Hubmen Sports Cards Enjoys Successful Grand Opening
By Andy Buckner
Small, tight-knit communities such as Jordan are fertile ground for strong tradition. Knowing this, two Jordan residents are setting out to revitalize a classic American tradition in the community: trading cards. Specifically, hobbyists Nick Christoffer and Nick Metcalf are providing a space in Jordan’s historic downtown that they hope will become a hub for sports cards enthusiasts both young and old.
Hubmen Sports Cards - named after the local boys sports mascot - enjoyed a massively successful grand opening this past weekend. Bicycles were parked all around the 200 block of Water Street, and families flocked in as soon as the doors opened at noon on Saturday - some coming from as far as Minneapolis. It was an eye-popping spectacle - one that suggests Christoffer and Metcalf are well on their way to popularizing a once-diminishing hobby for a new generation while re-energizing the passion for the hobby in the generation that first popularized it.
“My generation, we were the ones that loved it 20 years ago. Now we’re older. We’ve got kids, and the market’s really boomed with social media,” Christoffer said.
Social media has been especially paramount in making an endeavor such as this likely to succeed. Online influencers have collectively gained millions of followers by putting the hobby under a microscope, increasing the nationwide interest in this special form of connection with the world of sports.
“The cards are something you can touch and hold, it’s a piece of art really. And they have such cool cards today, too - with jerseys and signatures,” Christoffer said, highlighting how the hobby has evolved over the years, “You’re really touching a piece of history sometimes.”
The passion that this hobby can stir up was evident in the shop this past weekend. Many kids and parents could be seen flocked around tables discovering and comparing cards, occasionally asking Metcalf for help in researching the potential value of the cards they had bought in packs and hobby boxes.
To understand the massive earning potential for those who partake in the hobby, one need not look further back than March of this year. That is when a 1-of-1 rookie card of Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes - which featured Skenes’ signature and a patch from the jersey he wore in his major league debut - sold at auction for $1.11 million. It was a life-changing acquisition for the 11-year-old fan who pulled it from a pack they had received as a Christmas gift.
Some of the most valuable cards currently available for purchase at the store are the Panini “Downtown” cards featuring budding football stars Jayden Daniels, Brock Bowers, Rome Odunze, and Jordan Love. Those cards were personally pulled from a hobby box by Christoffer and range from $400-1500 in value. Of course, the appeal of trading cards goes far beyond any dollar value. Just ask Christoffer.
“Value can be ranked very differently than just the (dollar) value. I can look at a card and see when my dad took me to the shop 20 years ago,” the shop’s co-owner said. “That card could be just a dollar, but to me it’s priceless.”
To go along with the priceless experiences that come with trading cards, there are many practical skills to be gained from partaking in the hobby. To be a successful card trader, one must learn how to properly research and evaluate cards and barter for what they deem to be fair deals. Whether they are consciously aware of it or not, those kids surrounding the tables of Hubmen Sports Cards are learning valuable life skills, which is not lost on the owners of the store.
“There’s some personal skills I think we can instill in kids and young adults that can help with other things in life,” Christoffer said. He and Metcalf will be making themselves available for private consultations and transactions with collectors and will soon be offering Professional Sports Authenticator valuations to customers. The owners of the store intend to make the benefits of this experience accessible to all.
“We want to make this space for everybody. We don’t want you to feel intimidated if you don’t know anything about (cards),” Christoffer said.
If the individual cards, packs, or hobby boxes for sale in the store are not a huge draw for someone, there are still aspects of the store that can appeal to anyone around town. There are arcade games to be enjoyed, sporting events broadcasted on the shop’s televisions, and local sports merchandise that can be purchased. All of this feeds into Christoffer and Metcalf’s vision of the shop being primarily a place where members of the community can come together and enjoy a shared experience.
“The initial vision is to provide a place that people can come and hang out,” Christoffer said.
Local sports is another strong small town tradition that goes along nicely with the store’s primary focus. Recognizing this, Hubmen Sports Cards offers custom-made merchandise thanks to the efforts of Metcalf’s wife Julie, who has extensive experience in that department. A patron can peruse the shelves of the store for local sports merchandise or create their own custom apparel on a computer in the store.
Following the example of similar stores that have helped them begin this endeavor such as Absolute Sports Cards in Savage and The Card Farmers in Marshall, Christoffer and Metcalf see massive potential for the store to have an impact on the community, just like a certain basketball player that shares a name with the town was able to impact his sport.
“Whenever I heard Jordan, I always thought of Michael Jordan,” Christoffer said of the time before he and his wife moved to the city.
Just over a half-hour’s drive from the shop, Anthony Edwards has been evoking memories of the Bulls legend at Target Center. Christoffer credits that as being another major factor in the local interest that Hubmen Sports Cards hopes to feed into.
Just like the Timberwolves superstar is doing for the team’s supporters, Hubmen Sports Cards is sparking new life into the community of Jordan. Whether a grown-up enjoying a trip down memory lane or a child connecting to their passions on a different level, Hubmen Sports Cards has arrived to provide an experience that can not only put more money in the pockets of patrons, but also promises to provide greater value that can only be quantified in the hearts and minds of those living in this quaint small town for years to come.
Hubmen Sports Cards is located at 225 Water Street, Jordan, MN 55352. They are open Thursdays and Fridays from 4-8 PM, Saturdays from 12-6 PM, and Sundays from 12-4 PM. For more information, visit their website: www.hubmensports.com
