MUSCATINE, Iowa–When Dustin Holman moved to Muscatine about a year ago, he noticed something missing. Though the city had a variety of specialty stores it had no trading card stores. He shared his observation with his friend, Nick Jackson, at work, and together they started throwing around the idea of opening a store. “Nick used to work at a card store many years ago, and we worked together for many years,” said Holman. “We got back into collecting cards about a year ago and we thought we should open a store–right now you have to go to Iowa City or the Quad Cities and it’s something that is really lacking.” This November, the two friends opened H&J Cards and Collectibles in the Muscatine Mall at 1903 Park Avenue in Muscatine.
A true trading card store, H&J Cards and Collectibles sells cards for many different trading card games, including Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh. They also offer a variety of sports trading cards as well. H&J Cards and Collectibles prides themselves on selling a wide selection of cards, including specialized cards collectors cannot find in every store. Holman explained: “we have a very diverse inventory. We have some items we order directly from Japan that you can’t find anywhere else. We also have graded cards, which I haven’t seen anywhere else locally.”
As H&J Cards and Collectibles continues to expand their offerings, they plan on selling fun and popular collectibles as well. Initially, they look forward to selling Funko Pops once their supplier can provide them with some. They plan to expand into other collectibles and toys too, such as Squishmallows plush toys.
Along with selling items trading card game players and collectors cannot find elsewhere locally, H&J Cards looks forward to giving card players an opportunity to come together and enjoy their hobby through game nights and tournaments. “Really for us, what’s got us real excited is the community around buying and playing cards,” shared Holman. “We have tables set up for tournaments,” he added.
If you love trading card games, just want to take a peek at their collectibles, or find out about upcoming events or tournaments, Holman and Jackson invite you to stop out to H&J Cards and Collectibles Monday through Friday from 1 to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. You may also order selected items for curbside pickup by visiting their website. They also welcome questions and inquiries about specific trading card games via Facebook message. With the holiday season here, they also invite you to shop for the trading card fan in your life.
