I’ve been working on the SoBros Nerd Shop for well over a year now, and Shopify just gave me the notification that we’re in the top 22% of stores created in the same month in terms of pageviews. The web presence is certainly starting to grow, but I haven’t started marketing it at all, really. There are currently 113 items in the inventory. My goal is to have 150 listings in the store by the end of 2021. And, y’all….we’re not even getting anywhere near close to complete with what I have stashed away. It’ll take me years to comb through it all and figure out what’s worth listing. But, it’s a hobby of mine – it’s one of the few things that can genuinely put my mind at ease for a little bit. I have a hyperactive brain, and I’m constantly driven by a warped sense of production. I constantly feel like I have to be doing something out of fear that I might run out of time on this planet having not left behind enough to have made it a better place than I found it. It’s…yeah, I know…quite fucked up. But, that’s the reality of my situation. I usually burn myself out physically, mentally, and emotionally, and get to a point at which I need to shut out all the noise for a day or two. Then, I’m good. And, “collecting,” if you will, is one of those things that does it for me, along with trying out a new recipe, reading, and seeing a a movie, in theaters, on a Friday night.
But, the problem is…I know that probably 99.99% of our users come to SoBros Network for sports talk, movie reviews, stupid viral content, or our Nashville stuff. Most grown adults don’t give two shits about an old action figure I pulled out of the closet and listed on my website for $10. So, I knew the Nerd Shop wouldn’t really grow a social media presence if I wasn’t posting about it, but I wasn’t willing to spam y’all’s feeds when I have a pretty good feeling of what you guys come to the site for. Instead, I opted to create a new Twitter account for the Nerd Shop (@SoBrosNerdShop) to start with.
My vision for this is pretty simple – I’ll post listings, I’ll update you guys when and where we’ll be setting up a table once we start getting back out there, and I’ll share content that pertains to the subject matter that I find to be relevant. Easy enough, right? No more posting about fucking toys on the main accounts. And, if you’re reading this as someone who is super into collecting, has visited the SoBros Nerd Shop, and thought “damn, Stoney – these prices are stupid high,” well…..that was my intention. If you’re a friend, and you see something you like, make an offer to me. I’ll listen to anything. But, if this was about making money, I’d be selling this shit on eBay instead of trying to launch my own shop. I kept the prices high so I would sell less and be able to build up an inventory. I’m not going to start advertising something that has 20 listings, y’know? But, once I hit my goal of 150, it’s pretty much ‘all systems’ go from there.
I’ve jokingly called this my retirement…not because I’m sitting on so much money…but because I could easily see myself one day retiring and spending my time selling all this shit off, reading, and trying my new recipes every day, as I ride off into the sunset. Collecting this stuff, in a way, brings back that pure and simple feeling of comfort and security of childhood, before we figure out how the world works, and before we’re introduced to real…harrowing…responsibility. When I see these old X-Men toys, I think about Sir Pizza on a Friday night as a child – driving through Hickory Hollow, stopping at Toys R’ Us on the way home, and begging my parents for a new toy. Even if just for a moment, flipping through old comic books, I can feel that comfort again, I’m going to do it.
And, that’s at the root of the SoBros Nerd Shop – that’s what this whole thing is about…not just for me, but hopefully for you too.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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