Tom Brady opens sports card shop at American Dream in New Jersey
Against the Jets he was booed, and against the Giants he was beaten. But now, Tom Brady is opening a shop just a spiral's throw away from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
His new store in the American Dream mall is about collecting and connecting. CardVault by Tom Brady is a new way to buy, sell or trade pieces of history.
Chris Costa, co-founder of CardVault, says Brady joins a growing list of impressive people who are collecting cards now.
Notable athletes collecting cards
"Not just Tom, but other huge notable athletes. Derek Jeter, Mike Trout, LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama. They're collecting some of their own stuff and other players' stuff," Costa said. "So, cards are cool finally, again!"
Tom Brady has seven Super Bowl rings, but here the trophies are of cardboard behind glass.
"You can come into our store, and you can buy a $1, $5, $10 Pokémon card," Costa said. "Or you could also go into our single section and buy a $200,000 Mickey Mantle rookie card."
Yes, there is an actual vault. We could not see inside, but behind its steel door are legends like Mantle, Michael Jordan and Brady himself.
"Our generation's GOAT"
"There's been Joe Montana, there's been Terry Bradshaw, and now there's Tom Brady. That's our generation's GOAT," said David Karpinski, a New York Giants fan. "So, no matter who you are, even if you are a Jets fan, you got to respect the fact that he's here."
In a town built on rivalries, Tom Brady's success transcends the rivalry.
"Not from Giants fans! 'Cause we already beat him twice and he already knows what time it is," another fan said.
Even the fiercest of rivalries soften when you are collecting joy.
The store at American Dream is the fourth CardVault location.