Meet Dad & Daves Sports Cards & Collectibles

26 June 2017

Dad & Daves Sports Cards & Collectibles is a popular landmark for many at Dandenong Market, with Malcolm and his family all known by name by customers travelling far and wide to visit their stall.

Originally from Ellesmere Port in Cheshire England, Malcolm Stokes was 9 years old when his family immigrated to Australia in 1970, settling in Tasmania until the family moved to Melbourne in 1980.

At the age of 16, Malcolm started an apprentice as a painter and decorator in Tasmania, after several career changes over the years which included working in the pillow and beauty industry and moving to Melbourne, Malcolm started working at a Sunday market selling Basketball cards in 1993.

It started as a hobby, Malcolm’s son Dave was constantly buying basketball cards and as they had so many card doubles Malcolm decided to do swapping and selling at the market. With the popularity of card swapping and selling, business started to boom and Malcolm also started to buy cards to sell at the market.

Business was so good at the market, that Malcolm started making more money on a Sunday than at his full-time job. In 2000, he decided to retire from his full-time position at Neon Cosmetics and concentrate on his new venture. He saw that it would be more productive to turn over stock in five days than it would on just one day.

Malcolm started working Tuesdays and Fridays at Dandenong Market in 2000. He started to expand his business and products, to include collector items including sports cards, AFL licensed cards, character figurines, and memorabilia and collector dolls. The name “Dad & Dave” is a reference to himself and his son who works at the stall on a Sunday. Malcolm’s brother Eric also works at the stall, so it has become a true family venture.

Malcolm began to source products that the consumers wanted. He imports most of his cards from the USA/UK and his figurines are bought in Australia. Malcolm has amassed many regular customers most of whom are collectors or mums and kids who love purchasing sports cards or collecting “Pop” figurines. He is constantly checking out the American market to find new offerings and also gets the latest news from the trade shows about the newest and popular collectable items. Dad & Dave’s is one of the most popular and busiest stalls at Dandenong Market.