How Matty Rich is Transforming the Trading Card Hobby

Summary

Trading Cards & Collectibles Podcast

Episode: How Matty Rich is Transforming the Trading Card Hobby

Date: September 23, 2025

Host: Ryan Alford (Radcast Network)

Guest: Matty Rich (Owner, Brian Sports Cards & More)

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Overview

This episode dives into the evolving landscape of the trading card and collectibles hobby through the lens of top South Carolina retailer Matty Rich. Host Ryan Alford explores how Matty is redefining what a local card shop can be—shifting from pure retail to an experience-driven community hub. They cover the business’s joys and demands, hobby culture, breaking, collecting trends, and the future of cards (physical and digital alike).

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Creating an Experience—Not Just a Store

• Matty Rich’s Vision: Matty didn’t set out just to open a shop; he created a welcoming experience for new and veteran collectors alike.
  • "I didn’t want to create a store. I wanted to create an experience..." (01:54, Matty Rich)
• Community Focus: From the beginning, he wanted Greenville to have a place where people could gather, connect, and savor the hobby outside of online spaces.

2. The Role of Customer Service and Inclusivity

• Changing the Narrative from the 'Old Guard': Matty emphasizes treating all customers with care, not just big spenders—a contrast to previous generations of card shops.
  • “I don’t care how much you come in and spend. I love every single kid... I’m going to treat you the same way as the guy that comes in and spends a thousand dollars.” (05:13, Matty Rich)
• Longtime Commitment: Matty’s customer service roots run deep, with 20 years’ experience before returning to cards full-time.

3. Building a Physical Community in a Digital Age

• The Store as an Escape: Matty’s shop intentionally avoids divisive topics, focusing on happiness and camaraderie.
  • “We want this to be an escape from the real world... make it a happy place.” (07:55, Matty Rich)
• In-Store Dynamics: Visitors become friends, average visits run over an hour, and spontaneous trades and connections happen daily.

4. The Surprise Diversity of Collectors

• Collectors span all demographics: “You can’t look at someone and tell they’re a collector... The guy you think will spend a dollar, spends $500.” (10:51, Matty Rich)
• Pokémon popularity reaches across all ages, even non-players collecting for art, nostalgia, and personal taste.

5. The Treasure Hunt & Nostalgia

• The Emotional Draw: The thrill of opening packs, hunting for hits, and reliving childhood memories anchors the hobby.
  • “Opening a pack of cards brings you right back to your childhood... It’s almost kind of like a treasure hunt.” (13:34, Matty Rich)

6. Business Mechanics and Sourcing Product

• Getting Stock Is Hard: Sourcing product is the toughest part, requiring networking, hustle, and relationships with distributors and other shop owners.
  • "The hardest part of the business is sourcing product." (16:09, Matty Rich)
• Earning Retailer Status: Becoming an official Topps dealer “represents excellence”—not every shop qualifies.

7. Breaking: The Rise of Live Stream Sales & Community

• Explaining Breaking: Matty shares how he started with live group breaks—selling slots in expensive boxes so more people could participate for less money.
  • “Breaking is an online show... one person can buy that thousand dollar box... or you can do a group break..." (16:50, Matty Rich)
• Community + Transparency: All cards are opened live on camera for transparency. It’s as much about the experience as the cards.
• Huge Market: The business is big—Matty knows breakers doing “over a million dollars a month in sales.” (21:02, Matty Rich)
• Live Shopping Evolution: Platforms like Whatnot and Fanatics Live gamify live sales, making it social, interactive, and fun.

8. Transitioning from Breaks to Retail

• Human Connection: Matty left full-time breaking for retail to reconnect face-to-face, valuing relationships over isolation.
  • “I wanted to be around people again. The only time I was around people was at a show...” (24:09, Matty Rich)

9. The Challenge of Expansion

• Scaling the Family Experience: The shop is family-owned/run, and Matty recognizes the difficulty of duplicating that intimate experience across locations.

10. The Future—Physical vs. Digital Collectibles

• Industry Growth: Projections see the market 5x in five years; Matty’s bullish as Topps and Fanatics innovate.
• Physical vs. Digital: The digital craze (NFTs, Top Shot) had its moment, but many want tangible cards in hand.
  • “A lot of guys... want to hold that physical asset... as opposed to pushing, playing a computer and watching LeBron make a layup and saying, I own that.” (29:31, Matty Rich)
• The Hybrid Approach: Some video games are introducing collectibles to a new generation; the digital-physical “and” is gaining traction.

11. Trade Nights & Youth Development

• Kids are major participants at trade nights, handling big trades and learning real-world business and social skills.
• Deeper Than Cards: Card shops impart real experiences—money management, negotiation, interpersonal skills—to kids.
  • “It’s so much bigger than cards, man. I love every aspect of the hobby, really do.” (33:08, Matty Rich)

12. Long-Term Ethics

• Matty credits his success to hard work, honesty, and “playing the long game,” sharing that newfound transparency and integrity are key to building trust.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Creating Community and Joy:
  • “We want everyone to feel at home... It’s an escape from the real world.” (07:55, Matty Rich)
• On the Joys of Collecting:
  • “If you’re not collecting nothing, you’re collecting dust, baby.” (13:23, Matty Rich)
• On The Power of Physical Cards:
  • "...when you look at a Pokémon card, it is like staring at a piece of art." (12:25, Ryan Alford)
• On Live Breaking as Business:
  • “I have a friend right now that makes over a million dollars a month breaking.” (21:05, Matty Rich)
• On Doing the Right Thing:
  • “It’s so easy to do the right thing when everyone’s watching, but what are you doing when no one's watching?” (33:22, Matty Rich)
• On Running a Family Business:
  • "It's really hard to duplicate... our store's personality, which consists of me and my family." (26:13, Matty Rich)
• On the Hobby’s Deeper Value:
  • “You’re teaching children the value of a tangible asset... learning interaction and social skills. That takes a lot for a 12-year-old to walk up to a man like you and say, 'Excuse me, sir, would you like to buy this card from me?'” (32:26, Matty Rich)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:54 – Matty describes his goal to create an “experience,” not just a store
• 04:49 – Ryan and Matty contrast old shops with Matty’s inclusive approach
• 07:55 – Matty emphasizes the shop’s role as a joyful community escape
• 10:51 – The diversity and unpredictability of collectors’ backgrounds
• 13:23 – The essence of collecting and nostalgia
• 16:09 – The challenge of sourcing product and building supplier relationships
• 16:50-18:49 – Matty explains group breaking and its evolution
• 21:02 – Massive financial scale of breaking businesses
• 24:09 – Why Matty transitioned from breaking to retail for human connection
• 26:13 – Challenges of expansion and the importance of family in the business
• 28:11-29:43 – The future: industry growth, physical vs. digital collectibles, and market trends
• 32:26 – The educational and developmental benefits of the hobby for kids
• 33:22 – Importance of ethics, honesty, and long-term reputation in the business

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The Hobby Lives Here—Conclusion

Matty Rich exemplifies the new wave of trading card entrepreneurship, focused as much on fostering empathy and community as chasing profit. His story spotlights how meaningful the card hobby can be: a place for nostalgia, learning, friendship, and personal connection. Whether you’re a veteran collector, a parent with kids, or curious about today’s booming scene, Rich’s approach and this episode offer both inspiration and tangible insight into why “the hobby lives here.”

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Find Matty Rich and Brian Sports Cards on Instagram (@bryan_sports_cards), Facebook, and at their Greenville, SC location (500 Congaree Road, Unit 8102).

(Ad/Outro and non-content sections omitted as requested.)

Transcript

[Maddie Rich]

I feel that just about everybody is collecting something. Opening a pack of cards brings you right back to your childhood.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

And that's why I want to make it fun for the kids so they have those good memories. That's almost kind of like a treasure hunt in some ways.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Welcome to the Trading Cards and Collectibles podcast on the Radcast Network. From chasing grails to calling bluffs and going inside the hobby, are you ready to collect? Let's get at it. Here is your host, Ryan Alford.

What's up, guys? Welcome to Right about now in our special series on trading cards. Look, when you have a number one show, you get to have guilty pleasures and talk about what you want.

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

But when it's one of the hottest industries in America that might be. I don't know that it's undercover anymore. I think. I think the cat's out of the bag. Tom Brady brought it out alone last week, if nothing else. But nonetheless, we're continuing our series on talking the trading card business, bringing you. Hey, we take the BS out of business, baby. It wasn't really the intent, but it's working out that we're going to have, like, all three levels of the business, from producer to distributor to retailer. And you know what? I live in the wonderful state of South Carolina and got a number one show. That's why I like to go to number one, the number one retailer and shop in South Carolina. We got Maddie Rich in studio.

[Maddie Rich]

Number one's got to stick together, my brother.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I know. Let's go. Love having you here, man. It's been great getting to know Maddie and his family. Wonderful family. Like, I love the business, and I'd probably like Maddie anyway because my kids are into cards and we go in there. But since the moment I walked in, I was like, this is where I want to do business. And the best shop in the best city in South Carolina. I. Brian's Trading Cards and more.

[Maddie Rich]

Brian's Sports Cards.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Sports cards and more.

[Co-host]

All right.

[Maddie Rich]

Yes.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

We got it. I'm throwing it off.

[Maddie Rich]

And that was one of the things when I started, I didn't want to create a store. I wanted to create an experience.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, I was doing the breaking. I was setting up at shows for years before that. And I just got tired of being in the house and being in the office and being around nobody.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, talking to everybody through the phone and the camera all night. So that's why I. I had to give Greenville this experience.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It's, you know, when you. When you grow up, like, when I grow up, you know, I'm living through my kids eyes now and my own eyes.

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

You know, rekindled in it, you know, rekindled my flame and my wallet. But nonetheless, you know, the idea that you'd own a trading card store growing up, I don't know if you collect. Did you collect when you were a kid?

[Maddie Rich]

I did my whole life.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Okay. Isn't that the dream come true?

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah. Oh, it's work.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It's work.

[Maddie Rich]

Let's not get it confused. It is worse.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It isn't bubble gum and cracker.

[Maddie Rich]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Still work. But there's a lot worse things to do.

[Maddie Rich]

Oh, oh, there's a lot worse things to do, for sure. I mean, but. But this is a. A 24 hour, 365 job. I mean, every holiday, every night, it doesn't matter. My phone is going off. There's always some kind of a business that we can be working on.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It is. And it's fascinating because I'll text Maddie about something. I have an idea. Or just be like, hey, man, you got to eat those new whatever, you know, So I can only imagine times a thousand or who knows how many people. Matty knows everybody because everybody's got a silent, you know, it's for some trading cards, but always probably trying to get you into some deal or like, hey, they found a car. Do they find something? I mean.

[Maddie Rich]

Well, that's why I had to get another phone line, just for people to send in pictures of what they wanted to sell.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

Because my phone was going crazy, my Instagram was going crazy, my Facebook was going crazy. I said, okay, we're going to confine this to one phone, one line, and get this thing under control. And I check it two or three or one time a week, but I check it. Yeah, it's being checked.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

All right. That's all that matters. Collectibles show is where you'll find all of the channels and learn more about what we're doing. And ultimately, hey, we want to hear from you. You do case hitsollectibles show. I want you to send in your favorite pulls of the week. And here's the difference. This isn't about just value. Hey, we want to see some $10,000 hits. Had a couple myself a few months back. But it's not just about the value. It's about what you're collecting, what means something to you. Share a story, share a video of you holding up the card that you hit last week that was your favorite player and you Nailed it. So case hitsollectables show, send in those videos. I want to know the stories. We're going to bring them to life here on the show. We're going to do a segment each week once we get rolling and get some videos in where we share that on the show with us. We want to feature you on collectibles show. I've said this on a couple times. The local stores do a good job of this, but I grew up in the dealers for they were jerks.

[Maddie Rich]

Oh, they were the worst.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I remember feeling when I and, and I sit there like the first time I came in started Maggie and I hit it off and I remember like the way you talked to like my son and I was just sitting there going, this is the way it should be. I never felt the way my son felt in that moment. When I grew up, I didn't either I felt talked down to or I was annoying him.

[Maddie Rich]

You know why? Because we weren't spending big bucks. We were coming in with a couple dollars and we wanted a couple packs. So that's why we got treated like that. And that's one of the reasons why, you know, I don't care how much you come in and spend. I love every single kid that comes in there, man. Come in and spend a quarter and I'm going to treat you the same way as the guy that comes in and spends a thousand dollars.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

And you know what? Before I even knew Matty, you know, I was a, they call it mystery shopper. Like Maddie and I didn't know each other because I was there for 15 minutes, for 20 minutes because you're busy, like stuff going on and I'm just shopping. Look around. Rekindling is like, like first month back into the thing with the kids and I watched Maddie like I watched him. I wasn't the only thing I was doing, but very observant. And he's no different now that he knows me right and that I am a customer and a friend. But what I saw for 20 minutes for how you dealt with a busy store with a kid that's wanting to trade a Pokemon in the middle of non trade time and how you handled it, that's what sets you apart.

[Maddie Rich]

Thank you.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It's different.

[Maddie Rich]

That's the result of a few things. One of the things you said it was a dream job. One of the reasons it's a dream job is because of the way me and you were both treated when we went into those old grumpy men's shops when we were kids. It was A mess. There's stuff everywhere. No organization, but he knew where everything was. But we couldn't find anything. Right. We got treated horribly because we were kids spending a couple bucks. So it's, you know, it's. It's a result of dealing with that. Knowing the future of the. The hobby and the business is the kids taking interest as kids, so they're being treated the right way. And then I had 20 years of customer service before I got back into, you know, before I made sports cards of business again.

[Co-host]

Yeah. How.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

How many years are you into it?

[Maddie Rich]

I'm five years back in, but in and out my whole life, though.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

My collecting. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Everything else.

[Maddie Rich]

I mean, anything you can think of.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Matt, are you, like, the guy that just knows how to get stuff? I think I. I kind of. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Especially the stuff that's in that. Nostalgia collectibles and, you know. Yeah, I think that's it.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah, I can. I can find kind of whatever you need.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Yeah, I remember that. It is a unique experience that coming to the store, I'm always blown away by the stock. Every shelf is always full. It's like, in a world that. Especially as competitive as God, and I walk into some of these shops, and it's just like, what desert did I walk into? Like, it's barren because it's, you know, have a hard time getting stuff. But obviously you're moving stuff. But you always got stock open to people. Like, you know, the newest thing, you know, like, you encourage people, and they do. They're opening the cards there.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It almost feels like everybody in there feels like they're at home.

[Maddie Rich]

That's what we want. Yeah. We want everyone to feel at home. We want this to be an escape from the real world. So when we're in there, we don't really get into, you know, politics, religion, some of the subjects that can be a little touchy. I kind of ask the guys to leave that outside. That way we can just focus on sports and make it a happy place, you know, when you make it a happy place, it's an escape from the real world.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It is.

[Maddie Rich]

And I sit at that table. I mean, me, myself, I can sit at that table, and I might have a million things going through my mind, but when I sit down, open a box, and open a few packs and pull a few Benson, it changes. You know.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

If you're into sports cards at all, especially football cards, you'll get that joke. It's an inside joke. The hottest card in retail this year has been Jaden Daniels, 100% the rookie phenom and rookie of the year for the Washington.

[Maddie Rich]

Absolutely.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Commanders, when you're opening packs, you'll do the whole. Okay, look at the logo. The team.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah, because you're kind of called sweating it.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Yeah, you're sweating it.

[Maddie Rich]

Sweating.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

You're like, all right, all right. So you see that rookie sign and you see the Washington commander's logo or slow roll. The slow roll. Yeah. And it's. It's either jubilation or something. Not jubilation. When it becomes Benson, you know, it isn't an escape when you're. And you know, you've got the table set up, you got cards, you got the couch, you got tv.

[Maddie Rich]

I can't tell you how many people I've seen come in as strangers and become friends. Yeah, guys sitting there, someone told me the other day they looked my spot up on Google, and Google says the average person spends an hour and a half there.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

That's unbelievable. Having. We wouldn't do that about that amount of time last night there.

[Maddie Rich]

We wouldn't do that if we weren't creating a community.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Oh, yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, people are coming and hanging out and getting to know other people. You're meeting other people that partake in the same hobby who you can buy, sell, and trade with. I mean, that's what it's all about.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

And I literally sat there. I've sat there a couple times and usually buy stuff, but a couple times I didn't buy anything. But watching other people buy and the energy, yeah, it's fun.

[Maddie Rich]

It's a good time.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It's like you could charge admission. It's kind of like, like literally. I mean, I probably paid $5 to get in just to watch this kid. The sure elation of, you know, popping some Pokemon. That's $10 or whatever, you know, and there it's just joy.

[Maddie Rich]

And that's what it's all about for me. The interactions, meeting people, the face to face. I missed that when I was stuck in a room 12 hours a day.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Answer me this. You know, being at the retail level, five plus, I mean, your whole life in the business, but as a collector. But now, you know, five on retail at the number one shop in South Carolina.

[Maddie Rich]

Thank you. I accept that.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

What surprised you the most about this industry that maybe you didn't see coming?

[Maddie Rich]

The amount of people, the variety of people. It doesn't matter. Your age, sex, gender orientation. It doesn't matter who you are, what you have going on. You can't look at someone until they're a collector.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

No, you can't. You can do it with a lot of things, but not collecting.

[Maddie Rich]

And I'll tell you what else. You can't look at someone and tell what they're going to come in your store and spend. The guy you think is going to come in and spend a dollar spends 500. And the guy you think is going to come in and spend 500 spends a dollar.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Yeah, you never know.

[Maddie Rich]

You never know, man. And that's why it goes back to that. You have to treat everybody the same.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

Take care of everybody. Treat everybody right.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Pokemon. Well, we could have a. We could talk the whole episode on Pokemon. Like it's a. It's a thing. I mean, it's all a thing. Yeah, but Pokemon is. It's Pokemon is the one come out, blow you away. Who's collecting? Oh, I've been at Walmart looking at the shelf got blown over by grandma.

[Maddie Rich]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Like, you never know who's going to push you out of the way at Walmart for Pokemon. What is the Pokemon culture? What is that?

[Maddie Rich]

Is it.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I mean, is it just from the game and then now it's just become a pop culture?

[Maddie Rich]

And you know What? I'd say 90% of the people that come to my shop to buy Pokemon are not playing the game. They're just collectors. They don't even know how to play the game. But they like the art on the cards.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, they look put sets together or they like a certain type or a certain energy. There are so many different ways.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I like certain value.

[Maddie Rich]

A lot of people like certain values. I do.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I have grown to like the artwork. It's a weird thing. I mean. And look, as human beings, art is a big part of our society culture. And when you look at, like I'm looking at these guys and they've done a good job with football and all, but when you look at a Pokemon card, it is like staring at a piece art.

[Maddie Rich]

It really is.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I mean, it's, It's. There's so much detail and uniqueness. It really is the variations of color.

[Maddie Rich]

And then art cards are even huge right now. You have different artists putting out art cards. You have art cards selling for tens of thousands of dollars.

[Co-host]

Have you.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It's incredible thought to like as different as everyone is. And I think you probably talked about it as much escape as anything. But is there a variable that hangs it all together in this whole space of collectibles that you see? I mean, beyond the adult roller coaster, they're getting dried and the escapism. I mean, is there anything else, like, in the, like, collecting and the whole. I don't know.

[Maddie Rich]

We're just naturally collectors. I feel that just about everybody is collecting something. If you're not collecting nothing, you're collecting dust, baby. That's true.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

The fine line between collecting and hoarding is.

[Maddie Rich]

Right, Right. But it's a pastime. We need things to do to keep us busy. You could be spending money on a wheel. Lot worse things than a pack of cards. And, you know, for me and for a lot of guys that come into the shop, they always go back to the same thing. You know, opening a pack of cards brings you right back to your childhood.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

And that's why I want to make it fun for the kids so they have those good memories. It feels good opening that pack and looking to see if. It's almost kind of like a treasure hunt in some ways. You know, whether you're collecting all your team or a certain player or a numbered card or autograph card or just cards of value, it's almost like a treasure hunt every time you open a pack.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It's true. And transitioning back to the business side of it.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Even if you spent five and it's worth two, it has value.

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

So it's not just a scratch off card that is either worth 20 or nothing. Exactly. You know, like, it has value that can increase.

[Maddie Rich]

And I want to add on to that. When you get a scratch off that's worth nothing, you can throw it away.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

When you open a pack of cards and nothing in there seems valuable to you, you can just throw them in a box, forget about them for two years. And when you go back through that box in two years, you're gonna find something in there and say, man, he was nobody two years ago.

[Co-host]

Yep.

[Maddie Rich]

So it's like, yeah, you might not have the value that you want right here and now when you open that box, but two years from now, who's to tell what's going to be what and who's going to be who?

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

The thrill of the chase.

[Maddie Rich]

Exactly.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

And. And. But the potential. The potential, you know, because that's what's there. Talking with Maddie Rich. He is the owner of Brian Sports Cards and More here in Greenville, the number one shop in South Carolina.

[Maddie Rich]

Thank you, sir.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Top dealer soon to be. I mean, he might as well be everybody dealer. I know you're an official tops dealer, but. And that they don't hand those out easily. Understand? Those don't just come. Like, you don't just buy Those at Walmart.

[Maddie Rich]

Very true. Hard work, networking and having the, the right setup and the right kind of service.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

Because Tops, Tops represents excellence. They're not going to just put their name on any kind of shop. You know, if you're not treating people right, if your store is not clean and organized, that's not what they're looking for.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

The name of the game is getting stock. I mean that's, isn't it? I mean this popular stuff is. And so you've got to do things the right way and make the relationships. I mean, talk about that side of the business.

[Maddie Rich]

That's very true. The hardest part of the the business is sourcing product. And you know, I dealt with that since I was a breaker. I'd go to the big shows across the country and network, meet people, introduce myself to people, take business cards, follow up with those business cards and really just shake hands and, and create relationships. Hey, listen, I'm here for you if I can help you with anything. And you never know who's going to be able to help me at the same time.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

You started in breaking. Started breaking on the business side.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Fascinating industry.

[Maddie Rich]

It really is like it's sub segment.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Of the whole thing.

[Maddie Rich]

Oh, wow.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Describe for our audience that's learning about the business.

[Maddie Rich]

So basically breaking is a online show. You know, you would have an audience of potential customers and you would have a box. Let's say this box is $1,000 box. Now. Yeah. One person can buy that thousand dollar box and open it up for themselves. Or you can do a group break. You can sell teams, you can sell spots, you can sell divisions. We what I liked to do was sell 10 spots and each of those 10 spots would get three random teams. Once we have it full, we'll run a randomizer and give each spot their three random teams and we'll open up the box giving each person every card from the three teams that they own.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

So if I got the packers, the Panthers and the Bears. Exactly as my teams, you're opening up every pack in that box live on camera. Live on camera.

[Maddie Rich]

Yes, sir.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

So everybody's seeing it. There's transparency.

[Maddie Rich]

Exactly.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

They know what you're getting.

[Maddie Rich]

Full transparency.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

And as one of those team, you know, players comes up, whoever it is.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

They get every card associated with that team.

[Maddie Rich]

Exactly.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

So it allows the person buying it the fun and excitement of that experience in a live platform.

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Combined with, well, they didn't have to spend a thousand dollars.

[Maddie Rich]

That's the key.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It makes it affordable for them to have the Thrill of the chase of stock that probably isn't just readily available.

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

And that kind of what it is all about.

[Maddie Rich]

And in that situation, they can get into 10 different breaks instead of buying that $1,000 box.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

Increasing their odds of I've done cases. On the flip side of that, you might not be the guy that gets the big card, but you were still a part of that box. It's just a great experience. We did that for four years. I did it 3. 65. I was in the office.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

How were you sourcing product?

[Maddie Rich]

Any which way I could.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

I was buying from stores across the country.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

My retail was locked down. You couldn't get from Walmart back then because I was getting everything.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Really?

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah. I had the guy's number and this was one of the ways I really got started by meeting the guy who stocked three different Walmarts and he would meet me in the toy section to give me all the sports cards.

[Co-host]

Wow.

[Maddie Rich]

And they never even hit the shelf.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I mean, you have to do what.

[Maddie Rich]

You have to do.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

I go to the register, I'd pay for all my stuff and I'd be able to go home and break it. But I was, you know, and of course I was paying him for taking care of me.

[Co-host]

Sure.

[Maddie Rich]

But still, it was a lot cheaper than finding it from one of the major retailer distributors online.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Because everything gets marked up.

[Maddie Rich]

It's so hard to find.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

And imagine during COVID when everyone was stuck in the house, it was even harder to find. And prices with the distributors would change by the. By the minute. You'd have to call them, find out the pricing and put in your order right then. Because if you say, let me think about it, I'll call you back in an hour. Prices went up in that hour. It was volatile. It was like a stock.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

That's the truth. That's how it is still now.

[Maddie Rich]

It kind of is. Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It may not be as volatile, but it's definitely the stuff that gets hot.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

You know.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah. Like blasters that are $30. If you can find them on the shelf. Well, resell them for a hundred dollars.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

That's what's happening right now.

[Maddie Rich]

That's what's happening right now.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Optic, if you can find it, it's 35 at Walmart or Target and. But reselling for 80 to 120. And the megas are 65 retail going for 131 50. I mean it's like double.

[Maddie Rich]

That's just an example of going through the ranks and working your way up anything in life you do and you work hard for it's going to pay off.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

And I just continue to network and I'm not satisfied with where I'm at right now. I'm still growing. I have one shop right now. I'd like more shops.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I think people need to understand how much. You don't say how much you were making. Break.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah, but breaking is a whole different animal.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I know you know some big numbers, but like it's. There's a lot of money there.

[Maddie Rich]

There's so much money breaking.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

If you got product.

[Maddie Rich]

I have a friend right now that makes over a million dollars a month. Breaking.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

How many rooms does he have going? 12 million a year. Is that take home profit or like revenue?

[Maddie Rich]

Sales.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Total Sales total. Okay.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Still I would be doing 10, 12 million in sales. I imagine that he's making at least what, 20, 30, a couple million himself.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Has to. Right, Right.

[Maddie Rich]

I knew a guy during COVID that was making 2 million a month. He was the absolute biggest breaker during COVID This is before what? Not Fanatics Live and all the other platforms started. All we were doing is going live on Instagram or YouTube.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Well, that's the interesting. The platforms have evolved and this is the live shopping component that I've been talking about for 10 years that would eventually hit here. I didn't know that it would come through this channel necessarily as one of the proliferators of it.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Because it's been a little bit of slow like compared to like Asia and some of the other countries where life shopping has been huge.

[Maddie Rich]

Really.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

The US has been a little slow like overall as a category, but trading cards are ushering in a whole different thing. But oh yeah, I do think it's a dual part of it. It's the retail, the access, but it's the experience. It is surprise and the surprise and delight and the camaraderie and like there's a lot of components going on that is beyond just a transaction.

[Maddie Rich]

Well, no, the breaker has to have a personality.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You have to understand the breaker is performing. The breaker is putting on a show. He's there talking about stuff that people want to hear about. He's a salesman. He's getting his stuff going. He's ralling it up. Some of these guys sound like auctioneers. I mean, it's crazy. You tap in on all those different channels, you're going to get something different.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

But the guys that are really excelling in it, they have great personalities, obviously have great product.

[Co-host]

Yep.

[Maddie Rich]

And are working Their butts off.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

And you've got whatnot is now growing.

[Maddie Rich]

What not has grown from just cards to sneakers, vintage clothing, handbags, commodities like gold and silver.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

You get in there and you've got not only the breaks like what Maddie did. I mean, they've got. And we've done this with the boys, like selling singles, whatever.

[Maddie Rich]

You can do that too.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

They do, they've. They got like little timers. So you get people auction, like live auction. Right.

[Maddie Rich]

That's exactly what it is. You know, and some people will take like graded cards and make repacks and sell repacks.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, there's just so many ways that you can sell things on whatnot. On fanatics Live, they have spinning wheels that will randomly select your teams for you.

[Co-host]

Yep.

[Maddie Rich]

I mean, they make it fun.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It is fun.

[Maddie Rich]

And it's very easy to just swipe and buy that team. And then when you check at the end of the night, that money comes right out of your bank account.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Oh, they got it. It's like too easy. One slide in there. It's like, you know, if you think Amazon's quick and fast, it's like one swipe, one swipe, baby. So we transit. What made you go from breaks to. To retail?

[Maddie Rich]

You know, when I was breaking, I was, I was happy. I had no overhead and I was doing really good financially. I'm a people person, Ryan.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

I got tired of sitting in the house by myself, running back and forth from this room to that room. I wanted to be around people again. The only time I was around people was when I went to a show, which was once every month or two.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, I really like the element of the face to face interactions, getting to know people, bonding with people, learning people, like you said, you know, my family, you have a great family as well. And it's been an honor and a pleasure for me to meet your family and become a part of you. I'm an extended part of the family. Like, I love it. So just having me stuck in that room wasting away, I felt like I was just wasting away. I wanted to get back into the public and I wanted to get back around people. It's what, what I do. I just like. I like people.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, it's not for everyone.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Because retail is not easy.

[Maddie Rich]

I mean, it's not easy.

[Co-host]

It's not.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I mean, even booming industry and you've got, you know, but sales right now are good, you know, but still running retail shop, still a business, you know.

[Maddie Rich]

Like business like you said, man, when you come in, my shelves are stocked. I might have a really good day where the end of the day my shelves are empty.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

Now I have to get stuff sent to me for the next day. So when I open that next morning, my shelves are stocked again. So it's always a fight. It's a tug of war. Do I, you know, they're buying, I need to replace. They're buying, I need to replace because I don't want any empty shelves.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

That's the last thing you want to.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

See, which I'm sure you do. Toil, like, okay, is this gonna stay hot? Is this gonna sit a little bit or is it not? Do you have to think about that.

[Maddie Rich]

Experience? Experience tells you what to order, what not to order. There's no blueprint, there's no guide. It's all trial and error. It really is.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Is the expansion just more stores? I mean, is that.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah. More stores.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

And is it. But it's in it. Then it gets into like, you know, we've talked about it, you know, the market. So do you have to leave the market? Do you have to, you know, is it just South Carolina? Like, how do you go about thinking about that?

[Maddie Rich]

It's so hard, man. I really think about, think about it a lot. I think a lot of our stores. Success is within our store's personality, which consists of me and my family. It's a family run business. Family owned, family run business. So it'd be really hard. I mean, I've been offered to put a spot in Nashville, to put a spot in Charlotte.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It's hard to duplicate that. Right.

[Maddie Rich]

It's really hard to duplicate because now you just have a story. You might not have that same experience.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

Like I'm here with you right now, but my daughter's running the shop.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

And I know she's doing a great job because this is who she is.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You've dealt with her before.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Exactly.

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Great.

[Maddie Rich]

I'm not going to send her to one of them cities. Her.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

She had to go to national event. She might, she might.

[Maddie Rich]

But you know, just the family element, man. So I don't know. God knows I didn't know I was going to open a store.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, I didn't have any of that planned. I didn't even know I was going to leave my career and take on breaking full time.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

This is all God's plan.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

He works in mysterious way.

[Maddie Rich]

He sure does, brother.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Where is the industry headed?

[Maddie Rich]

Like the.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

What?

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

And use your crystal ball like, you know, Tom Brady's in it with Card Vault. You've got, you've got the grading side. You've got, you know, all the brands. You got Panini and Tops always battling back and forth with rights and all this stuff. Like, it's a broad ranging question, but like, I'm just curious, like, do you even pay attention to that?

[Maddie Rich]

I do, yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Because you kind of have to a little bit.

[Maddie Rich]

I do, yeah. And you know, I, I wish I prepared with some statistics for this interview because there was a statistic I read not too long ago, maybe three or four months ago, that said right now it's worth this many billions and within the next five years they're expecting it to maybe 5x.

[Co-host]

Yeah. Oh yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

So friends are looking good, right?

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, Tops has taken on more, more ips. They got Disney this year. So everything under Disney this year, actually Topps will take on NBA licensing and then next year they're going to have the NFL licensing. So it's. As long as Topps is in the driver's seat, I feel really, really comfortable. Yeah, I just love what they're doing for the hobby, the innovative things they're doing. Like as far as, like the MLB debut, patches that the player wears for their very first game, the signatures, just all the fun stuff that Topps is doing right now and Fanatics is doing. I think they're doing a great job with it.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

There's something that's so raw and real about the physical part of collecting, especially with sports cards.

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

But you do have this younger group that the NFT space, the digital space, like, I don't think it's an or. I think it's an and. Yeah, I don't feel like it's a replacement, but it's an interesting thing.

[Maddie Rich]

I mean, they really tried it during COVID and it had a, like it.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Had a day and that about.

[Maddie Rich]

It had a day. I mean, even me, I fell victim. I was in Tops, heavily invested in Top Shot, which is NBA moments.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It's like, oh, yeah, I remember that.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah, I remember Top Shot. Yeah, it was NBA. It's. And it's still going on.

[Co-host]

Okay.

[Maddie Rich]

They still have it. I just don't know where the interest is right now. Yeah, A lot of guys that I speak to. No, I can't speak for everyone, but a lot of guys that I speak to, they want to hold that physical asset in their hands.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

As opposed to pushing, playing a computer and watching LeBron make a layup and saying, I own that.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Yeah, it's touchy. I Know, well, I never thought that a generation would put as much value in a digital skin or costume. Like my kids, what they spent on Fortnite costumes. Like it means like that avatar is part of their identity for sure. So that's the only thing that makes me. And again, not because I think it's going to replace the physical car.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

But it's an and because if they do place that in that gives that digital or value to them. I'm going to call it digital value. But to them it's just value. It means something.

[Maddie Rich]

It does.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

And they're willing to pay for it.

[Maddie Rich]

It does.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

So if the 10 year olds of today are willing to pay for that skin or that thing because that's their digital Persona.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I can't help but think that there's going to be a digital collection of something.

[Maddie Rich]

I'm cool with the. And yeah, there's a video game out. I believe it's MLB the show.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

Where you can unlock tops. Baseball cards. And I spoke to many people that come into the shop that have told me they got back into collecting physical baseball cards because of the video game. So the. And I can see that and working.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Yeah, yeah. I think it's. It will be something as a component of collecting.

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Whether or not it's 5% or 1% or 50%, 100 years now, I mean, who knows?

[Maddie Rich]

But think about our trade nights like the trade nights we do here.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

They're amazing. Full of people, full of collectors, full of smiles. I don't know how that would work with the digital stuff.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It's like all you're doing, put it up on the projection screen. Hey, who wants to buy this? Honus Wagner 101. I'm gonna take a picture with my camera phone and make another copy of it.

[Maddie Rich]

I mean, but when you walk from table to table and who's running most of these table? Kids.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Yeah. Oh yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

Kids will easily have 20, $30,000.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I think I got totaled that whole night. I'm like, I don't know if I won or lost, but I had a blast doing it.

[Maddie Rich]

Exactly.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, and that's what I always remind people is that, man, this is a hobby. Some people make it all about the money.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

But this is a hobby. It's meant to be enjoyed. It's meant to be fun. I always try to keep it there.

[Co-host]

Yeah. Well.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

And that's part of your tagline, isn't it?

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah, for sure. What's the hobby lives here.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Hobby lives here.

[Maddie Rich]

The hobby lives here. I love the hobby, I love everything that it represents. I, I always say it's so, so much deeper than the cards.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, you're teaching children the value of a tangible asset. I see parents use bringing their kid to the card store to buy a pack of cards as a reward for doing good in school or doing their chores. I see not only kids buying, selling, trading with each other, but I see kids buying, selling, trading with adults, learning how to interact, learning interaction and social skills. That takes a lot for a 12 year old to walk up to a man like you and say, excuse me, sir, would you like to buy this card for me?

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

It's so much.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I had no fewer than 50 that night, you know, like do that, you know, But I was I impressed.

[Maddie Rich]

Exactly. It's so much bigger than cards, man. I love every aspect of the hobby, really do. And we're gonna just keep growing, man.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I know, but I think the industry's lucky to have guys like you.

[Maddie Rich]

Thank you.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I mean, it's been refreshing. I really respect the way you do it.

[Maddie Rich]

I appreciate that, man. That was kind of my thing when I was breaking. It's so easy to do the right thing when everyone's watching, but what are you doing when no one's watching? And I always operated with morals, integrity, and the right ethics. And people recognize that.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, people recognized my hard work and my honesty. It really paid off in the long run.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

It's called playing the long game, called.

[Maddie Rich]

Brand, playing along and branding. Yes, sir.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

And too many people take the shortcut or take the whatever and it just doesn't work out because then you don't reap the long term benefit.

[Maddie Rich]

No. You know, I always tell people a story. When I was breaking, I had a good friend of mine who was a really popular breaker. And at any given time, he'd have 300 people in his life. And I was a small fry in the beginning. You know, I might have five people in there, but I was so thankful for those five people. And comparison is, is the thief of joy. So I never compared myself to them, but I was so thankful for the five people. And every time I leveled up, I was super appreciative. And it really paid off. Like you said, playing the long game, the guy that used to have 300 people in his lives, I mean, he had the world in the palm of his hands. He's not even in the space anymore. And, you know, I just kept leveling up at a respectable pace. And we have a shop now and growth is inevitable.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

The number one shop the number one shop.

[Maddie Rich]

I love it. Listen, every time you say it, I. I accept that.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Tell everybody where they can find you. The shop Social handles all that stuff.

[Maddie Rich]

All right. On Instagram, we are Brian Sports Cards. It's Brian B R Y A N Underscore Sports. Underscore Cards. On Facebook, it's Brian Sports Cards. And if you're in Greenville, South Carolina, we are at 500 Congaree Road, Unit 8102 in the District midtown community. And you can find us at all the big shows. We'll be at the national. We'll be at Fanatics Fest. We move, we travel.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

We'll be at the Atlanta.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

You'll be at Social House.

[Maddie Rich]

We'll be at the Social House. Oh, you know it. Yes, we will be at the Social House.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Oh, yes.

[Co-host]

Yes.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Hey, go by and give them a shout out.

[Co-host]

Look.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Always amazing stock.

[Co-host]

If you're.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

I mean, you come into a town, if you're a collector, you know, you're always kind of like, okay, where's the local guy?

[Maddie Rich]

Right?

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

And, you know, because I've been to a couple towns lately going in the local shop, and I'm like, my home, my collect. I got more packs at home than you do in your like. Like, come on, man. Nobody wants these. Leaf. Leaf. Not 20, 21 football cards anyway. But no, go get them a shout. Thank you. Matty and his family are wonderful. The shop's amazing. So much, so much variety and more than anything, good people to do business with. Really appreciate you for coming on, brother.

[Maddie Rich]

I appreciate you and everything you do. And you have an amazing podcast, number one. Yeah, I appreciate you, brother. Thank you so much.

[Ryan Alford (Host)]

Hey, guys, you know, to find us, you'll find the whole series on trading cards. There we go. From all the way, all levels. We're covering it from every angle, just like we always do at Ryan offered on Instagram. See you next time.

Thanks for tuning in to the show. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast platform form and don't miss the full video version on YouTube. You can find us at www. Collectibles show or follow Ryan on Instagram at ryanolford. Now get out there and collect your.