It was in the middle of the pandemic when the young Michael Moreno and Joseph Gómez found their interest in collectible Pokémon cards, sports cards, tennis cards, and action figures, which led them to open their own store –Mania Cards– where customers buy, sell , and exchange products, while they earn.
Moreno and Gómez had known each other since high school and it was there that they started selling tennis shoes, but when they entered school, they both went their own way; However, in search of a hobby that will help them de-stress from the chaos caused by covid-19, they met again.
“I started collecting letters with my brother,” Moreno said. “We were going to stores and it was in one of them that I met Gómez again. After that, we started buying and trading cards until we had enough to open a business.”
Mania Cards opened its doors in the city of Inglewood in the midst of a pandemic, in April 2021. According to Moreno, the Gómez family had a lot to do with the establishment, since they were the ones who allowed them to rent the space where they started the business.
“Gómez’s family owns a party rental company,” Moreno clarified, “During the pandemic, they couldn’t rent these places because of social distancing. So we came up with the idea of helping his family by renting the space while also using it as an opportunity to start our own business.”
But what started as a hobby has grown into a business and now they have clients all over Southern California and the entire country, which has led them to travel to several states across the nation to promote their business.
Both young people explained that they never doubted the success they would have as entrepreneurs, although there have been days when there are few sales in the store, they have managed to capitalize on the business on social networks to continue growing.
“There are many groups on Facebook and Instagram for collectible cards,” Moreno said, “We put all our products on the networks and try to sell that way. We have also met other store owners like ours and do business with them. It hasn’t been easy, but it has worked.”
Moreno confessed that he always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but that he never thought about what product he was going to sell.
“There are many ways to earn money without having to work a 9 am to 5 pm schedule”, clarified the young entrepreneur. “It’s just about finding something you like and knowing how to treat people. I consider myself a very social person and I think that has helped me make our clients feel comfortable doing business with us”.
Being the first in his family to be an entrepreneur, Moreno confessed that he has had to learn several things along the way. He added that, being the first generation, his parents never taught him how to start a business. However, he emphasized that the Gómez family has helped them a lot as they are entrepreneurs.
“Gómez’s family has given us several pieces of advice after having experience with their own business,” explained Moreno, “The most important thing I have learned is that the most difficult thing is to take the first step.”
The young man explained that many people sometimes fear that they will not be able to and it is this mentality that makes their ideas fail. “If you want to make your business successful, you have to be willing to try. Even if you fail at the beginning, you always have to try.
In addition to selling collectible merchandise, at Mania Cards, youth offer a program to motivate children in their community to excel in school, sports, or whatever activity they are involved in.
“We have this program where we offer a prize – a product from our store, like an action figure, Funko PoPs – to the kids who bring us their report cards,” Moreno explained.
“We are always looking for opportunities to help our community and I think this is a way to reward children for their effort and dedication in school.”
Another way Mania Cards plans to help the community is through a scholarship.
Moreno said that although the proposal is still in the pipeline, they want it to be something that is available to students who study at one of the schools they attended in Inglewood.
“We want to create a safe space in the community”, emphasized the now also young entrepreneur, “We strive to be humble and to help and empower the community that saw us grow, at the end of it all, you are as strong as your community. ”.
More information
Moreno invited those interested in collectibles to visit Mania Cards located at 405 W. Arbor Vitae St., Inglewood, CA.
Work hours are Monday through Saturday from 1 pm to 8 pm Also, you can call (310) 350-8787 or follow them on their social networks @Mania.Cards