Passion to Profession: How Jamison Long Built a Card Shop People Return To

Jamison Long, owner of Port City Sports Collectibles, shares his entrepreneurial journey on the Stacking Slabs Network. He explains that his decision to leave corporate America was primarily spiritual and personal—driven by a desire to be more present with his family rather than climbing the corporate ladder. Before opening his physical shop, Long spent approximately a year selling cards online, which provided startup capital and taught him to shift from collecting for passion to buying strategically to support his family. This period was crucial for building the capital reserves needed to seize major opportunities.

The shop's physical evolution reflects Long's strategic approach to growth. He opened initially in a modest 1,500 square-foot space but expanded to a 6,000 square-foot facility in February after recognizing that event nights were creating overflow crowds on the sidewalk. Long consulted with established shop owners like Ryan Bannister and Patrick at Cards at the Cages before making the expansion decision, emphasizing the importance of seeking counsel from experienced entrepreneurs. The new space transformed daily sales volume—the shop now does in a single day what it previously accomplished in an entire week.

Central to Port City's success is Long's focus on customer experience and relationship-building. Rather than transactional interactions, he emphasizes creating a barbershop-style community space where customers feel welcomed regardless of spending level. His team greets every customer with multiple hellos, learns individual customer preferences, and proactively sets aside specific cards they know will appeal to particular collectors. Long intentionally keeps his team lean to maintain culture, prioritizing hiring for cultural fit over capacity. He empowers his staff to make buying decisions and represent the shop with authority, which builds team ownership and prepares them for potential future locations.

Regarding inventory strategy, Long focuses on constantly refreshing stock to create urgency. He uses multiple display cases organized by category—including a dedicated section for Marvel, Disney, and Star Wars collectibles that he sources from outside vendors. New arrival cases highlight recently purchased inventory, and he strategically prices wax boxes competitively even at slim margins to maintain shelf fullness and customer options. Long monitors which products turn quickly versus slowly, ensuring the store always has fresh offerings that incentivize frequent visits.

When purchasing collections, Long stresses the importance of fair dealing and transparency. He pays above-average rates compared to industry standards, avoids cherry-picking cards, and offers multiple payment options including cash, checks, wire transfers, store credit, or payment apps. For large collections, he requests a day or two to properly evaluate inventory to ensure he hasn't missed valuable cards mixed with bulk material. This fair approach has built Port City's reputation and customer loyalty.

On the partnership and growth front, Long maintains healthy vendor relationships, particularly with Fanatics. Drawing from his corporate sales background, he understands that partnerships must be mutually beneficial rather than one-sided. He recognizes why major vendors make decisions that might initially frustrate retailers and communicates constructively rather than adversarially. His metrics for business growth focus heavily on return customer percentage and repeat visit frequency rather than just revenue, understanding that customer retention drives long-term success.

Long separately manages his personal high-end collection business (Exquisite Sports Collectibles) distinct from Port City's retail operations. This separation allows him to evaluate each business independently for potential partnerships or franchising. His recent sale of a Shohei Ohtani card and Tom Brady championship ticket to Kevin O'Leary at Fanatics Fest resulted from advance coordination between Fanatics and O'Leary's team to ensure card values were in negotiable range. Long emphasizes that he doesn't count Exquisite revenues toward Port City's valuation to maintain clarity about each entity's performance.

Regarding decision-making instincts, Long attributes his success to a combination of prayer, careful thesis-building before committing to major decisions, willingness to take calculated risks, and seeking counsel from trusted advisors. He acknowledges making mistakes but learns from them rather than repeating them. Notably, his biggest doubts and most butterflies often preceded his greatest successes—leaving corporate America, opening the first shop, expanding locations, and buying premium cards. He emphasizes the importance of making well-considered decisions and then committing fully rather than freezing through endless deliberation.