Each month, Upper Deck will spotlight one of our hobby retailing partners and some reasons why you need to visit their store if you live in the area. Visiting a hobby shop is always a lot of fun: they all have unique items and informative staff.

If you haven’t been to a sports collectibles shop lately and you’re in the Los Angeles area, make sure you visit our Retailer of the Month: South Bay Baseball Cards

South Bay Baseball Cards Inc.
1751 Pacific Coast Highway
Lomita, CA 90717
888-889-7575
Monday-Saturday from 10:00AM-6:00PM
Sundays and Holidays from 10:00AM-4:00PM
www.sbaycards.com

I remember the first time I walked in South Bay Baseball Cards. I instantly said to myself, “Now this is what a sports card shop is supposed to be like.” The 3000 squire foot store is a family business run by the Allen family and you can’t help but feel the passion of a sports fanatic if you spend five minutes with South Bay’s Vice President, Scott Allen. He’s the classic story of a collector turned hobby shop owner, and his love for sports and the industry provide the drive his family needs to make South Bay one of the best shops to visit in the Los Angeles area.

Walking into South Bay Baseball Cards.

The shop is well organized and arranged with loaded showcases and displays. On my first visit I was running around visiting a lot of different hobby shops in the Los Angeles area, so I was short on time, but when I got there, I had to slow down to take it all in. Quite frankly, the store was a lot different than some of the other shops I had visited that day. I drank it all in marveling at the history stored in each display.

One of the great things about the shop is the strong sense of community that Scott Allen and company have with their customers. The customers of the shop are all extremely friendly, but also very knowledgeable on their sports and their collections. There are usually box opening events around new releases at South Bay to help collectors get to know each other. Scott Allen believes the sense of community his family has cultivated is important, because the success of the store stems from, “the family experience, the trading and bartering, the purchasing and selling, and the feeling of accomplishment of building sets (that) will get passed down.”

A box opening competition! Customer Petras Karuza has pulled something exciting.

One of the reasons they have been successful for so long now is because they embrace their community of collectors. “For 23 years we have run the type of sports collectible business that we always wanted to walk into,” said Scott Allen. “We give back all year long in may ways from thousands of dollars in prizes won by our regular customers, to supporting the local schools, churches, temples, boys clubs and little leagues.”

Their motto is, “Serving the collector, young and old!” For the young, South Bay will host birthday card parties for kids with prizes and other goodies. For the older collectors they offer vintage trading cards and memorabilia along with layaway programs. At least six times a year they have large give-away nights for their regular customers where they reward these customers with thousands of dollars worth of collectibles.

The Bono family won a Jackie Robinson authenticated autograph piece this year at South Bay Baseball Cards.

They also help bring trading cards to life by having in-store signings with major athletes from the area. In the past 24 months they have conducted signings with Steve Garvey, Fernando Valenzuela, Matt Kemp, Andre Eithier, Orlando Hudson and more!

Upper Deck and South Bay team up to bring Matt Kemp of the Dodgers into the store to sign for customers.

Another reason they have been successful is because they have embraced technology. In 1999 they began an online business at sbaycards.com. Brian Johnson, their internet store manager has done a tremendous job of making their virtual store almost as exciting as their actual store. So stop in some time soon to South Bay Baseball Cards, either in person, or online.

From left to right: Brett Allen, Ian Allen, Bill Walton, Sharilyn Allen and Scott Allen in front of the shop for an Upper Deck sponsored signing.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Each month Upper Deck will spotlight one of our hobby retailing partners and some reasons why you need to visit their store. People in North Carolina are passionate about their sports and so is our Retailer of the Month.

The Bullpen
437 North Church Street
Hendersonville, NC 28792
828-696-2855
Website: http://dabullpen.tripod.com/
Facebook: Bullpen Hendersonville
Email:    dabullpen@mchsi.com

Here are just some of Steve's loyal patrons.

The Bullpen was started by Steve James, whose childhood dream was to pitch for the Chicago Cubs. After a promising Little League career, he failed to make the baseball team in high school. However, his passion for sports could not be doused that easily; so Steve volunteered in the athletic trainer’s office. Steve thought sports medicine could be the route to go until college, where he found out how squeamish he was around blood.

So Steve ended up getting married, had a child, and took a 9-5 job to support his family. When his son was in first grade, his dream was renewed when one day after school his son asked, “Dad, can we stop by the store and get some packs of baseball cards?”

Steve James - Owner of The Bullpen

Steve was elated as they were able to develop a special relationship collecting together. Eventually they expanded from baseball cards into football, basketball and hockey cards as well. After setting up at a card show to get rid of some of their duplicates, Steve realized he could make money in the hobby he had grown to love.

“We eventually found a storefront to rent, moved in all our inventory of cards from the show to the newly founded Bullpen and the rest as they say is history,” said Steve. “Here I was, finally working in sports. Dreams really do come true!”

That was eighteen years ago and Steve James and the Bullpen are still going strong. Steve attributes his successes in this economy to being very service oriented and making the Bullpen a fun place to hang out.

“We bring in local athletes to the store for signing sessions,” said Steve James. “Customers tell me they have the most fun winning prizes and interacting with other collectors during our various events and promotions. We do one big promotion every month and sometimes more. We do events that most people know about like pack wars and then a special event like the Big League Blast.”

A prize from one of the events at The Bullpen.

Shops have pack war events where you used the stats on the back of cards to win prizes. Steve makes sure that everyone walks out a winner. The Big League Blast is a special promotion through Major League Baseball where they raffle off a variety of great prizes. Then there are other promotions he has come up with to keep things fresh, like playing “Deal or No Deal” in the shop.

“What do sports fans need to see at our store? We have over three million sports cards on site and they are sorted in a way that no matter how obscure, we can find you that player within five minutes. Don’t believe me? Come down to see it in person.”

A view of the sortable collection Steve has amassed at The Bullpen.

Steve has been doing this long enough to know how to take care of a customer and to make a visit worthwhile. If you are in the North Carolina area, make a point to stop by the Bullpen.

The Bullpen keeps plenty of new and vintage trading card products on hand.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Every month, Upper Deck spotlights one of our hobby retailing partners and some reasons why you need to visit their store, right here on our blog. If you haven’t been to a card store lately and are in Utah, make sure to visit our Retailer of the Month.

Mr. E’s Sports Cards & Collectibles
720 South State Street
Orem, UT 84058
Google Maps Link
801-224-6677
Website: mresportscardshop.wordpress.com
Twitter: @mrecardshop
Email:    mr.esportscards@gmail.com
Monday – Monday-Saturday from 10AM to 7PM

Rodney Eastman, or Mr. E as most know him, began collecting cards when he was 11 years old and continued until he was a young adult. When he realized he would be serving his country in the Vietnam War, he wondered what he would do with the large collection of vintage baseball and Mickey Mantle cards he has amassed over the years. After careful planning, he decided to hide them under the floorboards of his house for safekeeping.

When he returned home from the war, he found that sheetrock had been poured over the floorboards, sealing the fate of his cards underneath which would be worth thousands today. It was a devastating loss for him and he began the slow process of rebuilding his collection again.

When he met his future wife, Michele, he introduced her to the hobby. They enjoyed passing the time by opening a box of cards while dining in a restaurant. Their collection grew immensely with the decades of collecting. It only made sense for Mr. E and his wife to open a shop and share the hobby with others. Mr. E’s Sports Cards and Collectibles opened in 2003 and has served as the only sports card shop in the Utah Valley area with customers visiting from all over the state.

Every two months, Mr. E hosts a card show where collectors and dealers set their cards on display at tables to buy, sell, and trade cards with others. At the card shows, giveaways and drawings are given and everything in the shop is 10 percent off. The next card show is set at Mr. E’s on July 18 from 10AM to 5PM with a raffle drawing for a Troy Aikman autographed jersey along with other prizes and gift cards. Mr. E’s card shows free to the public so make sure to visit.

Here are just some of the other reasons to visit Mr. E’s:

•    Mr. E’s not only sells sports cards, but also popular Trading Card Games, Hannah Montana and other popular children, celebrity, and game cards
•    Mr. E’s gives customers free protective card holders with purchases
•    It’s a great place to get back in touch with your childhood where courteous staff will help you with what’s new
•    Grab bags are only $5 with an autograph and jersey card in every 2-3 packs, guaranteed
•    It is the only card shop in the Utah Valley area so you’ll meet collectors from all over the state
•    Glass cases are packed with boxes of autographs, jerseys, and rookie cards of almost every player in each sports
•    It’s stocked with the latest releases from every sport

One of the many high quality collectible items at Mr. E's.

Mr. E owns a variety of items that sports fans would have to see to believe. For example, he has an UD authenticated Kobe Bryant three-peat championship leather jacket from 2002. They also have several autographed memorabilia pieces on display such as an Upper Deck Authenticated Jack Nicklaus framed piece from the 100th U.S. Open. He also has autographed basketballs from the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal. You will also have to see the authentic autographed jerseys from players like Tom Brady and LeBron James.

More than anything it’s just fun to see what people are opening. Many of Mr. E’s customers have gotten lucky by finding some amazing cards. Just recently a collector pulled a 1-of-1 Derrick Rose Autograph card from 2008/09 Upper Deck Black Basketball.

Stores like Mr. E’s are the heart of our hobby, and if you get the chance to visit this store in Utah, you’ll definitely agree. Just from looking at the picture above, it’s clear you can get lost there for hours looking at everything they have to offer!

Photography by The Daily Herald and Mark Johnston

Popularity: unranked [?]