Clumsy’s opens in downtown Manhattan, aims to give sports and comic collectors ‘what they really want’ 

Manhattan’s only sports and comic shop, Clumsy’s, opened its first location today in downtown Manhattan to a group of eager fans. “We had a line of people waiting for us when we opened today,” says shop owner, Jason Cabiad. 

Local residents may recognize Cabiad and Clumsy’s brand from the Manhattan Card Show, a quarterly collectors show started by Cabiad in 2020. “We started in May 2020 with our first Manhattan Card Show. I remember there was still a mask mandate in town,” he recalls. “The show fueled our online presence, which started about three to four months after the show, and I started to go out and buy inventory and started investing in collectibles.” 

A long-time collector himself, the success of the show caused Cabiad to realize there was demand beyond just a quarterly event and online sales. Early on, he knew he would eventually open a retail store. “There is a big collector community here that people aren’t aware of,” he says. “At our quarterly events, people always asked when we would have a physical location.” 

Taking the leap of going from an event-based business to adding a retail store made sense for Cabiad because Clumsy’s is giving customers a unique experience he knows collectors are seeking. “The other card shops in town only sell sealed products and collectors here want to buy graded cards. They are chasing specific cards, and that’s what we offer collectors.” He adds, “There is not another sports and comic shop within an hour of Manhattan.”  

Based on his forecasts, the shop has the potential to be the primary driver of revenue for his business. “This business is built on trades. We will introduce new items every day, and I will have a regular customers who will come in two to three times a week.” He adds, “It’s a big resale market, and I do competitive pricing with other online shops. Prices are not set when people come in.”  

Thus far, Cabiad has kept his business boot-strapped, funding his growth with revenue and reinvesting in the business as he goes. When he decided to open the store, however, he engaged an investor who was eager to support the new venture and watch it grow. A graduate of the spring 2022 class of Flint Hills Business Launch, hosted by Spark, Cabiad recalls gaining crucial takeaways for his business regarding legal structure, which helped him start his shop on a strong foundation. He credits collectors and fans as his biggest backers along the way, however. “The collectors in the area have been the strongest supporters of Manhattan Card Show and the opening of the shop, Clumsy’s, and they have been there since the beginning.”  

Meeting a regional demand in a niche with passionate customers means Cabiad has immediate opportunities for growth, and he is already considering options for expansion. “I have a business plan ready, and someone is helping me with grants,” he says. “One year from now, I want to scale everything up. With my quarterly events, I would like to starting doing monthly shows and push things to their limits to see how far we can take it. With the shop, my goal will be to outgrow the space when we need to keep more inventory on hand.”  

Cabiad promotes the Manhattan Card Show and Clumsy’s through a variety of marketing mechanisms, especially with a growing fan base on Facebook. “We are starting to generate a nice online presence as well, and we are mainly on Facebook.” The show itself also serves as a marketing tool. “What’s driving the industry right now is kids collecting gaming cards, like Pokémon, and parents are really involved. They get to give their kids a fun experience at our free shows.” He adds that the Manhattan Card Show is a catalytic element of his business model as they attract collectors trying to track down a specific item or get a good deal on a new card in their collection. “Card shows are the place where a collector will get a better deal because a seller is trying to liquidate,” he says. 

At Clumsy’s grand opening today, one customer confirms Cabiad’s expectations for growth by filling an unmet demand in the area. “We’ve been waiting for years for a comic book store in Manhattan.” Another chimes in, “I am excited that Clumsy’s is bringing the card collection culture to this community. It is big everywhere else, and it just going to grow from here.” 

Check out Clumsy’s in downtown Manhattan at 311 Houston Street Suite D Monday through Friday 3pm-10pm or Saturdays 11am-10pm.