Paul Bunkowske: A New Chapter Shaped by Collecting and Community

In this heartfelt episode of the Get Deep Podcast, we sit down with Paul Bunkowske—the founder of Bunk’s Card Corner, Mankato’s go-to destination for sports cards, Pokémon, Disney memorabilia, and more. Paul shares his honest and powerful journey from struggling with alcoholism to finding purpose and community through sobriety. Recovery was not the end of the story—it became the starting point for purpose, community, and a new direction. That path eventually led him into the world of trading cards and to launching his own business.

Paul opens up about his early years selling cars across the Midwest, his lifelong love of sports, and how that passion became the fuel behind Bunk’s Card Corner. What started as a personal interest grew into a retail and wholesale operation that has become a hub for collectors, hobbyists, and fans of all ages.

Now, Paul is preparing to open a brand-new storefront next to Crumbl Cookies off Adams Street in Mankato. The space will be Minnesota’s largest dedicated trading card retail location and the central home for his growing wholesale business—exciting news for the local collecting community and for small business in Southern Minnesota.

Tune in for a raw, honest, and uplifting conversation about recovery, the joy and obsession of collecting, and what it takes to turn passion into purpose—and a business that brings people together every day.

🎙️ Brought to you by our episode sponsors:

⁠Chankaska Creek Ranch, Winery & Distillery⁠, Community Bank Mankato, South Central Small Business Development Center, and ⁠iWealth⁠

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