Tom Brady somehow managed to squeeze in a loaded schedule the weekend before the last one in Minnesota. The former NFL QB–turned–FOX analyst kicked things off by calling the Minnesota Vikings–Chicago Bears Week 11 matchup. And the moment he wrapped that up, he was already on the move, heading straight for the grand opening of the ninth CardVault location.

But the NFL legend didn’t only show up, smile, and cut the ribbon. Nope. In fact, Brady had a few “stay-sharp” warnings for his staff. And let’s just say he wasn’t joking around.

“You know you guys are on the front line and you are representatives to talk to the clients,” Brady addressed his staff. “People come in, and they just want to have a great experience. So, you know we’re always gonna try to over-deliver for everybody…I know it’s not gonna be an easy job. It’s gonna be a lot of growing pains at first, but super important that if we f**k things up, then we learn from it, and it’s okay to f**k up because I’ve f***ed a lot of things in my life. But we always pick each other up as a team, too. So this company is all about teamwork, and it’s all about commitment to one another.”

Right after dropping some wise words of wisdom on his staff, Brady didn’t waste a second. He shot straight over to the Mall of America and stepped right into a sea of fans waiting for him at the grand opening. And you could sense the excitement in the air. Brady, along with the CardVault co-founder, Chris Costa, told the crowd this was the biggest grand opening yet. And you can tell the reason why.

The ninth CardVault location is tucked inside the Huntington Bank rotunda, literally a few steps from the Vikings locker room. From the bank-vault entrance to the giant murals of Minnesota sports legends, the place instantly grabs your attention. The whole store feels modern, bright, and intentionally loud.

And judging by the roar from the crowd alone, this one’s probably going to be a win for Tom Brady and CardVault.

After all, the NFL legend dropped a legit, modern collectibles hub right inside the Mall of America. So whether you’re into hoops, football cards, or pro-wrestling memorabilia, the place suddenly became a must-visit spot. The only weird twist in the middle of all this excitement? One of Brady’s CardVault stores had just been robbed.

Theft at Tom Brady’s NYC baseball card store

On October 20, a person managed to steal almost $10,000 worth of baseball cards and Pokémon cards from Tom Brady’s CardVault store in New York. But what really caught the authorities’ attention was how it happened. The theft looked less like a break-in and more like a magic trick, as the suspect pulled off the heist in three separate attempts. Here’s how it all went down.

The man walked into the CardVault store on Lafayette Street, picked out around $2,633 worth of cards, and headed straight to checkout. But instead of threatening anyone, he simply offered his Visa card. When the card got declined, the store employee handed him the card reader to try again. That’s when the suspect allegedly manipulated the machine (police still haven’t explained how) to make it look like the payment was approved.

But that wasn’t the end of it. The suspect came back and tried the same trick two more times and somehow succeeded both times. He walked off with $2,558 worth of cards on the second visit. And $4,528 worth on the third, using the exact same routine. Police, however, still have no clue how he managed to pull it off. It felt like a mix of a Louvre-style caper and a classic New York scam, only trimmed down to a modest stack of trading cards.