In an exhilarating merger of worlds that will have trading card enthusiasts buzzing like bees around a sunflower, PSA and Burbank Sportscards have announced a groundbreaking venture. This partnership is not merely about selling cards; it’s about redefining the card collector’s experience. With the launch of PSA’s first-ever physical retail location inside the new Burbank Sportscards megastore, a new era dawns for both these powerhouses and the card collecting community. So grab your binders and put on your lucky sorting gloves, because this space has promises of card dreams and possibilities.
The doors to this lavish emporium of nostalgia and potential open on May 30. The location? Burbank, Southern California, a hotspot not just for movies but now for collectors’ most precious finds. Spanning a staggering 14,000 square feet, Burbank Sportscards is no ordinary card store—it’s a realm where past, present, and future collectibles converge, and now enriched with the prestige of PSA’s renowned grading services.
PSA, or Professional Sports Authenticator for the unacquainted, is synonymous with card grading excellence. Its entrance into the physical retail arena is akin to a maestro stepping out from behind the orchestra to greet an adoring audience. And what an audience PSA has! The store, nestled within Burbank Sportscards, will be fully decked with PSA personnel, transforming the mundane act of card viewing into a personalized, expert-led exploration. Imagine talking shop with those who authenticate prized collectibles while gazing at the very treasures that populate the dreams of every collector.
Ryan Hoge, PSA’s President, emphasizes that this isn’t just a commercial venture; it’s about creating connections, about allowing collectors to interact with expertise daily rather than at select events alone. “Collectors love being able to talk to our team at events. Now we’re giving them a place to do that every day,” Hoge brightly remarks, signaling a shift towards a more customer-centric approach.
But the extravaganza doesn’t stop at card grading. This retail haven allows collectors to submit an array of memorabilia from treasured autographs, sealed card packs to whimsical Funko Pops, and even those nostalgic concert tickets tucked away in old boxes. PSA is also rolling out its Vault storage and eBay consignment services, directly accessible within the store for an all-encompassing service experience.
For Rob Veres, the mastermind behind Burbank Sportscards, this venture transcends mere physical expansion. It’s a transformative vision, one that blends the buzz of walking into a live card show with the steadfast reliability of a top-tier retail environment. Veres aspires to create an immersive experience so rich and entertaining, it feels like stepping right into the beating heart of card collecting.
Veres describes the innovative setup where visitors can access over 40 million cards through an ingenious kiosk system. Employees—part detectives, part guardian angels of nostalgia—retrieve requested treasures from a vast digital catalog upon request. For those on a treasure hunt sans the need for a map, over a million cards are on the floor, priced enticingly at 25 cents each. They sit sorted patiently by sport and year just waiting to be discovered—a thrifty collector’s dream.
“We wanted to create something immersive. Collectors should be able to walk in and feel like they’re in the heart of the hobby—not just flipping through cards, but fully engaged,” Veres shares. This strategy reflects his ambition to cater to the grand array of collecting tastes, ensuring Burbank embraces everyone, from those hunting rare vintages to others simply reliving childhood memories.
The buzz surrounding this collaboration is not without precedent. Earlier in the year, Burbank made headlines by pulling all its inventory from eBay, opting instead for an exclusive partnership with the Fanatics Collect marketplace. A bold move hailed at the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention as a glimpse of the evolving marketplace dynamics.
Whether this new retail store is a singular venture or the kick-off to an eventual series of physical spaces by PSA remains shrouded in intriguing mystery. What pierces through the uncertainty is clear—the demand for in-person, expert-level service is on a meteoric rise, and this new venture answers the call like a robust siren.
This dynamic partnership, through PSA’s in-store presence and Burbank’s expansive collector-friendly setup, signals more than simply the opening of a new storefront. It reflects a broader evolution within the hobby, becoming more accessible, more interactive, and more community-driven than ever before. Here’s to a richer, more vibrant world of collecting, where every enthusiast can find a welcoming corner to indulge their passion.
