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Hobbyist knew success was in the cards |
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But unlike other young card collectors, the 17-year-old Brown turned his hobby into the beginnings of a thriving enterprise. Today, 21 years later, Lou Brown Cards, Inc. and Baseball Card City in Grand Rapids encompass a card and collectibles shop, as well as a lucrative sports card wholesale operation. “What started out as a hobby in the early ’70s became the beginnings of a future business,” said Brown. “As my interest and collection grew, I began selling at local shows, and I also began to promote shows first locally and then in the Detroit area.” After an early taste of success, Brown attended Boston University. He returned to the sports card industry, working for a former associate selling at card shows and running a mail order business. Then, in 1988, Brown went out on his own and opened his own shop. By 1994 he split the original shop into two different successful businesses: Lou Brown Cards, Inc., the wholesale sports card operation, and Baseball Card City, the sports card and memorabilia retail shop. “The total volume is so much bigger on the wholesale side than on the retail side,” Brown said. “We primarily sell boxes of trading cards to hobby shops. We have a route that delivers to shops as far as the Chicago and Detroit areas, and account reps that handle customers nationwide. We have a total of 16 employees, and four of them are committed to the retail side.” The way the demand changes for sports cards requires Brown to stay agile because the market for this commodity-like product can turn on a dime. “Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s many of the financial magazines were saying that trading cards were basically gold—a sound financial investment. It seemed that nearly everything went up in value. Then things changed as people saw trading cards were not necessarily a limited commodity, and the market began to decline.” But with the other things that we offer we can counteract that decline with new bursts of interest in collectable items from Beanie Babies to Bobbleheads. If a sports card retailer can’t diversify, he won’t be around long in this business.” Brown says one of the reasons for his success is his ability to be open-minded and flexible about his stores’ merchandise. “Sometimes the industry will pick up fads that some sports card ‘purists’ will not sell. By this I mean toys, gaming cards and other non-sports merchandise. It sounds silly because it is so simple, but you need to carry what people want to buy.” Another key to Brown’s success is his commitment to fun and instilling a passion for collecting, especially in the store’s youth customers. Baseball Card City regularly holds sports cards and gaming events to encourage children in this ageless hobby. “I feel like we are giving something special to the community when we hold events for kids,” said Brown. “We host gaming and sports card trading events that are really popular. “I’m also proud of what we’ve done with holding professional signings. Our last one was with Detroit Tiger legend Al Kaline. Special events help get new faces into the store. In a business like this, instead of trying to get a larger part of the customer market, you are better off trying to grow the market as a whole.”
“A big concern is a baseball strike. That is something that is out of my control, but can affect my bottom line. When people lose interest in baseball, they lose interest in baseball cards. Some turn to other sports, some stop collecting altogether. When baseball went into lockout in 1995, our card sales suffered. Luckily, we were able to capitalize on other fads.” When a career starts as a hobby, there is bound to be a lot of fun in the work. While ordering, monitoring and forecasting buying patterns takes most of Brown’s energy, he still finds time to roll up his sleeves and get back to his roots and how he started in this business. “When I first got into cards, I really liked the old stuff best, 1950s and older. When someone comes in looking to sell older material, I feel like a kid looking at it and keeping it on my desk for a few days, simply enjoying it. It may be a small financial deal, but I get excited about it because it is my favorite part of cards and collecting. Also vintage pieces and memorabilia are good for us because they serve as a display as well as inventory.” As a successful businessman and dedicated husband and father of four (with another on the way), Lou Brown has made a positive impact on the sports card industry in Michigan, and done so with professionalism, integrity and an entrepreneurial spirit. Brown has built a sound business based on quality products, customer service and the right attitude. “Both the management team and I insist on excellent customer service in the store and through our wholesale operation. We pride ourselves on the way we take care of our customers, from well-informed collectors and store owners to someone just starting out. It’s simply good business.” This article was written by Michigan Retailer staff writer Brendan M. Dwyer |
Lou Brown started out like most young boys in America. He loved sports
and collected and traded sports cards. 
While
it is an industry based around fun, it also has its share of difficulties
and unique challenges. Not immune from such common retail concerns as
finding quality employees and preventing theft, Brown’s biggest challenge
is particular to the sports card industry.