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11-05-2012 Gotta love what you do. I reflected on that statement as I drove home from St Louis yesterday evening. My eyelids were starting to get heavy, despite having the luxury of a 25th hour of the day, which realistically ends up being an extra hour of sleep for most. Despite it being only 5:30, it might as well have been 10PM. Daylight has a strained relationship with us over the coming months. I became hyper-aware of all I still had to do that evening, and the darkness made prioritizing my night a priority. Stop by my "real job" for a short bit, unpack all my cards, do bookwork from the show, remove graded cards from my website and eBay store and Amazon listings that sold at the show, invoice eBay winners, ship all eBay lots that were paid for (ended up to be around ten outgoing packages), eat, crash. All that could turn into a grind... if I didn't enjoy cards and the customers I've met so much. For a show that is officially open from 9AM-3PM, a lot of prep work and clean-up goes into getting ready for that six-hour window. I liken it to an athlete practicing during the season and training in the off-season just to give it their all during gametime. For me, gearing up for yesterday really started a week before, at the Orland Park show. (And while I'm here, props to guys like "other Tony," Tony Gordon, who have full-time jobs and hit shows nearly every weekend. I usually have a "show hangover" the Monday after a one-day show, and I'm only at 12-15 shows per year anymore.) Anyway, back to last weekend. I realize my ungraded inventory has some holes in it, so I try to fill those as best I can. Turns out, last weekend in Orland, I was able to pick up a few good deals. Stars from the always-dependable "other Tony," and stars plus a miscellaneous box of all sorts of stuff - primarily 50s/60s baseball from another dealer* who wholesales to me frequently. In that box was around 2000 cards, and I'm happy to say that in less than one week, I was able to turn that into 100s of new 58 and 59 Topps commons, over 400 new $1 stars and over 200 new $2 stars that all were available for sale yesterday (and did quite well, as I had people digging most of the day). That's in addition to scanning/pricing other new purchases, including some sweet PSA 8 and 7 1952 Topps Hi #s and a 1915 Cracker Jack Walter Johnson that can be seen here on my Facebook page. (* I won't name too many of my sources for cards. Be they dealers, auction houses, customers, I've worked hard to build a rapport with them or unearth them, so I'll keep their info locked away.) While I try to minimize my perfectionist tendencies, I didn't want to rest until those cards were show-ready: put into holders, priced, sorted by year, and with the commons, numerically sorted into my existing inventory. Organization... So time-consuming. But it's all worthwhile when customers can easily find what they're looking for at shows. So, maybe I gave up a couple sessions on the treadmill over the week to price cards. Maybe I sampled some coffee that resembled dirt in my hotel room early Sunday morning. Maybe I didn't sleep well the night before the show and happened to catch the replay of the terrible Illinois-Ohio State game from about 3-5AM on ESPN. But the show I had yesterday illustrates why all that is well worth it. I'll admit, there was a cloud hanging over this show. The promoter, Dave Jackson, had been in the hospital for a few weeks battling problems with his pancreas. As a result, the December show was cancelled. Also, the Two Hearts Convention Center was sold, and new ownership was not renewing the sportscard show in 2013. This left a fair amount of uncertainty about the dates, location, and even the existence of this show in the future. Despite the somber uneasiness among the dealers, interacting with all the customers was reassuring. I added a few names to my e-mail list, and vowed to keep in touch with others via phone or written letters. St Louis is a great market for cards, and I have no doubt that a show will spring up in a different location and do just as well. We might even pick up a few new patrons who didn't know about the old location or didn't want to travel so far. As for the action of the show, my day started with the same ritual as I partake in before every show, stopping at McDonald's to grab a sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle and a large OJ. Monster breakfast! It provides me with the faux protein and sugar rush that helps me get through my day! Not long after loading in and setting up at the show, I was off to the races with my first purchase of the day - a low-grade lot that included a '66 Mantle, '54 Ted Williams (orange #1, of course), and a '58 Ted. After those three cards, the rest of the lot got pretty messy...just fodder for an eBay lot probably. Then customers rolled in. A few people hit up the $20 for 30 cards special that perpetually runs on my dollar box. I also talked to a couple of the customers who are newer "Likes" to Monster Cards on Facebook. I spoke with Dan (aka "Chico") about cards, life, and music. He gave a high recommendation to these dudes: Hey Dan - I've actually heard that song before! And I'm like, "Well, have you heard of The Rugburns?" Sorry, this is the best example of their most popular song I could find... I caught up with Don D about his Patriots and Red Sox, and with Dennis about how his Detroit Tigers at least knocked off the Evil Empire that is the Yankees this year. Somewhere in the middle of it all, a customer brought me in a 500+ card lot of '53, '54, and '55 Bowmans (with stars) in varying conditions that I tried to add up while still taking to everyone, which isn't easy, but is a balance that I've learned to strike. Frequently writing down your subtotal while adding up what you can pay for a larger deal is a must! Brian and Todd popped into this show. Mike O and I bonded over our man-crushes on Sandy Koufax. I especially like these customers who have passed on the vintage collecting bug to their sons. My grandpa got me started into cards with '87 Donruss and Fleer sets and my dad bought me Ernie Banks cards from '58, '60, and '61. It's cool to see the tradition carry from one generation to the next. Toward the end of the day, when most customers had retired back to their homes to watch football, another dealer approached me with two lots of nothing but high-powered cards of baseball HOFers. I negotiated a price and then I sorted what I wanted out of the lower-grade pile and then moved on to the higher-grade pile. (These are also pictured on Facebook.) So many Mantles and Teds, Clementes, Jackie Robinsons, Koufaxes... These are going to make a great addition to my showcases! And then the show was over. It was time to pack up and leave Two Hearts for the last time. I'd have to check my records, but I've been setting up at shows there for 8-10 years now. Closing this chapter has allowed me to pause and reflect back to see how my business has grown over the years. In between catching blurbs of football scores and bites of sandwich that I neglected during the busy show, I spent my drive home appreciating how my sales have grown, my inventory has grown, and most importantly, how many great people I've met along the way. As plans come together for where and when the next chapter of St Louis shows will begin, I'll be sure to keep you all informed. I love what I do, and I am appreciative of all the enthusiasm and support so far! Let's keep it rolling! Have fun! -T |
Inside My Brain