GREENVILLE, Mich. — GRBJ—Former NBA center Chris Kaman walked into the Man Cave Sports Cards and Collectibles in Stanton a few months ago, looking for cards.
Then, according to Man Cave founder Nate Smith, a friendship began to develop between them. In September, Smith worked to bring Kaman on as a partner and he is now helping the business expand.
Earlier this month, the Man Cave opened its second location, 701 S. Greenville Drive in Greenville, that joined the first store and thriving eBay business as the sports card and memorabilia industry continues to boom across the country.
“When I first opened the Stanton store a few years ago, I don’t think I can remember a time in the past few years we haven’t been busy,” Smith said. “We thought we’d try to find a bigger location in a bigger town, and maybe we’ll see some more foot traffic.”
Keeping the stores stocked is the most challenging aspect of the business, according to Smith. Smith, Kaman and employees have to travel across the Midwest to card shows to buy new inventory. That will continue as the new store continues to mature.
Smith said in the worst case, Man Cave will reconsolidate back to one location, but he also has ambitious plans for the future. He said more locations could be on the table.
“Chris has a really good business mind, and he owns several other businesses and can help,” he said. “If Greenville takes off the way the Stanton store did, which I expect it to, we’re going to keep running into the issue of not having enough inventory, so logistically having a third shop would be hard, but it’s possible.”
Along with going to shows, Smith said he buys collections from people who come into the shop.
“We try to buy at fair prices, so we can sell at fair prices,” he said. “We’re always willing to work on prices and looking to buy more inventory. We have people bringing in boxes of stuff from the ’50s and ’60s all the way up to new stuff, and we are very competitive in what we pay.”
The growth of a home-grown shop in West Michigan is not a surprise with the way the sports memorabilia industry is surging. The boom came, at least in part, because of at-home lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to multiple sources.
According to a report from eBay, trading card sales jumped 142% year-over-year in 2020, including Pokémon cards, which the Man Cave deals as well. In the first half of 2021, eBay saw $2 billion in card
transactions, according to an August release after the company acquired trading card marketplace TCGplayer for $295 million.
Goldin, a leading company in trading cards and sports collectibles, sold $330 million in collectibles during 2021, more than tripling its 2020 total, according to Fox Business.
In August, a 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card sold for $12.6 million, making it the most valuable card in the world. It nearly doubled the previous record of $6.6 million set by a Honus Wagner card last year.
There also are now apps that offer investors the chance to buy into high-priced memorabilia, such as Rally and Collectable.
While Smith said prices have started to dip a bit in recent months, collectors are still looking for the right pieces. He doesn’t see that changing anytime soon.
“Sports as a whole seem more popular than ever, there seems to be a strong draw and people get favorite players, teams and want to collect that,” he said. “People spend their whole lives collecting cards, and I’m not knocking it, I did it for years, and we scratch that itch.”
Chris Prins, an adviser with DAR Commercial, helped Man Cave find its second location in Greenville. He said the area is incredibly active at the moment, with lots of new retailers and restaurants opening in the past three years, including Hobby Lobby, Skechers, Planet Fitness, Marshalls, Starbucks, Aldi and a “handful of locals.”
“It has to do with pulling from such a wide radius,” Prins said. “It is different than most retail hubs, as its radius is 20-plus miles.”
This report first appeared in the Grand Rapids Business Journal.
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