Hi, this is Jack and welcome to The Hobby Lair!
The Origin Story
After collecting and playing tons of different TCGs over the years, my buddies and I realized how much we spent on supplies. No matter what TCG we were playing, we wanted to protect and bling out our collections - shiny sleeves, fancy binders, pretty playmats...
Yet no matter where we shopped, it always felt like something was off. Either the accessories were missing a killer feature or they were just too expensive to justify the purchase. At the end of the day it always felt like the supplies were designed by people who Googled the games but never actually spent hours playing them or collecting them.
So in 2020 when we were all stuck at home due to the pandemic, we set out to do better. Combining a decade of manufacturing experience with a lifelong love for TCGs like Pokemon and YGO and MTG, we set out to build a brand on 3 fundamental values that would change the game.
The Mission
Actual Players!
Work hard play hard: We spend as much time testing our products while playing TCGs as we do working. New products are only released after they are rigorously play tested or shelf tested for hundreds of hours.
We won't every make products for a TCG that we don't play ourselves. We will never sell a product we don't use ourselves.
Always In The Lab!
Plus ultra: When you're trying to constantly improve your products, no tweak is too small. Every Friday we sit at a table to read each piece of customer feedback from the week and combine it with testing results to create a set of new tweaks for the next batch.
Amazing Value!
No marketing: We won't spend a penny on advertising because we don't trust ads. Anyone can buy ads for mediocre products. Only great products can generate excited customers that recommend those products to other customers.
No fancy packaging: At the end of the day, let's face it - packaging just ends up getting tossed in the trash. That extra few dollars we spend on foil engravings or a magnetic closure on the cardboard box is way better passed off to you as savings. Our sole focus is a premium product at a great price.
If at any point you feel we aren't keeping our side of the promise on any of these factors please let us know! We're just an email (hi@thehobbylair.com) or Instagram DM (@hobbylair) away.