Finch and Sparrow Games: A Signal Hill Game Store

Born in Glendale but raised and having grown up in California, Michael Aust learned how to play Magic: The Gathering between 8 and 10 years old. His love for the game would see him return to the game in college. 2012-2013, he worked on his Magic: The Gathering proficiency, and Grand Prix events would soon follow in 2014, he says. However, eventually, he began buying and selling cards online, working out of his friend’s kitchen. Yet, the opportunity to take over a game store presented itself in 2018. Michael and his business partner agreed to do so and inherited the name. While Finch and Sparrow Games had nothing to do with card games, Michael’s business partner liked the name.

Finch and Sparrow Games have a new storefront, but during COVID-19, the storefront became a warehouse. At the time (and even now), they never stopped buying cards for various tradeable card games (TCGs). Michael says their unique selling point is a focus on cards. He says they process a ton of inventory in addition to a strong online presence, with Magic: The Gathering accounting for 95% of their business. They also have a secondary location at NINJAXCHANGE.

Finch and Sparrow Games Only Carries Card Games

According to the Wizards of the Coast Store & Events Locator, within a 10-mile radius, Finch and Sparrow Games is the only store in Signal Hill, California. Being in California means a lot of people with plenty of things to do. Michael says this means their focus is on bringing people into “our world.” Furthermore, he feels Finch and Sparrow Games has to be good at what they do instead of OK at multiple things. For example, Michael doesn’t foresee stocking board games based on his view of the market and his experience dealing with cards. He cannot envision someone buying board games from Finch and Sparrow Games when they purchase from Walmart, Target, or Amazon.

Although he thinks specializing in one area can be limiting, he doesn’t view it as necessarily bad. Specializing in card games, Michael says, has led to customers saying, “I order from you, you guys have everything.” As expected, this is by design. Michael also makes note of the “depth” of specialization – from warehouse to acquiring cards, their inventory changes daily with cards rotating in and out.

Managing Inventory And Logistics For The Customer Base

To facilitate the amount of inventory and card games, Finch and Sparrow Games hires knowledgeable employees who Michael says can help you at whichever level in your card journey you’re at. Overall, the store aims to facilitate a more casual Commander community for people to hang out. Regardless of how people wish to approach the game, Michael encourages people to visit the store.

“An excellent atmosphere with very nice and helpful staff. There are always groups to walk in and play with. They also have comfortable chairs with plenty of tables to play on!“

-Raley Moore, customer feedback on the Finch and Sparrow Games Facebook page

Michael notes that managing Magic: The Gathering products is a challenge. He likens the pace of releases for 2023-2024 to that of Pokémon. Moreover, he says if a product is good, it’s hard to keep in stock, and there’s always a new product to prepare ordering for. When your focus is TCGs like Magic: The Gathering, Michael says the number of variants is a logistical nightmare. However, he says there will be fewer products overall from Wizards of the Coast, which he thinks will help with product fatigue.

Managing The Game Store & Building Out A Convention Business

Michael’s responsibilities include maintaining sales levels and growth and handling back-of-house logistics. Occasionally, he’ll tend to the storefront, but not so much anymore. Still, Michael says he does not speculate or hold products with the thought that they might do well. Furthermore, he doesn’t see the need to buck trends when selling. The store employs 22 people, most of whom handle processing orders in the warehouse. The goal, Michael says, is to hire more people to get to 25-26 employees. While every employee conceptually understands what everyone else does, certain employees manage specific tasks such as shipping, pulling cards, and trade-ins.

Finch and Sparrow Games also have a convention team Michael is trying to build to cut down on his travel. Attending these shows is an avenue to find new people within a 20-mile radius around Southern California. Michael also notes the opportunity to see people he wouldn’t otherwise and build business relationships. He continues building out the convention schedule more and more with shows every other week or every third week of the month. The organizational plan for every show involves “metric system tracking”, as Michael puts it. It’s led to 30+ shows under their belt at different locations. In 2023, he wanted to know if Finch and Sparrow Games could do shows; in 2024, he wanted to see if they could scale. Conventions have become a second business for the store.

A goal for Michael: a warehouse in the middle of the country, so he’s not beholden to Southern California.

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