From Trading Cards to Connections: The Heart of the Industry with Matty Rich

Summary

Podcast Summary: Right About Now with Ryan Alford Episode: From Trading Cards to Connections: The Heart of the Industry with Matty Rich
Release Date: June 17, 2025

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of Right About Now with Ryan Alford, host Ryan Alford delves deep into the vibrant world of trading cards with special guest Maddie Rich, the owner of Brian's Sports Cards and More in Greenville, South Carolina. As part of a special series focusing on trading cards, this conversation explores the intricacies of the industry, from the passion of collecting to the business strategies that drive success.

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Background of Maddie Rich

Maddie Rich brings a wealth of experience to the table, having been deeply involved in the trading card scene both as a collector and a business owner. With over five years of experience running his store, Maddie has cultivated a reputation for excellence, evidenced by his shop being recognized as the number one retailer in South Carolina.

Maddie Rich [03:00]: "I didn't want to create a store. I wanted to create an experience."

Maddie's commitment to fostering a welcoming environment stems from his own experiences as a customer. Reflecting on his childhood interactions with grumpy dealers, he emphasizes the importance of treating every customer with respect, regardless of their spending capacity.

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The Trading Card Business Today

Ryan and Maddie discuss the current state of the trading card industry, highlighting its growth and the diverse customer base it attracts.

Maddie Rich [11:08]: "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."

This inclusivity is a cornerstone of Maddie's business philosophy. His store thrives by catering to both seasoned collectors and newcomers, ensuring that everyone feels at home.

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Customer Service and Community Building

A significant portion of the discussion centers around customer service and community engagement. Maddie emphasizes creating a "happy place" where customers can escape the stresses of daily life.

Maddie Rich [08:13]: "We want everyone to feel at home. We want this to be an escape from the real world."

The store not only serves as a retail space but also as a community hub where collectors can connect, trade, and share their passions. Ryan recounts his own experiences visiting Maddie's store, noting the vibrant energy and sense of camaraderie among patrons.

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Sourcing and Business Strategies

Maddie sheds light on the challenges of sourcing products in a competitive market. Networking and building strong relationships with suppliers have been crucial to maintaining a well-stocked inventory.

Maddie Rich [16:27]: "The hardest part of the business is sourcing product. I dealt with that since I was a breaker."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Maddie adapted by establishing direct contacts with suppliers, ensuring a steady flow of inventory despite disruptions. This proactive approach has positioned his store to thrive even in volatile market conditions.

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The Future of the Trading Card Industry

The conversation shifts to the future of the industry, particularly the interplay between physical cards and digital collectibles. While digital platforms like NFTs have made inroads, Maddie remains optimistic about the enduring appeal of tangible collections.

Maddie Rich [29:47]: "A lot of guys that I speak to, they want to hold that physical asset in their hands."

Ryan and Maddie also discuss the resurgence of interest in trading cards driven by integrations with video games, such as MLB The Show, which includes unlockable Topps Baseball cards. This synergy between digital and physical collectibles is seen as a complementary trend rather than a replacement.

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Building and Expanding the Business

Looking ahead, Maddie contemplates the challenges of expanding his business beyond South Carolina. He underscores the difficulty of replicating the unique family-run atmosphere that defines his current store.

Maddie Rich [26:57]: "It's really hard to duplicate because now you just have a story. You might not have that same experience."

Despite these challenges, Maddie's focus remains on maintaining high standards of service and community engagement, ensuring sustained growth and success.

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with heartfelt appreciation between Ryan and Maddie, highlighting the mutual respect and shared passion for the trading card hobby. Maddie's dedication to integrity, customer service, and community-building sets a benchmark in the industry, embodying the very essence of what Right About Now with Ryan Alford stands for.

Maddie Rich [33:35]: "I always operated with morals, integrity, and the right ethics. And people recognize that."

For listeners interested in exploring the trading card market further or visiting Maddie's acclaimed store, Brian's Sports Cards and More is located at 500 Congaree Road, Unit 8102, Greenville, South Carolina. Engage with them on Instagram under @Brian_Sports_Cards or visit their Facebook page for updates on events and new arrivals.

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Key Takeaways:

• Customer Experience: Creating a welcoming and engaging environment is crucial for customer retention and community building.

• Networking: Building strong relationships with suppliers and other industry players ensures a steady inventory and business growth.

• Adaptability: Navigating market volatility, especially highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, requires proactive strategies and flexibility.

• Future Trends: The integration of digital collectibles with traditional trading cards represents a synergistic future for the hobby.

• Integrity and Ethics: Long-term success is built on maintaining high ethical standards and treating every customer equally.

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Notable Quotes:

• Maddie Rich [11:08]: "The variety of people...you can't look at someone until they're a collector."

• Maddie Rich [08:13]: "We want to make it a happy place, you know, when you make it a happy place, it's an escape from the real world."

• Maddie Rich [16:27]: "The hardest part of the business is sourcing product."

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For more insightful conversations and deep dives into the business world, subscribe to Right About Now with Ryan Alford and follow Ryan on Instagram.

Transcript

[Kat]

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[Ryan Alford]

With the price of just about everything going up, we thought we'd bring our prices down. So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer which is apparently a.

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[Maddie Rich]

30, get 30.

[Ryan Alford]

Better get 20, 20, 20. Better get 20, 20. Better get 15, 15, 15, 15.

[Maddie Rich]

Just 15 bucks a month.

[Ryan Alford]

Sold.

Give it a [e-mail] SW. Upfront payment.

[Maddie Rich]

Of $45 for three month plan equivalent.

[Ryan Alford]

To $15 per month required new customer.

[Maddie Rich]

Offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy.

[Ryan Alford]

Taxes and fees extra.

[Maddie Rich]

Cmnobile.com 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. You never know, man. And that's why it goes back to that. You have to treat everybody the same, take care of everybody, treat everybody right.

[Ryan Alford]

This is Right about now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast Network production. We are the number one business show on the 1 million downloads a month, taking the BS out of business for over six years in over 400 episodes. You ready to start snapping necks and cashing checks? Well, it starts right about now.

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, right? 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. So that's why I like to go to number one. The number one retailer shop in South Carolina. We got Maddie Rich in studio.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Ryan Alford]

I know.

[Maddie Rich]

Let's go.

[Ryan Alford]

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 Sports cards.

[Ryan Alford]

Sports cards and more. All right, 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Ryan Alford]

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. Right. 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Okay. Isn't that the dream come true?

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

Oh, it's work.

[Ryan Alford]

It's work.

[Maddie Rich]

Not get it confused. It is worse.

[Ryan Alford]

It isn't bubble gum and crack.

[Maddie Rich]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Maddie Rich]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

There's always some kind of a business that we can be working on.

[Ryan Alford]

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. Maddie 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 find 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

All right. That's all that matters. 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]

I remember feeling when 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, 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]

And you know what? Before I even knew Maddie, 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, looking around. Rekindling is like, like first month back into the thing with the kids and I watched Matty 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]

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 a result of dealing with that, knowing the future of 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 a business again.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah. How.

[Ryan Alford]

How many years are you into it?

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Collecting.

[Maddie Rich]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Everything else.

[Maddie Rich]

I mean, anything you can think of.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Like. Yeah, 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]

Yeah, I remember that. It is a unique experience that come into the store. I'm always blown away by the stock. Every shelf is always full. It's like, in a world especially as competitive as gotten, I walk into some of these shops and it's just like, what desert did I walk in?

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

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. You know, like, you encourage people, and they do. They're opening the cards there.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Maddie Rich]

That's what we want.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

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]

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 minute, million things going through my mind, but when I sit down, open a box, and open a few packs and pull a few Benson knots, it changes, you know.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

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]

Yeah, you're sweating it.

[Maddie Rich]

Sweating.

[Ryan Alford]

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. I. You know, it isn't an escape when you're.

[Maddie Rich]

It's an escape.

[Ryan Alford]

And, you know, you've got the table set up, you got cards, you got couch, got tv.

[Maddie Rich]

I can't tell you how many people I've seen come in as strangers and become friends. Yeah, guys sit in 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]

It's unbelievable having. We wouldn't do that about that. About a time last night there.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah, we want to do that. If we weren't creating a community.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

And I literally sat there. I've sat there a couple times and usually buy stuff, but a couple of 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]

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 breaking. I was stuck in a room 12 hours a day.

[Ryan Alford]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

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. No, 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]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

Take care of everybody. Treat everybody right.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

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? Is it. I mean, is it just from the game and then now it's just become its 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. Yeah, they, you know, they look put sets together or they like a certain type or a certain energy. They're all. There's so many different ways to collect certain value. Yeah. A lot of people like certain values.

[Ryan Alford]

I do. 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 of art.

[Maddie Rich]

It really is.

[Ryan Alford]

I mean, it's. It's very. 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.

[Ryan Alford]

Have you. 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 to ride 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.

[Ryan Alford]

That's true. The fine line trade, collecting and courting.

[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 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

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 autographed card or just cards of value, it's almost like a treasure hunt. Every time you open a pack.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Ryan Alford]

So it's not just a scratch off card that is either worth 20 or nothing, 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

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?

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

The thrill of the chase.

[Maddie Rich]

Exactly.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

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. I 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

The name of the game is getting stock. I mean that's isn't it? I mean what is 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. That the hardest part of 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 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Fascinating industry. It really is like it's sub segment of the whole thing.

[Maddie Rich]

Oh, wow.

[Ryan Alford]

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. What I like 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 the three random teams and we'll open up the box giving each person every card from the three teams that they own.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Maddie Rich]

Exactly.

[Ryan Alford]

They know what you're getting.

[Maddie Rich]

Transparency.

[Ryan Alford]

And as one of those team, you know, players comes up, whoever it is, they get every card associated with that team.

[Maddie Rich]

Exactly.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Maddie Rich]

That's the key.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

Isn't 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

Increasing their odds of I've done. On the flip side of that, you might not be the guy that gets the big card, but you are still a part of that box. It's just a great experience. We did that for four years. I did it365. I was in the office.

[Ryan Alford]

How are you sourcing product?

[Maddie Rich]

Any which way I could.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

I was buying from stores across the country.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Ryan Alford]

Really?

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah. I had the guys number. 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Wow.

[Maddie Rich]

And they never even hit the shelf. I mean, you have to do what you have to do.

[Unnamed Guest]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Sure.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Because everything gets marked up.

[Maddie Rich]

It's so hard to find.

[Unnamed Guest]

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]

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

[Maddie Rich]

It kind of is. Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

That's what's happening right now.

[Maddie Rich]

That's what's happening right now.

[Ryan Alford]

Optic, if you can find it, it's 35 at Walmart or Target, but reselling for 80 to 120 and the Megas are 65 retail, going for 1 3150. 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

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]

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

[Maddie Rich]

But breaking is a whole different animal.

[Ryan Alford]

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 if you got product. I have a friend right now that makes over a million dollars a month breaking.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Maddie Rich]

Sales.

[Ryan Alford]

Total Sales total. Okay.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Still, I mean if you're doing 10, 12 million in sales, I imagine he's making at least what, 20, 30, couple million himself.

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah, has to.

[Ryan Alford]

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.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, 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. Yeah, because it's been a little bit of slow like compared to like Asia and some of the other countries where Life Shop has just been huge.

[Maddie Rich]

Really.

[Ryan Alford]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

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.

[Ryan Alford]

I mean it's Crazy.

[Maddie Rich]

You tap in on all those different channels, you're going to get something different.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Unnamed Guest]

Yep.

[Maddie Rich]

And are. Are working their butts off.

[Ryan Alford]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

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

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Unnamed Guest]

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.

[Ryan Alford]

Yep.

[Maddie Rich]

I mean, they make it fun.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

Oh, they got it. It's like too easy. One slip 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

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 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, it's not for everyone.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Because retail is not easy.

[Maddie Rich]

It's not easy.

[Ryan Alford]

It's not I mean, even booming industry and you've got, you know, but sales right now are good, you know, but still running a retail shop, still a.

[Maddie Rich]

Business, you know, 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

That's the last thing you want to.

[Ryan Alford]

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? 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah. More stores.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

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, or 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. To put a spot in Nashville, to put a spot in Charlotte.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

And I know she's doing a great job because this is who she is. Yeah. You've dealt with her before.

[Ryan Alford]

Exactly.

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Great.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Ryan Alford]

She had a good national event.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

This is All God's plan.

[Ryan Alford]

He works in mysterious way.

[Maddie Rich]

He sure does, brother.

[Ryan Alford]

Where is the industry headed? Like the what? And use your crystal ball. Like, you know, Tom Brady's in it with card vaults. 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]

Because you kind of have to a little bit.

[Maddie Rich]

I do, yeah. And you know, 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.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Oh yeah. Friends are looking good, right? Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, Tops has taken on more, more ips. They got Disney this year, so everything under Disney this year, actually Tops will take on NBA licensing and then next year they're going to have the NFL license. 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]

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

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Ryan Alford]

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 like, it had.

[Ryan Alford]

A day and that about it had a day.

[Maddie Rich]

I mean even me, I fell victim. I was in Tops, heavily invested and Top Shot, which is NBA moments, it's.

[Ryan Alford]

Like, oh yeah, I remember that. Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Unnamed Guest]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah, yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

It's touchy.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

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]

And they're willing to pay for it.

[Maddie Rich]

It does.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

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

[Maddie Rich]

Something I'm cool with. The end.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

There's a video game out. I believe it's mlb the show.

[Unnamed Guest]

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. Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. I think it, it will be something as a component of collecting.

[Maddie Rich]

Right.

[Ryan Alford]

Whether or not it's 5% or 1% or 50%, 100 years.

[Unnamed Guest]

I mean.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Unnamed Guest]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

It's like, what are you gonna do? Put it, 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]

But when you walk from table to table and who's running most of these table? Kids.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

Kids will easily have 20, $30,000.

[Ryan Alford]

I think I got little 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]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

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

[Maddie Rich]

Yeah, for sure.

[Ryan Alford]

What's the hobby lives here? 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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

You know, you're teaching children the value of a, 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, 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?

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

And it's so much better than 50 that night, you know, like do that, you know? 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]

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

[Maddie Rich]

Thank you.

[Ryan Alford]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

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

[Ryan Alford]

It's called playing the long game.

[Maddie Rich]

Brand playing along branding. Yes, sir.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

The number one shop.

[Maddie Rich]

The number one shop. I love it. Listen, every time you say it, I. I accept that.

[Ryan Alford]

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.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah.

[Maddie Rich]

We'll be at the Atlanta.

[Ryan Alford]

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]

Oh, yes. Yes. Hey, go by and give them a shout out.

[Unnamed Guest]

Look.

[Ryan Alford]

Always amazing stock. 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]

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, I. Come on, man. Nobody wants these leaf. Leaf. Not 20, 21 football cards anyway. But no, go give them a shout out. Thank you. Maddie 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]

Hey, guys, you know where to find us. Ryanisright.com 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 Alford on Instagram. Thank you for making us number one. We'll see you next time right about now.

This has been Right about now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast network production. Visit ryanisright.com for full audio and video versions of the show or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities. Thanks for listening.