Again Customer Service of Baseball Trading Cards in Syracuse New York

Graig Reeves started collecting sports cards in the mid 80's when he was but 5 years sometime. A native of Northwest Pennsylvania, Graig was surrounded by sports teams like the Steelers, the Penguins and even the Buffalo Bills. His mother was a native New Yorker so he also had the Yankees in his blood also. Subsequently spending some fourth dimension in the corporate globe, he decided to turn his passion for collecting into a business venture and opened Soaring Sports Cards in Horseheads, NY in Nov 2016. A relative newcomer to the LCS community, he now owns one of the only carte shops in a lxx mile radius. Graig put aside some time to speak with me and tell me about how he got started and how the carte du jour store is doing a yr after opening.

JS – Thanks for speaking with me Graig. Can you tell me a little more about how you decided to open a card store and some of the steps yous had to have to brand that dream a reality?

GR – I had been working in an industry for the by six years that had no personal relation to my instruction or interests. There was a local shop that went out of concern in December of 2015 and I spent a lot of time discussing the business concern with the owner. He got me interested in it equally a business opportunity equally I had ever been an autograph collector but hadn't been direct involved in the current menu market in years. Nevertheless, there was obviously a marketplace hither for wax packs and hobby boxes likewise the stuff they carry at Wal-Mart and Target. The right infinite became available in the same strip mall for my ambitions and set up, so I took the plunge and business took off with the holiday flavor.

JS – You lot mentioned in our initial discussion that your begetter was retired and was working with you at the shop. What is it like owning a bill of fare shop and working with your father? Many of us collectors got our offset in the hobby by latching on to a sports team or role player that our mom or dad taught us about. This must be a corking bonding experience!

GR – It is fun and I retrieve he has become more involved in the hobby and collecting because of me. Since he retired has more liberty to attend shows and help out with my shop when he wants likewise. Nosotros accept attended the terminal 3 Nationals in Cleveland, Atlantic City, and Chicago this summer and they give us something fun to do every year while at that place on business organisation at the same time. I was named after Graig Nettles then I have pinstripes in my blood and I collected vintage baseball autographs and memorabilia for the longest time before getting back into the carte market with the shop opening.

JS – What were some of your biggest challenges when you opened the store and over this outset year? In conjunction with that, what are some of the steps you've taken to concenter and welcome new customers to your store and retain them as render customers?

GR – The biggest challenge was finding a location that worked in size, budget and availability. I didn't want to be in the local mall or in a plaza with Wal-Mart or Target. I am lucky this infinite became available when it did and the customer was already in that location with the former shop beingness right side by side door.

I have my regulars who come in week later week for packs and boxes. High cease to base sets, I wanted to have something for everyone and every budget. I was able to fill out the shorthand stock from my personal drove and overstock. And then it was the affair of getting set upwardly with distributors and finding some collections to increase my card stock.

JS –Y'all store has the benefit of being one of the only card shops in a 70 mile radius. What blazon of collectors have yous constitute in your area? What are the major sports and teams where you are located?

GR – I am the simply exclusive sports card shop in my area with includes Elmira, Ithaca, NY and northern Pennsylvania. I accept a lot of diverseness in customers. I have numerous retired clients who similar to build sets of current and vintage cards. They like to come up in and talk baseball as much as they practise the cards I retrieve. It is a lost era and here it can exist relived. I take customers who haven't seen each other in twenty years and reconnect equally customers that were hither in the store at the same time.

We have a lot of hockey collectors in this general expanse with the Buffalo Sabres and Cornell Large Ruddy Hockey nearby and minor league teams in the surface area. Buffalo Bills fans are all over the area, every bit are fans of the Giants, Jets, Yankees, Devils, and the PA teams like Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins and Philadelphia teams. College sports are big as well with lots of Penn State alumni and fans in the area. Syracuse is likewise a big college.

JS – What are some of the hottest products in the store and why have collectors been drawn to them?

GR – I like to acquit rare one of a kind items that have but as much fun in the story as it does in the particular itself. I was never drawn to items mass produced somewhere that are difficult to brandish like cards, books, etc. Ernie Davis, 1961 Heisman winner of the Syracuse Orangish, is from Elmira, NY. I have had multiple items with his autographs and rare inscriptions. Items like 1955 EFA yearbooks signed past Ernie Davis on his football game and basketball pictures. I've even had a i-of-a-kind "Syracuse" inscribed display signed by Ernie. A lot of folks still have stories nearly him and love to recollect.

2016-17 Hockey has been a major seller in my store. UD Black Diamond, The Loving cup, Artifacts, Trilogy, Ultimate and the yet to be released Black are very pop.

JS – I'grand glad y'all've mentioned Hockey. Hockey has experienced resurgence in the last twelvemonth, thanks to "Young Guns" like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid. Hockey cards may non be equally "mainstream" on a national level (U.S.) as Baseball, Football or Basketball game, only the fan base of operations is very passionate. What are your thoughts on the current hockey market place?

GR– Hockey is large here equally I mentioned previously. McDavid is popular and Eichel (being from Buffalo) has stirred the pot locally here with lots of Sabres fans. Every bit a Penguins fan myself since I was a kid, I sell lots of Crosby, Lemieux, Gretzky era items including autographed sticks, pucks, photos and cards. Just with the hot young players, they drew some collectors into the hockey market as they sought the rookie cards of McDavid, Laine, etc.

It may non be mainstream but in upstate NY information technology is a big sport and at that place is not much else to practice after football season ends and baseball begins. And so information technology heats upwards or keeps the momentum going from the Christmas season straight through bound.

JS – One of the hot topics amid collectors revolves around "License Exclusivity" and Hockey is seeing that aforementioned tendency. In full general, accept your collectors been satisfied with the availability of products or do they have a want for more than companies to join the Hockey market?

GR – I sell mainly Hockey, Baseball and Football in that order. The hardest part of the electric current market is trying to figure out which products will sell. Upper Deck is pretty cutting and dry out with their offerings and in that location aren't a lot of questions other than release dates being pushed back. Topps is the same way with their traditional products that sell well hither and online likewise. Panini is the wild card as they are always offer some new products – but with new products, I have no history so I am taking a shot in the dark in hoping my clients will like them.

JS – What are some of the big hits you lot've seen pulled over the last year at Soaring Sports Cards?

GR – We had a Kris Bryant 2:5 Diamond Kings pulled last year. We besides had National Treasures Ezekiel Elliott Swoosh Patch one:2 and a Carson Wentz autographed /patch ane:10 pulled from the same box. For vintage fans, we had a Ted Williams jersey swatch and bank check signature 2:5 from National Treasures Baseball.

JS – What is your particular collection centered around? Are you more into new products or do you like some other era like vintage or junk wax?

GR – I am a vintage autograph collector – mainly baseball. I like the hard-to-find Roberto Clemente, Thurman Munson, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, etc. I like signed programs and items that show the time and era from the autographs. It tells the story of the autograph and that to me is just every bit fun every bit the autograph itself.

I accept recently had some vintage penny and nickel baseball game card vending machines. One had 1956 Topps Cards (250 Count) even so in it.

Plus the items that come up in every day from people who desire to sell. Nosotros take had a few estates come in that included vintage Yankees memorabilia and mid grade items.

JS – Vintage cards have picked up a lot of steam in the concluding couple of years. What practice you attribute the increased interest and growth in that market to?

GR – I recall the increased availability with the online marketplace is pushing them as more people collect Mike Trout, Aaron Guess, and Bryce Harper and are pulling cards of vintage players that increases interest. And with the steroid era at present in our history, I think people are appreciating the accomplishments of players similar Mickey Pall, Roger Maris and Willie Mays more. Plus, the increased value of sabremetics brings value to the all around baseball players today, not just the sluggers who seemed to be overly immortalized before and especially during the steroid era. I am glad that era is gone and baseball is actually fun to watch over again with the immature players making huge impacts; especially in cardinal markets like NY, LA and Chicago. I could not watch any more than 40 year quondam guys making $thirty million a season breakup and permit teams downwardly.

JS – As it relates to vintage cards vs. the current market, what take been some of the biggest surprises for you in card production or innovation since yous started collecting?

GR – For me information technology is the inclusion of autographs and bat/jersey relics included in cards. Notwithstanding I am a staunch critic of inserting vintage relics from items similar Infant Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mantle, Maris etc that are being destroyed to brand cards out of. Is information technology absurd to ain a piece similar that? Sure. Does it make it affordable to own a rare piece? Sure; but they are destroying irreplaceable pieces of baseball history.

Players today that are yet playing and their relics tin can be found or more than produced are better. I am likewise surprised that the current card market place is at the levels information technology is. eBay provides a market for current items like never earlier, but with electric current cards they are more volatile and for me that increases risk. I am not a large gambler then I only sell vintage items second paw every bit those markets are more than established.

JS – Card companies are only going to go along to introduce and bring new products to the market in the future. What do you retrieve bill of fare companies could do to enhance the hobby for collectors over the adjacent few years?

GR – Honestly I remember the players will be more involved in the companies and in carte development. This brings the players closer to the fans. And it will include some course of social media interest as well.

JS – In endmost, practise you have any events at your store coming upwards that collectors should know nigh?

GR – We are looking frontwards to the release of Hockey 2017-2018 and nosotros are ever bringing in new one-of-a-kind items. We postal service them on Facebook and piece of work with numerous sports sale houses on a regular basis to procure and sell items. It is the spontaneity of these items that keeps me interested and excited day in and day out.

We are also trying to put together a regional carte du jour show for the Elmira/Ithaca NY area equally it has none. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more information.

Soaring Sports Cards

Owner – Graig Reeves

2898 Westinghouse Route – Village Plaza

Horseheads, NY 14845

(607)252-4102

Soaringsportscards@outlook.com

Hours of Functioning

Tuesday – Midweek: 11am-5:30pm

Th – Friday: 11am-5:30pm

Sat: 9am-12:30 pm

Facebook – Soaring Sports Cards

cowanbutersest.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.beckett.com/news/local-card-shop-week-soaring-sports-cards/

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