Coulee Cards and Gaming is the latest in a fast-expanding business
Coulee includes both collectible card games and sports cards, the later of which they saw as a huge gap in Wausau
A brand new card shop opens today on Grand Avenue. And it’s the latest shop in what has been a fast-growing business.
Coulee Cards and Gaming opens today on Grand Avenue in the business strip that includes Firestone, near Kent Street. The new 8,200-square-foot card shop is the eighth shop opened by owners Carter Johnson and Kurt Lange in the Midwest since 2021.
The latest shop carries both collectible card games such as Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering as well as sports cards ranging from baseball to football to soccer, and plenty of other things such as Legos and board games, and even some decor.
Johnson, speaking from the Grand Avenue store on Thursday as he and a crew worked on getting everything ready for the big opening day, said this is the largest of the eight Coulee Cards and Gaming stores.
Johnson said he got into collecting cards in 2020 during COVID, watching videos, and learning the business. Then he met Lange and soon the two started the business.
The business has since been growing at a rapid rate. Wausau’s is the third store in Wisconsin, and there are three in Iowa, one in Minnesota and one in Miami, Fla.
Bringing Coulee Cards and Gaming to Wausau
Why did they choose Wausau? Liane and Andrew Olson have been moving to each new location to set up new stores. Andrew Olson said they have family in Eau Claire and Lambeau Field is in Green Bay, so that made Wausau the perfect place to set up their new shop. It’s a final destination for the Olsons, who plan on staying to run the Wausau location.
And, Johnson explains, right now there isn’t a large sports card shop in the Wausau area so people need to travel to Green Bay to buy and trade cards; having a central location will be helpful. Plus, Liane said they really love recreation and felt the area was beautiful, so it’s perfect as a last stop for them as a new crew takes over building out any future stores.
Compared to their other locations, Johnson says they’ve added Legos, tripled their Dungeons and Dragons selection, have twice as many sports cards and have 25 tables with a total of 100 seats for in-store gaming.
How did the chain grow so fast? The last five stores, counting Wausau, will have opened in one year’s time. Johnson said they have a great team of people working for them, with 60 employees across the eight stores. A small team of employees was setting help Johnson and the Olsons setting up the shop on a Thursday afternoon.
The aim of the store is to have a little something for everyone, Johnson says. The children might go to the Pokemon side, dad might head to the football cards, while mom can check out the Christmas and other decorations section toward the back.
But also, Andrew Olson says, many of the early players of Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon are now old enough to have kids of their own, so the games might be a family affair now.
When I was collecting baseball cards in the 80s, soccer cards were unheard of. Now the new Coulee Cards has a 30-foot section of soccer cards, showing the popularity of the sport these days.
Meanwhile, they say, Saturday is the big day. With seven other store openings under their belt, they’re pretty confident Wausonians will show up to support it.
Coulee Cards and Gaming is located at 2205 Grand Avenue next to Firestone Auto. The store opens at 10 am Saturday. Regular hours are Sunday-Wednesday 10 am-7 pm; Thursday-Saturday 10 am-8 pm.
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