Local hobby stores near you

[darocker80]

How are they holding out in this bad economy? The store I work at may be closing and I might be out of a job

So I was just wondering how the other stores were holding out.

 

[bkdlots]

There are no stores near me

 

[tonsofcommons]

There are no stores near me

+1

 

[darocker80]

There are no stores near me

sorry

 

[Kevbo]

The one I usually go to is never empty, and there's usually between 6-25 people there.
(depending of course on how many people are playing Magic, or Pekemon, whatever that game they're playing is)
I think they're having a pretty good season despite the economy, but I wouldn't complain if the economy eventually weeds out the lesser shops. The one that's closest to my house (that I very rarely go to, unless I need quick supplies) could close and the only people who would miss it is the same 4 guys who are always in there taking up what little room there is to look around.

Showtime in Tempe, the first place I talked about, has a loyal customer base, great owner, great workers, great boxes, good enough prices, comfortable atmosphere, and shouldn't be in any fear of closing its doors anytime soon. Daves, the other one I speak of, must have free rent or maybe he owns the building, cuz I can't see how they are still even there.

May the cream rise to the top! Support your favorite local shops!

 

[chuckbartowski]

The shop I usually go to appears to be doing good, but we haven't been hit as hard up here yet.

 

[cgilmo]

Hobbies and Collectibles in Gadsden Alabama is an outstanding store. Like many of the others he has had to branch out into comic books, and the gaming materials. His bread and butter is still sports cards, and he does a great job of keeping up with the times. He is fair to his customers, and pays enough attention to the market to know when to raise and lower prices.

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

The one near me is closing in another couple months.

 

[rainmanesq]

2 have closed near me

1 seems like it’s on its last legs- 3 owners in 3 yrs, rarely any customers in there. Would help if they had CASES to buy- or @ least more than 1 box of a hot product like chrome.

Other 1 near me seems to be hanging on, but I suspect that’s more b/c the owner gets ridiculously low rent (he’s been there for 20+ yrs). No customers every time I go in there. Then again, that could be b/c he asks 90+ on 1 box of bcdp that I can get for 45-50 on ebay.

Other 1 near me seems to be doing well, but it helps that he has a MILLIONAIRE/whale who rips up a storm. That guy won the lottery 2x + so clearly, $’s no object for him. W/o the millionaire, I suspect the shop would be hurting. His prices are alright, but customer service (@ least for the owner- his employee is GREAT) could be HUGELY improved.

1 shop is great (good selection, cheap prices), but a little out of the way for me, so i don't go there much.

another shop near me is ok, but not overly friendly + not the cheapest, + they never seem to have what i want...prob b/c they open cases first + take first shot @ products...as do some of the other shops in my area...which is partly why i stopped frequenting shops. dear shops, don't try to pawn off the 'dud' boxes to me, only to have me see you pull endless GREAT cards (think logomans, amazing patches, cut autos, etc.). it's not that hard to figure out you're on ebay + duh, why would i buy boxes from you after clearly all the good hits are gone?

All shops have branched out into pokemon/magic/etc. + seems like they’re usually full of kids playing games + getting free wifi. Not sure how the owners make $ b/c the kids only seem to buy cokes/maybe 1-2 packs.

All shops sell on ebay. I’d love to support my local shops, but the reality is, their prices aren’t anywhere near competitive (and yes, I realize they have a larger overhead than joebobcaseguy on ebay selling cases from his mommy’s basement) + they rarely sell CASES, which is what I bust 99.9% of the time. As for supply prices, sometimes I’ll get them from 1 local shop b/c he’s fair on prices + I like to chit chat w/him. Sometimes I’ll buy a box when I get supplies, but honestly, it’s way easier (+ cheaper) to order online.

 

[Prospectmaster]

The store I work at here in Richmond VA is doing well. Its called Collectors Heaven and we have started to sell more team stuff. Like Jerseys, Chairs, Mcfarlane figures, Hats and other things. We originally were strictly cards but we just got a little bit more than we did. We have about 5 or 6 stores in the Richmond VA area which are mainly inside of malls. I work at the one at the newest mall that just opened here a few years ago.

 

[darocker80]

The store I work at here in Richmond VA is doing well. Its called Collectors Heaven and we have started to sell more team stuff. Like Jerseys, Chairs, Mcfarlane figures, Hats and other things. We originally were strictly cards but we just got a little bit more than we did. We have about 5 or 6 stores in the Richmond VA area which are mainly inside of malls. I work at the one at the newest mall that just opened here a few years ago.

How's that going?

 

[KOBEARODLT]

i live in one of the worst states to live in...MICHIGAN and the local shop is doing good, havent been there in awhile but just called him yesterday and he said it is goin good, selling alot of the the new football stuff.

 

[imac220]

I think the card shop is struggling a bit by me. The selection has gone down a bit, and prices have been going up.

 

[darocker80]

I think the card shop is struggling a bit by me. The selection has gone down a bit, and prices have been going up.

Ouch, hopefully it starts progressing or the worst is to come!

 

[theplasticman]

None here. We used to have 3 of them. One was really good and always busy (Best in Baseball Cards).

 

[darocker80]

None here. We used to have 3 of them. One was really good and always busy (Best in Baseball Cards).

What happened? Closed down?

 

[kentuckyderby]

One in Frankfort on St Francis Road....closed
One in Tinley on 183rd and 80th .....closed
One on SW side of Chicago on Archer Ave...closed

Even the Orland Park card shows have been average at best

Our card shop thrived and did well during the 1990-94 period. Wonder how it would be if it still existed. (Basically closed down due to fact that myself and brothers = in college and could only help out dad during summer)

 

[dwulbrecht]

The one I go to always seems to do well. The rest not so much, but they were doing poorly before the recession.

 

[1st4040]

my one local shop seems to be doing just fine.. it helps that the owner is a decent guy and they have a well rounded shop selling memorabilia as well as all sports cards. Prices are good in his showcases and very fair when he picks up cards for me at shows he does on the local and national level.

 

[Weatherwarrior]

The one i go too here in south Florida Has low overhead because he is the only one there and His rent is cheap because of a longterm lease. But his prices on wax are as good as anyones. I bought 4 boxes of 08 Bowman sterling for 900 that is cheaper than anywhere else so I may be single handedly keeping him in buisiness but he does shows every other weekend and just did a show up in NC and will be heading to orlando around spring training.