In a bold move that’s set to shake up the trading card industry like a well-shuffled deck, PSA and Burbank Sportscards have joined forces to launch a groundbreaking retail concept in Southern California. This collaboration is not just a new chapter in their storied histories; it’s an audacious leap into the future of card collecting. By opening its first physical retail location inside Burbank Sportscards’ expansive new megastore, PSA is forging an unprecedented path that combines extensive inventory access with the personal touch of in-person service and direct interaction with the world’s top card grading authority.
Opening its doors on May 30, this new retail venture symbolically marks a milestone not just for PSA and Burbank Sportscards, but for collectors everywhere. It heralds a new era where the joy of collecting doesn’t just reside in the search but is equally enriched by the experience and interactions within the hobby community.
Nestled within Burbank Sportscards’ colossal 14,000-square-foot domain, PSA’s unique store is ready to cater to the swell of collectors eager to engage in person with top-grading experts. Both a playground and sanctum for enthusiasts, this space is designed to revolutionize the traditional collecting encounter. With PSA employees poised to offer hands-on support and facilitate direct submissions, collectors can drop off a kaleidoscope of items for grading — whether it be the ubiquitous trading cards, elusive autographs, long-forgotten unopened packs, or even quirky favorites like Funko Pops and vintage tickets.
PSA President Ryan Hoge emphasizes the pivotal nature of this launch. “This is about being closer to the customer,” he asserts, encapsulating the spirit behind the initiative. Collectors, he notes, thrive on the opportunity to converse with knowledgeable staff at events, and now they can indulge in this experience daily. It’s a poignant step towards merging expertise with accessibility, offering hobbyists a permanent home where they can secure top-tier service and insightful conversations in their ongoing collecting adventures.
Rob Veres, the visionary owner of Burbank Sportscards, shares a resonant excitement for this venture, viewing it not merely as an expansion but a transformative reimagining of card store dynamics. His ambition? To craft a sensory and organizational blend that captures the vivacity of a live card show within the structural reliability of a retail powerhouse. “We wanted to create something immersive,” Veres reveals, planting a flag in the notion that card stores can be more — immersive, interactive, and intensely enjoyable.
This imaginative leap is reflected in the store’s logistics, which promises immediate access to a colossal inventory of over 40 million cards through an innovative kiosk system. Store employees will act like human search engines, rapidly retrieving requested items from a digitized catalog. But for those on the hunt for budget treasures, more than a million cards will be laid out on the floor, priced invitingly at 25 cents each. Organized by both sport and year, these piles invite collectors to sift through history, unearthing prized relics of the past.
Veres also wants his store to welcome a diverse spectrum of collectors, whether they’re in pursuit of rare, vintage curiosities or just piecing together patches of childhood nostalgia. It’s an inclusive approach designed to bring together the ultra-enthusiastic and the casually curious, all under one card-stock roof.
Adding further intrigue to this retail renaissance, Burbank Sportscards is thriving in the ripples of its earlier bold decision to withdraw its inventory from eBay, choosing instead to align exclusively with Fanatics Collect marketplace. Announced at the venerable 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention, this strategic shift is still sending shockwaves through the collecting seas, and now the launch of this unique store is poised to create an even bigger splash.
For PSA, it remains an open question whether this strategic partnership with Burbank is a one-off spectacle or the seed of a larger chain of physical locations. What’s not questioned is the growing appetite for high-caliber, face-to-face service, a demand that this move meets with open arms and finely graded cards.
The new store isn’t just a novel addition to the retail landscape; it’s a symbolic gesture of how the collecting hobby is evolving. It’s about creating spaces that are more accessible, more interactive, and more attuned to the community than ever before. Here, under the gleaming roof of Burbank Sportscards’ new flagship, PSA isn’t just handing out slabs and grades; it’s ushering in a new era for collectors ready to hold history in their hands and experience it firsthand.
