Jay's CD & Hobby

South-side Des Moines mainstay and Topps Authorized Dealer, stacking hobby boxes, graded slabs and TCG singles alongside vinyl and retro games.

Few stores in Iowa move as much wax as the SE 14th Street location of Jay's CD & Hobby. Operating since 2005 and known locally as Jay's Southside, it has grown from a used-CD counter into the metro's highest-volume trading cards Des Moines destination — more than 1,200 Google reviews back that up.

The layout rewards browsing. Sports wax dominates one side: hobby boxes, blasters and mega boxes stacked deep, with Topps releases arriving early thanks to the store's Topps Authorized Dealer status. Graded slabs live under glass near the register, and the singles boxes run from current rookie prospects back through pre-1980 vintage. Cross the aisle and the TCG section takes over, with Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! sealed and singles inventory kept current.

What makes the Southside store worth the drive rather than just the nearest option is the sheer breadth of what else shares the floor. Vinyl records, used video games, comics, disc golf gear and collectibles fill the remaining shelves, which means the shop draws a wider crowd than a pure card store — and that mix keeps trade-in inventory turning over. Collectors regularly report finding sports cards in Des Moines here that never made it to the display case because they walked in the door that morning.

Hours are generous by hobby-shop standards. The doors open at 10AM every weekday and stay open until 7PM Monday through Thursday, stretching to 9PM on Friday and Saturday. Sunday runs 11AM to 6PM. Friday evening is the liveliest window, and the two extra hours make it the practical choice for anyone working a standard shift.

The store sits on the SE 14th Street corridor with its own lot, an easy approach from Highway 65/69 and roughly ten minutes from downtown. Two sister locations operate in West Des Moines and Ankeny, but the Southside store carries the deepest card inventory of the three.