EXCLUSIVE: Replay Sports Cards Opens Saturday, Bringing Buy-Sell-Trade Card Shop to Salina
A new place for collectors to buy, sell, trade and talk cards is opening in Salina this weekend.
Replay Sports Cards will hold its soft opening Saturday, July 11, beginning at 11 a.m. at 2314 Planet Ave. The shop is owned by Salina resident Andrea McCrate Deatrich and will carry sports cards, Pokémon cards and other trading-card products for collectors ranging from curious beginners to longtime hobbyists.
Deatrich told Salina311 the store will offer “a little bit of everything,” including unopened packs, professionally graded cards known as slabs and individual ungraded cards commonly called raw cards.
“It’s primarily sports cards, but we also have some TCG,” Deatrich said. “Right now, we’ve got some Pokémon. We’ve got packs, slabs and raw cards for sale.”
Customers will be able to bring their own sports cards and Pokémon collections into the store to buy, sell or trade. Replay’s broader business model is centered on those services, along with card grading and live collector events. The company describes its stores as welcoming spaces for collectors of all ages, regardless of the size or value of their collections.
For Salina, the opening also marks the return of a dedicated card shop after years without a local storefront focused primarily on the hobby.
Deatrich said Replay’s franchise network will give the Salina shop access to inventory from other markets, helping the store locate cards that may be difficult to find locally.
“If you are looking for a card, we’ll be able to find it for you,” Deatrich said.
The store is being designed as more than a place to make a quick purchase and leave. Deatrich said the Salina location plans to hold a trade night once each month, giving children, adults and families a place to display collections, make trades and spend time with other collectors.
She said collectors will not be required to buy anything to participate.
“Just come in and enjoy the hobby,” Deatrich said. “You don’t have to come in and buy anything. Just come in and share the collections.”
Deatrich believes collecting can also teach children practical skills, including negotiation, researching values, caring for property and learning how to manage small transactions.
Some young collectors create their own “repacks” by combining previously opened cards into new packages and offering them to other collectors.
“I really feel like we’re creating a bunch of little entrepreneurs,” Deatrich said. “I think it’s such a great hobby for kids.”
While stories of rare cards selling for the price of a new car can attract attention, Deatrich said the store is primarily intended for everyday collectors rather than only high-dollar investors.
“We’d like to keep it more reasonable for the average collector because that’s who we really cater to,” Deatrich said.
The shop can still use Replay’s larger network to help customers search for rare or expensive cards that are not kept in the Salina store.
Card grading assistance is also expected to be added at the Salina location. Deatrich said customers will eventually be able to bring cards into the shop for submission to Professional Sports Authenticator, better known as PSA.
Grading companies examine a card’s centering, corners, edges and surface before assigning it a score. A higher grade can substantially increase a card’s value, particularly when the card is older or already rare.
Replay’s national operation is an authorized dealer for PSA and Certified Guaranty Company, or CGC, although Deatrich said the Salina store’s submission service was still being finalized ahead of the opening.
Replay Sports Cards carries sealed boxes, individual cards, graded slabs and lower-cost card bins through its stores. The company also operates online sales and live card-opening broadcasts. Its website now includes Salina among its growing list of store locations.
The Salina store’s soft opening begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at 2314 Planet Ave.
For collectors, it may be time to check the closet, open the old binder and find out whether that forgotten rookie card is treasure or merely another piece of cardboard their mother wisely refused to throw away.
