Building Bonds Beyond Business
Ison’s Cards and Collectables Treasures Every Customer as Family
By: Charles Romans
The Ashland Beacon
Collecting cards is something that many people take seriously no matter if you are a collector of baseball cards or Pokémon. The appeal of collecting cards is the same for most card collectors. The thrill lies in the hunt for rare and unique cards. Whether its scouring flea markets, attending conventions, or simply browsing your local online marketplace, the search for that elusive addition to one’s collection is like a never-ending adventure.
One Greenup County native and graduate of Raceland Worthington High School has turned his love of collecting cards into a successful business. Peyton Ison, owner of Ison’s Cards and Collectables, which is located at 444 Bellefonte Street in Russell, shared, “When you come through my front door, it doesn’t matter to me if you are here to spend $100 or just stopping in to say hello… I consider you part of my family.” Ison is a firm believer that everyone who visits his collectible card shop becomes part of what makes the business work stating, “I am a huge sports fan, and I love being able to share that passion with others.”
Ison’s love of collecting sports trading cards began at a very early age. Ison would often ask his parents to buy the packs of cards that populated the racks of nearly every grocery store in the area. Once Ison entered high school and began playing sports himself, his card collecting slowed down a bit. When the COVID pandemic hit and gatherings such as sports events were discouraged or prohibited, he got back into collecting.
It was around that time Ison and his father began discussing the future. Ison knew he planned to go to college but wanted to do something else. Ison recalled, “We threw around the idea of opening a card shop for a while. It took us about a year to get inventory and find a location.” Ison hopes the popularity of his shop will continue to grow from year to year.
Ison is currently enrolled at Eastern Kentucky University majoring in Business Management but spends as much time as possible on-site. His family steps in to help when he can’t be in the store. Despite being so busy, Ison stated that he will always make it a point to dedicate a lot of time to the business and the customers he loves.
One major segment of Ison’s customer base is younger kids. Ison sees himself in them, and he’s always happy to trade cards and talk sports with them. The store also appeals to older children and tells with the sales of sports jerseys, Funko Pops, and other memorabilia. Ison can order items if you can’t find them in the store. Ison’s Cards and Collectibles also does online auctions regularly and posts the schedule for those on social media channels such as Facebook. He shared that a website is also in the works, and he hopes to have that up and running soon.
In today’s digital world, an online presence is crucial to business, and Ison embraces it fully to benefit his customers. Ison stated, “I talk to people from all over the country like California and Florida. There might be a card that is really hard to get or really expensive locally but might not be as expensive elsewhere in the country and vice versa. So, one of the things I do is help them get the cards people in their area want, and they can help me get what I need for my local customers.”
For Ison, it is all about helping his ‘family’ find the things they enjoy. Whether it is ordering jerseys around Christmas time for football season, box sets, figures, or pretty much anything his customers want, he always makes an effort to find that perfect gift. If you haven’t checked out Ison’s Cards and Collectables, you are missing out. Ison shared, “I want everyone to feel free to stop in and look around.” Ison encourages you to call 606.388.2116 or send him and email at:
