Sports Memorabilia Dealers
AAN Collect fills need for local card shop in central New York
If you read my introductory column last year you know the importance of local card shops is not lost on me, especially in the central New York area where we have a void.
For Episode 222 of the Sports Card Nation podcast, I recently made the 45-minute trek to a new LCS in New Hartford, N.Y. owned by my friend Nick Brower.
AAN Collect is located in a busy strip mall. Upon entering the store the vast inventory was immediately apparent.
Brower carries an impressive amount of sports wax but also stocks a great line of Pokémon and gaming wax as well. He also has one of the largest Funko figure inventories I've ever seen in person. If that wasn't enough, he also carries non-Funko figures. On the East wall are certified autographed jerseys and memorabilia available for purchase as well.
Business has been so brisk early on that he's considering expanding the shop's footprint into the vacant retail space next door.
I asked Nick, aside from the impressive inventory, what does he attribute his early success to? He said it's the location and the collectors in the area, but I also know it's his attention to detail and willingness to appeal to and help all collectors and serve all the different facets and ages of the hobby.
His pricing is not only attractive to collectors and fellow dealers alike, his three daughters are a constant reminder how important kids are to him, his business and the future of the hobby.
So what led him to the launch of AAN Collect in 2023? As a 6-year-old, he took notice of both of his uncle's card collections. His first foray into retail was setting up at mall shows of the ’90s and wheeling and dealing with his fellow dealers.
Like many he took a pause but returned in 2008 to a much different looking hobby. He threw his hat into breaking in 2010 on BlogTV and was one of the early breakers. In 2019 he headed up the launch of a full-time LCS by setting up products in vendor mall locations.
Last year we met up at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City, so I asked him if a trip to The National in Chicago this year would be more difficult now with a full-time store. He said it was 50/50 but iffy.
However, his super supportive wife ran the store for the first time while we both set up at the New York State Fairgrounds show. She passed with flying colors so maybe a rendezvous to the Windy City is not off the card table.
— John Newman is a collector, dealer and the host of the Sports Card Nation podcast. Catch his Hobby Quick Hits on Monday and his guest interviews on Friday on your favorite podcast platform. You can reach him at sportscardnationpc@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ sportscardnati1
