Last week I had the opportunity to go with some members from the UPPER DECK team to visit a few of our local, So-Cal SHOPS . We love to do shop visits whenever possible to catch up with shop owners, talk about NEW PRODUCTS and best of all meet and share stories with our great fans and customers!
Having a shared love for sports and cards, it is always great to visit with the owners and check out their stores! Although they all share a common bond over sports, each individual store is so unique in its own way. We got to experience a wide array of stores that all specialize in various aspects of collecting. One store specialized in completing COLLECTIONS, one card at a time. Stores like this carried huge catalogs of cards categorized in such a way to fulfill any collectors’ unique passion.
The Upper Deck Team with 3 generations of the Veres Family at Burbank Sportscards in Burbank, CA
We visited another store that focused more of their business on MEMORABILIA and AUTOGRAPHED PHOTOS. They focused on what their local customer base wanted and that was bigger items.
The Upper Deck Team with Dean and the rest of the staff from Cardboard Legends in Van Nuys, CA
Other stores appealed more to the GAMING crowd- selling card games and holding weekly gaming tournaments.
The Upper Deck Team with Mitch Guttenberg of The Bullpen 2.0 in Marina Del Rey, CA
As well as others were more the classic card store that we all grew up with and loved: the ones with a fair mix of cards, balls, posters, jerseys, toys and “what-have-you” around the store.
The Upper Deck Team with Mike Ant of The Sports Source 2 in Studio City, CA
And another one catered to the newer wave of collecting in BOX BREAKING. Allowing collectors the chance to find their favorite teams, players or others without having to buy an entire box or case and ending up with cards they do not even want. For many this is the perfect way to collect.
The Upper Deck Team with Mike Jaspersen of Jaspy’s Hobbyland in Redondo Beach, CA
When I was in these stores I couldn’t help but reminisce on the years when I was around the age of 12 and visiting my local card shop on the weekends. It was the “cherry on my sundae” when I was able to visit the shop with my folks and get to pick out my box of cards as my weekly reward. I used to think of it as another sign of my parents love but reflecting back, maybe it was just another attempt of my parents “bribing” me to be good for the coming week. Either way I was the one who made out with the fresh box of cards.
I wouldn’t keep my sights solely on just my local card shop but I was one to visit as many shops as I can on my travels. My family and I would travel quite a bit for family vacations. Whether it be local to an area famous for having an amusement park ran by a giant mouse, or to the cold glaciers of Northern Canada and Alaska. I always made time to visit the city life and culture of the areas I visited.
One of the best ways I found to do that was in visiting the local card and sports shop of the area. Not only did I get to see some amazing pieces of sports history and memorabilia but as a personal collector I was able to find some great items to add that I may have never found otherwise. Being a big basketball fan I was one to follow the career of Michael Jordan.
Now, here is where being a fan of the Bulls (via Jordan) pays off. Imagine going to a city such as Boston where they of course bleed Celtic green. I would be able to go into a local Boston store, check out their inventory and walk away with some great Bulls merchandise because their local market doesn’t necessarily want Bulls items. It’s a win-win!
I encourage everyone who is a collector to reach out in your travels and visit new card shop. Maybe it’s in Boca Raton when you visit your grandparents? Or maybe it’s during Thanksgiving holiday when you travel south to Phoenix and visit your in-laws? Whatever the reason or “excuse” you need, take some time and see what some other shops have to offer. You might just walk away with a beautiful item of your favorite player?!
Like I did here, while visiting a card shop in Massachusetts. I scored a personal favorite during a family trip a few years back. He may no longer play for my favorite team but he will always be my favorite hitter.
Share your thoughts or travel stories below!
Special Thanks To:
Burbank Sports Cards – 1500 W. Burbank Blvd Burbank, CA 91506 www.BurbankSportscards.com
Cardboard Legends – 17218 Saticoy St Van Nuys, CA 91406 www.stores.CardboardLegendsonline.com
Sports Source 2 – 11841 Ventura Blvd Studio City, CA 91604 www.facebook.com/SportsSource2
The Bullpen 2.0 – 13470 Washington Blvd Suite 100 Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 www.BullpenSportscards.com
Jaspys Hobbyland – 811 N. Catalina Ave Suite 1308 Redondo Beach, CA 90277 www.JaspysHobbyland.com
2 Comments
I followi but don’t often write do you think upper deck will ever be able to get back into baseball cards or will Topps always have that locked up I am 58 and upper deck were always one of my favorites
Hello Bob,
Right now unfortunately MLB baseball cards are under exclusive license until 2020. At that time Upper Deck maybe able to retain rights, but until then it is a waiting game. Thank you for the continued support!