Yesterday afternoon, I went to the closest hobby shop, now that the one I had been going to for about a year has permanently closed it’s doors. This store is roughly 30 miles from my house and is only one of two left in the Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill area. I went in and the place was buzzing with Magic the gathering people. I just needed some supplies and maybe get a pack or two of cards. Stacey Hacker is the owner of the store and she’s owned it for about a year and a half. I started talking to her about how her store is doing and what the industry is like in her eyes. Stacey has been collecting for a number of years but she, like many dealers I have spoken with recently, says that the industry has taken a huge hit. She doesn’t take on any new cards from people coming in off the street asking if she’ll buy their cards. She says that she simply can’t re-sell them. No one is buying loose cards anymore. They want new product and they want new packs. With the card industry the way it is now, she hasn’t given herself a paycheck in a year and a half, but her doors are still open, because she has so many friends in the area who use her store to play strategy games and buy product from her.
She says her current clients are mainly college aged to about 40, she gets some children in there, but mainly to buy and play the strategy games. Her prices are more than fair, in fact, she is as cheap as any of the online sites. For example she is selling Topps 2008 series one hobby boxes for $50. I believe that is among the lowest prices you are going to find anywhere. I spoke to her about possibly sponsoring my shop. She said that she had no money to do so, then I told her I’m really looking for product and I don’t care what it is.
So I’m asking you as readers of my blog to either contact her by email at sportszonecary@bellsouth.net or give her a call at 919-468-0001, please use my blog as a reference. Her prices are very reasonable and she will ship how ever you would like it shipped. She has a website, but like many mom and pop hobby shops it’s not quite ready for e-commerce. She’s real nice to talk to so don’t be shy. Like I said she is very low on her prices and has all the new product as well as some of last year’s product.
My Topps 1986 Pack 3 post will be up around 5 pm eastern (I have some family in town). It’s written but I have to crop the pictures and insert them.
