The Story Behind the Counter: Marcel and The Awesome Card Shop

Whenever I travel, I usually find my way into a card shop.

Sure, I'm looking for cards. I'm always looking for cards. But over the years, I've become just as interested in the people behind the counter. Who built the shop? Why did they build it? What do they collect? What has the hobby meant to them?

That's part of the story for me.

So whenever I'm in Las Vegas, one of my regular stops is The Awesome Card Shop on West Sahara Avenue. And most times, I find something to bring home. The shop has become one of those places I simply enjoy visiting.

But a big part of the reason I stop is Marcel Bilak.

A Hobby Veteran, Not a Hobby Tourist

Marcel isn't someone who just arrived when sports cards became hot again. He's a longtime collector and hobby veteran. Chasing Cardboard describes him as a 25-plus-year hobby veteran, and The Awesome Card Shop's own history goes back even further than the current name. Marcel previously operated a successful Nevada card shop from 2007 until selling that business in 2018. When the collectibles market took off again, he returned with a new venture, The Awesome Card Shop. Business records date the current company to January 2021.

So yes, Marcel and the shop lived through an interesting period in hobby history — the explosion of sports cards and collectibles surrounding the pandemic and the years immediately afterward.

Today, The Awesome Card Shop says its roots in the Las Vegas collecting community stretch back more than two decades. The store carries everything from sports cards and graded cards to Pokémon, entertainment cards, memorabilia and hobby supplies.

From the Shop Floor to Chasing Cardboard

Marcel has also become familiar to collectors outside Las Vegas through Chasing Cardboard. The show follows collectors, collections, negotiations and the stories that surround them, and Marcel has become one of the personalities connected to that world. The relationship continues today, including Chasing Cardboard buying events hosted at The Awesome Card Shop.

That's one of the reasons I enjoy the show. There's plenty of cardboard, but underneath it are people and stories. There's humor, friendship, collecting, negotiating and the occasional unbelievable discovery.

“It feels good.”

Two Collectors Talking About the Same Thing

On this particular trip to Las Vegas in 2026, I stopped by hoping Marcel might be there.

He was.

So instead of simply walking around, buying something and leaving, we got a chance to chop it up for a while — collecting, the hobby, what's happening in the business and everything that comes with it.

And that's really what this picture represents.

Two longtime collectors standing inside a card shop talking about something they genuinely enjoy.

It's Not Only About What's in the Showcase

The older I get, the more I realize these stops aren't only about what I can find in the showcase.

I want to know the story behind the shop.

Because every good local card shop has one.

“And usually, there's an interesting person standing behind the counter who helped create it.”