London Shop Excited by Potential and Growth
Topps Hobby Rip Night has found a home in the United Kingdom at London’s first-ever sports trading card shop. Kaboom Cards, located in North London’s Finsbury Park, will host the event beginning at 6 PM on Saturday, September 14. There will be Topps product giveaways, a guest appearance by a three-time English Premier League champion, and ripping packs aplenty. Before that, a Family Event will be hosted at the shop beginning at 12:30.
The UK card market has seen an increase in trade shows, but as people have increasingly gravitated to the sports card space, there has been a lack of brick-and-mortars where people can come together to learn and enjoy The Hobby. Kaboom has helped fill that void. “Certainly in the UK, we like to belong to a community,” said Kaboom owner John Neocleous. I think that’s what we’re seeing, and that’s what the hobby gives us.”
Opening in early 2023, Kaboom has been a key outlet for collectors in a growing market. Neocleous credits a few elements to the rise in interest throughout the UK. “The King of Collectibles on Netflix has helped the word get out there and people see it. But also, during COVID, a lot of people were kind of intergenerationally collecting. A lot of people went up to their attics and brought out their old sticker albums from the Soccer World Cup.”
Neocleous himself has been in love with The Hobby for far longer than that. “I’ve always collected cards from a young age. I started in 1994, but sports cards I mainly started in 2014; it was the World Cup collections that got me into it properly.” What began as a love for The Hobby has become an exciting venture for Neocleous. “I was in construction beforehand, and I took time off work and thought about what I really enjoyed doing. From collecting cards at a young age, I wondered if I could get into the industry. I looked for card stores but couldn’t find anything, so I thought – give it a go!”
With the hobby space at an earlier phase than in America, Neocleous senses an opportunity. “I think now and into the next few years, there’s going to be a massive increase in collecting and in stores here.” Even though he’s now in the business, it’s still a labor of love. “Seeing the kids come into the store, they see the autographs, the higher-end stuff, it really gets the endorphins going – someone pulling a great card, it’s like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, pulling that golden ticket.”
Topps Hobby Rip Night at Kaboom will feature pack battles, giveaways, prizes, promo packs, and food. Fanatics Collectibles UK Senior Sales Manager, Jonathan Marsh, who is coordinating the event with Kaboom, sees Rip Night as entertaining and educational. “When you have the cards in your hands, there’s no substitute for that. So getting products into hand and showing people what The Hobby’s all about is really what Rip Night is about for us.” Marsh sees a real opportunity for collectors in the UK. “People are really getting into it; you see that when we visit trade shows. We get so many ex-Pokemon or magic card collectors looking to get into sports card collecting.”
Topps Hobby Rip Night will help Kaboom give back to and foster the community that has developed in and around the shop since its opening. “We’ve only been around for a year and a half, and some of the friendships made, you can tell they’ll be friendships for life. We love the community around us, and the brand is doing well,” said Neocleous.
