well as uncut sheets, hats and more. Images of the event can be found on our social media accounts.

JS – I also noticed some really cool memorabilia in some of the photos on your page. Can you tell us about some of the items you have in the store? What is one of the coolest you’ve ever had come through the door?

KF – We have a large selection of framed pieces, both autographed and non-autographed, old programs from the 1950’s, autographed jerseys, and UDA memorabilia. One of the best pieces to come through my store, in my opinion, was a guest book from a New Year’s Eve dinner in Japan in 1978 when the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA played a series of games against the Russian National Team in Japan. The book was signed by all the players, their wives, and family members, as well as many of the fans who travelled to watch the games live. One of my longtime customers couldn’t believe when he saw the book for the sole reason that his father-in-law was one of the fans that attended the dinner and signed the book! Needless to say, he is the proud owner of the guest book.

JS – The way we collect has changed a lot over the years. Looking at the hobby in general, what are some of the biggest changes you have seen since you started collecting?

KF – There have been a lot of changes to the hobby since I started collecting. We have gone from O-Pee-Chee and Topps selling cards to multiple companies over the years and multiple brands in each category. The hobby has evolved beyond just collecting cards with the advent of high-end buying andselling through box breaks and auctions on a daily basis. The mainstream of the hobby continues to be the set, player and team collectors who still utilize their card store as the source for their collections.

JS – What are some of the major positives within the hobby and industry right now? What are you hearing from your customers in regards to the industry? What do they really love seeing from a product or support standpoint?

KF – The biggest positive we are hearing from our customers is the reduction of redemption cards. We know firsthand that getting players to sign cards for companies is not easy and for the companies to work as hard as they do to make sure all the cards are signed for upcoming products is a testament to the company’s efforts to improve the hobby.

JS – In closing, can you tell us about any sales or upcoming events you have scheduled for the next couple of months?

KF – We will be holding our annual customer appreciation day with a case break party on the release of SP Authentic Hockey. A fun night with food and prizes is a big hit with our customers. Details for this event will be available in store and on social media when release dates are confirmed.

Superstars Sports Cards

Kyle Franklin
(204) 831-9001
1885 C Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3J-0H3

Hours

Sunday – 12PM-4PM
Monday – Friday – 10AM-7PM
Saturday – 10AM-5PM

SuperstarsSports.com
Email: collect@superstarssports.com
Facebook: Superstars Sports Cards
Twitter: @superstarscards
Instagram: @superstarssports