What’s Happening?
Mackay collectors have give Sugar City Sports Cards a strong start, with the new Wood Street store drawing crowds across its opening weekend.
Owners Chris Van Malssen and Elle Robb said the response from the community was far greater than they expected. Collectors, families and sports fans travelled from across the region to visit the store and take part in its official launch.
Throughout the weekend, customers opened packs and boxes in store, searched for rare cards, traded with other collectors and watched live sport on the big screen. Some visitors found cards they had been searching for, while others pulled valuable autographs, patches, numbered cards and rookie cards from packs bought during the opening weekend.
Why It Matters?
The strong opening shows Mackay has a clear appetite for a dedicated sports card store.
Sugar City Sports Cards gives local collectors a place to buy, trade, open packs and meet others in person. It also gives families and sports fans a shared space built around collecting, conversation and live sport.
“We knew there was a strong collecting community in Mackay, but the support we received over the weekend exceeded anything we could have imagined,” Chris said.
“At times the queue stretched out the door and down the street, yet everyone was incredibly patient, supportive and positive. People were genuinely excited to see a dedicated sports card store open in Mackay and that meant a lot to us.”
Local Impact
Located at 25B Wood Street, Sugar City Sports Cards is Mackay’s only dedicated sports card shop. It specialises in single cards, sealed hobby products, card protection and community events for collectors of all ages.
The opening weekend also showed how the store could become more than a retail space. Elle said strangers were talking, sharing collections and connecting through a common interest.
“The atmosphere in the store was fantastic,” Elle said.
“We met so many local collectors and sports fans, and it was wonderful seeing complete strangers strike up conversations, share their collections and connect through a common interest. That’s exactly the sort of community we hoped to create.”
By The Numbers
The opening weekend gave the owners a clear early sign of local demand.
- More than 200 customers visited Sugar City Sports Cards across its opening weekend.
- The store is based at 25B Wood Street, placing Mackay’s only dedicated sports card shop in the city centre.
- Several product lines sold out within days, with new stock already ordered to meet demand.
Zoom In
The rush of customers left some shelves noticeably lighter by the end of the weekend.
Chris said the team had already placed additional orders after some product lines sold out faster than expected.
“We’ve already placed additional orders and have more stock on the way,” Chris said.
“Being sold out of some products after only a couple of days is a great problem to have. We’re working hard to replenish stock as quickly as possible and continue bringing exciting products into Mackay.”
Zoom Out
The opening reflects the growing popularity of sports card collecting across Australia.
That interest now has a dedicated local home where collectors can buy, break, trade and talk about the hobby in person.
Elle said the support had made the opening weekend a memorable moment for the business.
“We are incredibly proud to be part of the Mackay community,” Elle said.
“The support we’ve received has been overwhelming and we’re so grateful to everyone who visited the store, shared our excitement and helped make our opening weekend such a memorable experience.”
What To Look For Next?
Sugar City Sports Cards is working to restock sold-out products and bring more sports card stock into Mackay.
The store is also expected to keep building its collector community through in-store activity and future events.
Locals can visit Sugar City Sports Cards at 25B Wood Street, Mackay, or follow the store on social media for more information.
