COUNTDOWN TO THE NATIONAL: Sports card dealer, hobby veteran Lisa Stellato a mentor for female hobbyists

Lisa Stellato, a longtime sports fan and softball player who still remembers buying packs of baseball cards as a kid, is celebrating 40 years in the collectibles industry.

She sold cards for the first time at a show in 1983, only offering her doubles, though she had a lot to offer.

“I had just graduated from college and decided to see what the show was all about,” said Stellato, who made about $1,100 at that 1983 show, which, at the time, “was a lot of money.”

She said it was “so cool” to sell the cards she didn’t need and make some decent cash.

“I started to display at more card shows, perhaps once every three months or so. I was hooked,” she said.

“I expanded and started opening packs, going to more shows; the industry was beginning to grow rapidly. I sold cards part-time while I worked as an art director for an advertising agency, and then a math teacher.”

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Stellato jumped into the hobby full time in 1989, starting Never Enough Cards, Inc.

“Shows were more [commonplace] and I started to travel to more of them,” Stellato said. “I did the tradition of breaking vending cases of Topps, selling in Sports Collectors Digest and started to grow fast. In 1991, my partner, Linn, and I traveled together as much as we could since most of my weekends were playing softball. We continued to grow as a company and soon our apartment looked like a warehouse of cards.

“We decided to open an office and settled in a place that had retail space and an office. We opened our store in 1992. It was exciting and hard at times, juggling traveling to shows, having a retail location and my No. 1 love, playing softball. We opened the store quickly and soon learned about retail as we got broken into and most of our inventory was stolen. It was tough, but we picked ourselves up, restocked and were determined not to get down.”

Stellato still has the block that was thrown through the window to gain access to the store.

“I continued to travel as Linn maintained the store and we continued to grow … . Five, 10, 15 years went by so quickly.

“Around 2010, I met Stu Williams [and] we hit it off as friends. He was in the industry but our business strategies were different. He sold different products than I did, but after a little, we realized that together, we could really make an impact on our business and this industry as a group.

“It was one of the best decisions I made to partner with Stu. We grew rapidly, having a stronger show presence together. We also started selling and promoting online sports card sales, which continues to be the strong point for our business strategy today.”

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Her brick-and-mortar store closed in 2019, primarily due to the strength of online sales.

“It was a sad day, but it was the correct decision. We had the store for 29 years. It was a great run, but we knew we had to change to a different chapter of our business, focusing on where we thought the industry was headed, which was selling online,” Stellato said. “We stand together today, the three of us, Stu, Linn and me, still going strong and loving every minute.”

Now 62 and living in Rocky Point, N.Y., Stellato is a hobby veteran and one of the friendliest and most knowledgeable hobbyists in the industry. She is the owner of Never Enough Cards, Inc./Evolution Sports Marketing — and a seller at the annual National Sports Collectors Convention for 33 years.

Her specialty is player collectors as she sells countless player cards, including rookies and more. She also has high-end cards, but a limited supply. Plus, she has a solid toy business, though most of those sales are on Amazon.

“The hobby is my life, and has been for more than 40 years,” Stellato said. “I care about what happens to [the hobby], things that affect it good or bad, and try to make a difference.

“A lot of people say you are just selling cardboard, but I think of it as trying to be a part of something to give memories of special events that have happened, or enjoyable times of starting to collect their favorite player or team, starting a hobby with mom, dad or a family member. Sharing collections with friends and families. Even today, as I sort through thousands of cards weekly, I stop and see some cards that just amaze me, some cards I have never seen, or something that brings back a memory or a smile. To me, that is not just cardboard.”

Stellato is dedicated to the hobby, working almost daily into the wee hours of the night and morning, sorting cards, fulfilling orders or just preparing for her next show.

The hobby is rewarding, and not just from a financial standpoint.

“To be able to do something, make a fair living and look forward to going to work after doing it for so long means I found what I think I was meant to do,” she said. “Being in this industry for so long, I have seen it all. The ups and the downs, multiple times, but if you like what you do, you find a way.

“You cannot be afraid of change or trying things. Failure is not failure unless you did not try. I always thought that the longer I was in this business the easier it would get and the less you would have to work, but I was wrong. I work more hours now than ever but if you really love what you do, is it really work? I love to work, so, for me, I am still going strong.

“I have grown over the years to be a much better businessperson. I hope that I have been smart enough to learn from mistakes made and take something from them from which I can learn. A successful business is not only when it thrives or when things are easy, such as during the pandemic. A successful business is one where you figure out what to do and decisions and strategies that need to be made when the business is changing, or the industry has changed and you need to adjust.

“As a person, I hope I have remained who I always have strived to be: a person who tries to see the best in people, tries to be there when needed and one who treats people the same as they would want to be treated.”

Stellato is excited for yet another National in Chicago, though she knows that means days, er, weeks beforehand with little or no sleep as she prepares, and then nonstop action and sales for five days. Lunch for Stellato during The National is a five-minute break from business to scarf down a sandwich.

“We bring something for everyone, no matter what the age [of the collector]. We expect it to be busy and look forward to all the collectors we get a chance to see,” said Stellato, whose first-ever National was, ironically, the biggest ever: the 1991 edition in Anaheim, Calif., which drew around 100,000 frenzied collectors.

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Softball was her connection to the sold-out ’91 National, thanks to longtime show director Jack Petruzzelli, who also had a passion for softball.

“He must have taken a liking to me and called to ask if I would like to come out to the show; we also had a corner spot, two tables, [which was] pretty much unheard of for a first-timer,” Stellato said. “That show was insane. It was our first National, so we really did not know what to expect. We were overwhelmed. We were selling new cards and I remember sending Linn to the wax sellers to buy boxes [of baseball] cards. We then opened them up right there as fast as we could as people lined up at the booth waiting to get the cards we just opened. There must have been 40 people at the booth most of the time. It truly was insane. We collected sales so fast and furious we just threw [the cash] into a cardboard box.

“The ’91 National jumpstarted us to making a career in this industry. I have great memories of ’91.”

Decades later, Stellato has seen countless changes to the showcase event of the sports memorabilia industry. The pandemic had a big impact on The National and the industry. The Breakers Pavilion also was a game-changer for The National, she said.

“It would be kind of cool to see some of the [advances] done like at a Comic-Con, maybe panels with ballplayers sharing stories, maybe [baseball] panels and demonstrations on hitting and pitching, techniques and advice, maybe events like the opportunity to catch a pass [from a former football player],” she said. “Comic-cons across the country offer such a variety [of events] along with great selling trade shows.

“I also would like to see more participation from female athletes in the autograph pavilion.”

Houston-based TRISTAR Productions, Inc., once again runs the autograph pavilion at this year’s National. Numerous female athletes will be signing at the show, including IMPACT Wrestling stars Gail Kim, Deonna Purrazzo, Rosemary, Jessicka, Taylor Wilde, KiLynn King, Masha Slamovich and Gisele Shaw.

Also appearing will be Angel Reese, the LSU basketball standout who led her team to the 2023 NCAA Women's National Championship and was named the 2023 Most Outstanding Player.

Stellato’s 2023 National offerings will again include Legos and collectible toys. Also, she added, “we may bring large boxes [filled] with hidden gems, all priced the same and waiting for those bargain hunters to dig through. Those boxes will be loaded with stars, Hall of Famers and rookies.”

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Stellato said being one of the major, prominent female dealers in the hobby has been challenging and difficult, but she is grateful to have survived as long as she has in the collectibles game.

“When I first started, there was very little women representation, if any, [maybe just] a few wives with husbands [who were dealers],” she said. “We had many shows that I was told [the customer] would wait for my husband or not bother looking at what I had or even were disrespectful. But I took it in stride. Soon those collectors realized there was not going to be a husband and that I had items they wanted.

“Over time, it got better, and I am so grateful that I have been able to be a part of this industry, trying to make a difference. I enjoy what I am witnessing now with the number of women who are part of this hobby, such as Janyce Mabra from TRISTAR, who has been so instrumental for decades in our industry. Few people know that Donruss was once owned by a woman and run mostly by women. Gloria Rothstein ran the best shows on the East Coast for years. These women [and others] made it through the tough times in a [traditionally] male-dominated hobby.

“Today, it is no longer a man’s hobby, as we have many well-respected women in the hobby [such as] Sara Layton, Tai Fauci, Sharon and Shevon [BlackJaded Wolf], Julie Develin, Kristin Thorson, Stephanie Garcia [Mama Breaks], and others.

“I am so fortunate to still be in this industry with [so many other females], witnessing the great accomplishments all have achieved.”

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Stellato added: “We have made great strides [for women in the hobby], but we still need to continue moving forward. Gaining the respect that we deserve from the collecting community is extremely important, yet something we all should have. Education is the key to that. These are exciting times [for women in sports], and we are heading in the right direction.”

Stellato’s personal collection is anchored around Legos, which she’s built. In fact, she converted a room in her house to a Lego room. “I just wish I had more time to build,” she said.

Building memories is something she always does at The National, and will do again when the showcase event is held July 26-30 in Rosemont, Ill.

“My favorite part of attending The National is that I get to see people I have known for 33 years. The National is like a family reunion,” she said. “I think about how I got started [at The National], the success and growth, the changes, the mistakes, the accomplishments, the learning and the extremely fortunate position that I am still around to be able to enjoy more to come.”