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OneLegUpAlex Sports Talks with Bleecker Trading GM Mike Kowpak · OneLegUpAlex Sports

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Hey, it's Alex Garrett. One lug Up Alex and we
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: are in twenty twenty six, which means one lug Up
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Alex in twenty twenty six.
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  Speaker 2: Tune in.
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  Speaker 1: We've just published over fifteen hundred episodes in twelve years,
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  Speaker 1: with more toicum. Thanks to you out there listening. One
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  Speaker 1: leg Up Alex in twenty twenty six. All right, now
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  Speaker 1: I'm here with the GM of Bleaker Trading.
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  Speaker 3: I understand this is just one of two locations.
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  Speaker 1: So what was like having to keep down here on
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  Speaker 1: ninety five Christopher Street.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, it was a great event. Man, It was a
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  Speaker 3: lot of fun.
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  Speaker 2: But the main takeaway for me is community building, coming
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  Speaker 2: out with folks that are like minded and collaborating with them.
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  Speaker 3: That's really what it's all about.
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  Speaker 2: Our card store specifically caters to you know, people who
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  Speaker 2: like cards, memorabilia, Pokemon and stuff like that. But Keith
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  Speaker 2: with the sports world, you see there's such an overlap there.
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  Speaker 2: People are just passionate, whether it's their team, it's a
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  Speaker 2: collectible or something like that. Do you want to feel community,
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  Speaker 2: want to be a part of something. And Keith does
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  Speaker 2: an amazing job of fall us during that and it
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  Speaker 2: was so great. To meet people who have a cross
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  Speaker 2: paths with him, who listen to him, and stuff that
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  Speaker 2: was really special.
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  Speaker 1: And I'll tell you this is the first time a
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  Speaker 1: big celebrity coming here. I mean, yeah, Michael Rubin here,
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  Speaker 1: you've had other rip parties, know that, what are those
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  Speaker 1: nights like?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean we try to cheat everyone the same,
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  Speaker 2: from the young kid that's five years old through these
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  Speaker 2: big stars. We're very blessed being located in New York City,
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  Speaker 2: a couple of blocks from the Fanatics headquarters. So a
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  Speaker 2: lot of athletes do come through the shop after a
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  Speaker 2: day let's say at work over there, right.
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  Speaker 3: If they're doing signing Sismondes are gonna come through it,
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  Speaker 3: right that I would say the chances are.
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  Speaker 2: I wouldn't say likely, but there's a decent chance, right
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  Speaker 2: if he's gonna be doing something big with Fanatics, if
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  Speaker 2: he's in this city and wants to get an experience
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  Speaker 2: of what a New York City card store is like,
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  Speaker 2: we are that destination.
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  Speaker 3: All right.
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  Speaker 1: So there's a big event to put you guys on
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  Speaker 1: the map once again. But when you guys aren't having
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  Speaker 1: a big events, what's the hours here before? Now?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we're open to ten to eight o'clock every day,
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  Speaker 2: and then Sunday's a half day.
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  Speaker 3: We close that seventh to get home a little bit early,
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  Speaker 3: I like. But so we're here, we have long hours.
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  Speaker 2: Our website is cranking twenty four to seven, so everything
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  Speaker 2: we have in stores available on there as well. And
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  Speaker 2: then when we do events like this will extend, so
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  Speaker 2: we'll stay open late if there's an athlete or something
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  Speaker 2: of that nature.
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  Speaker 3: We've done events here. Have you ever come through here?
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  Speaker 2: Oh? Not at this location, but can I can or
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  Speaker 2: cannot confirm that we've had some guys at our other
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  Speaker 2: location as well.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. One last thing, A great question.
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  Speaker 1: The tops Fanatics partnership. Has that changed the game for
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  Speaker 1: you guys selling these cards.
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  Speaker 3: I think I think it's yes.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's added a lot more exposure, right, it's
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  Speaker 2: for a lot more mainstream that stuff, of course, but
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  Speaker 2: it's also got the athletes a lot more involved. Now
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  Speaker 2: we're seeing these the license deal grastructured a little bit
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  Speaker 2: differently where the players Association will make money off of
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  Speaker 2: these products, So now the athletes are incentivized that way,
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  Speaker 2: and that's really added a lot to the lots of
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  Speaker 2: the mix.
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  Speaker 3: A lot of these athletes.
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  Speaker 2: Now they're looking for their own card, so looking at
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  Speaker 2: like stock.
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  Speaker 3: So that's really exciting stuff.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Well, saying so much Mike, and now I'm
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  Speaker 1: gonna come back for sure.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, appreciate your time to meet you.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that was.
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  Speaker 2: All right.
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  Speaker 1: So that was Mike the GM of Bleaker Trading and
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  Speaker 1: uh really downloading the content today for you guys, and uh,
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  Speaker 1: one more to go, stay tuned for who else? I
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  Speaker 1: got to talk with some familiar voices on the walling
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  Speaker 1: up network. You'll hear that next.
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  Speaker 3: Stay tuned.