BERLIN – Two local men are hoping to make the hobby of card collecting more accessible with the opening of their new store, Delmarva Dreams Collectibles.
Since May, business partners Dan Holbrook and Loren Hershberger have been busy building their collectibles store into a thriving enterprise. Located within the Berlin Professional Center on Old Ocean City Boulevard, the owners say Delmarva Dreams is a place for collectors to find sports and Pokémon cards, jerseys, figures, signed memorabilia and more.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” Holbrook said.
While the two have been lifelong sports card collectors, Holbrook and Hershberger decided to turn their hobby into a full-fledged business earlier this year. As a booming collectibles market has made it harder, and more expensive, for card enthusiasts to participate, the business partners say they are hoping to make the hobby more accessible.
“Through the pandemic, and even before then, the hobby just exploded …,” Hershberger said. “Kids are priced out, and it’s not as accessible as it used to be. So we wanted to make that vision a reality.”
Holbrook said interest in sports and Pokémon cards has grown so rapidly, it’s hard to even find them on store shelves.
“Normally, you would go in and the stuff’s falling off the shelf, and you could just pick up a random pack whenever you wanted,” he said. “Those days are gone.”
Hershberger said he is eager to bring Delmarva Dreams to Berlin and give locals the opportunity to find different trading cards.
“My son can come home from school and ride his bike here,” he said. “That’s the thing we enjoy most. It’s for Berlin and the surrounding areas. It’s here for everyone.”
Hershberger said Delmarva Dreams mainly carries basketball, football, baseball, wrestling and Pokémon cards.
In addition to single card sales, he said customers can find tiers of products ranging from regular packs to mega and hobby boxes. Delmarva Dreams also carries vintage trading cards and other sports memorabilia and offers trades and consignments.
“We have everything for everybody,” he said. “We have a box we’re putting out for 25 cents a card, or 6 for a dollar, or hobby boxes that will be around $500 or $600. And we literally have every price option in between.”
Holbrook noted that Delmarva Dreams also holds live card breaks, a way for collectors to buy a portion of a box of cards. Cards are then picked up or shipped to participants.
“Basically, people buy a team or a spot in the break and then you open up all the cards and the people get all the players from their team,” he explained. “It’s an inexpensive way to collect. There’s also a chance to get monster cards you wouldn’t normally be able to buy anywhere else.”
Delmarva Dreams will also host a card show on Nov. 12 in the East Room of the Ocean Pines Community Center. The event includes live card breaks, giveaways, trading opportunities and more.
“We’re kind of treating it like a swap meet of sorts,” Hershberger said. “We want kids to bring their cards, spread it out and trade with other kids.”
Hours of operation for Delmarva Dreams Collectibles varies, and business hours are posted on the store’s Facebook page. Hershberger added that appointments and deliveries can be arranged by simply sending a Facebook message.
“We’re in here when we can be,” he said. “Right now, we kind of act like a pop-up shop.”
Hershberger encouraged everyone to visit Delmarva Dreams Collectibles and support a local business.
“I think cards are something that are either nostalgic or valuable or cool,” he said. “Whether you are a casual collector or hardcore in the game like we are … I think there’s something for everyone in the hobby.”
