| Every story has a beginning, and while we are dialed in on cementing our place in the future, sometimes it’s nice to think about how we started.John Amendola – today, a forward-thinking (we’re talking five steps ahead, at least) entrepreneur and market disruptor – was a young man in 1987 when he started collecting sports and trading cards. What started as a cool way to pass the time and a nifty thing to collect quickly evolved into a hobby that has shaped the essence of what the #MINTINKCOMMUNITY is today.Toward the beginning of the dot com boom, John – on the pulse, as we’ve come to know and expect – entered the word of online retail, and noticed that the Internet was not just a place of endless possibility, but a place where other hobbyists like him could showcase their collection of sports and trading cards. The industry at mass has had its ebbs and flows throughout the decades, but the passion of these hobbyists never ceased to exist. Rather, it just manifested in different ways.After forging a career in other entrepreneurial ventures, John dipped his toes back into the space in the mid-2010s and was thrilled to see how the industry had evolved with widespread technological access. Information was accessible quicker than ever before, and that included the ability to connect with other hobbyists.It was the onset of something terrible – the COVID-19 pandemic – that was a catalyst for the birth of something amazing. As businesses shut down and we spent more time at home, John ramped up the buying and selling of his collection on e-Bay as a research and development opportunity for his next entrepreneurial venture – one where business and passion were unequivocally intertwined – what is now known as Breaks After DarkTM. The collection grew, and the following more rapidly than that, which paved the way for a real market disruptor – live shows and group auctions, several times per week, accessible right from your phone. The show became more robust into a full-scale, live studio production, with more breakers joining our team. This online venture expanded into brick-and-mortar – Mintink’s first location in Vaughan – and shortly after, the ultimate, unique, collector’s experience in Toronto known as the Mintink Gallery (with more locations, coming soon).Today, Mintink is the go-to destination for the novice collector to the veteran hobbyist. We’ve disrupted the sport and trading card experience with superior customer service, enviable collections of cards and products, and an enhanced, online content experience. And the best part is…we’re just getting started.Mintink…to the world! |
