Would you bet your future on a deck of cards? It’s a trick question.

“Even as growth for online gaming grabs headlines and venture capital,” said Michael Dummeyer, maker, owner and purveyor of Flex Deck Playing Cards, “the original analog versions of game boards and playing cards account for significant growth in the toy industry.”

A 2019 report from Grand View Research  supports Dummeyer’s assertion. Grand View valued the global playing cards and board games market at nearly $12 billion in 2018, and forecasted a compound annual growth rate of 8.7 percent. The report points out that rising preference among millennials for old school games will fuel the growth.

This is very good news for Dummeyer and his Stamford-based company.

Inspiration and Design

Inspiration struck when Dummeyer and his friends were planning a Grand Canyon hiking vacation. They wanted a game that would not take up too much space in their backpacks, nor add unnecessary weight.

“Most of the options had too many pieces, or too few game options,” Dummeyer said. “More game options ultimately meant less space and more weight in the backpack.”

The idea of a deck of cards that adds classic games began to take shape. Dummeyer’s perfectly-named Flex Deck contains 55 playing cards — four suits of ace to king, plus three jokers. Each card has an image of a domino and a letter from the alphabet.

The first prototype made the trip to Grand Canyon. This simple deck of cards became a flexible, lightweight travel pack that offers a variety of card games and board games, AND it was one-third the size and a fraction of the weight of other travel games.

Back from vacation, Dummeyer leaned heavily on the Service Corps of Retired Executives. “I had great conversations at SCORE, as well as with Stamford area business owners,” he said. “They gave me advice on everything from the concept to the packaging.”

Each conversation led him to other people and more insights. Dummeyer quickly learned that Flex Deck’s appealed to more than space-conscious hikers. The concept presented new tools for educators, as well as opportunities for families to connect during no-screen time portions of the day. He also found market opportunities in places where people have a lot of downtime, such as prisons and psychiatric facilities.

Dummeyer spent about 18 months testing, tweaking and designing. For all the encouraging words he heard, Dummeyer wasn’t convinced that people were connecting with the idea. A meeting with Stamford artist Holly Danger, and her partner Jeff Schram, revealed vital insights that made Flex Deck’s design elements simpler and cleaner.

“After that, I saw people’s eyes light up when I showed them the cards,” Dummeyer recalled. “That’s when I knew people finally ‘got it.’ I was ready to go to market.”

Marketing, Selling and Learning

Dummeyer’s digital strategy includes monitoring and replying to social media groups and message boards when opportunities present themselves. Discussion topics range from games, to education, to hiking and travel, as well as “cardistry,” an art form that focuses on how playing cards are displayed, fanned or shuffled.

Flex Deck sells hundreds of units every month, with sales spikes in the October through December holiday season. Most sales are made through Amazon.com, however Flex Deck is recruiting brick-and-mortar retailers. Dummeyer says this effort has stalled because the COVID-19 pandemic has forced prominent toy fairs to cancel.

“These shows are the most effective way to develop relationships with purchasers in the retail toy sector,” Dummeyer said. He’s looking forward to Toy Fair New York in February 2021, as well as online fairs through the Association of Specialty Toy Retailers of America.

Social Responsibility

“Most people buy a deck, then another a few weeks later on as gift. However, we have also seen purchases of two or three dozen decks at a time,” Dummeyer explained.

It turns out that Flex Deck found a following among “company moms” who organize care packages for military units deployed overseas. That insight prompted Dummeyer to donate 1,000 Flex Deck packs to the United Service Organizations (USO). He also plans to place Flex Decks in USO airport lounges around the world.

Dummeyer has staked his future on a deck of cards. It’s a smart move.