PSA: Be aware of data hostage practices
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The FD Collector's Club is a NYC-based club that delivers subscribers a curated selection of authentic firehouse memorabilia every month.
What began as a passion-driven side project by a full-time firefighter evolved into two successful subscription businesses. Thomas, founder of The Burn Box and FD Collector’s Club, relied on Subbly to not only launch and grow his ventures but to strategically scale with new offerings—most notably, a VIP Membership model that led to a 20% increase in subscriptions and boosted average order value (AOV) significantly.
Thomas is a New York City firefighter who entered the subscription space with no prior experience in ecommerce. In 2019, he launched The Burn Box, a curated firefighter-themed subscription gift box built to connect with fellow firefighters across the U.S.
After seeing strong growth with his first venture, Thomas decided to create a second subscription business—FD Collector’s Club. This new concept focused on a unique niche: collectibles for firefighters, including challenge coins and firehouse patches. As someone deeply embedded in the community, he recognized the collector culture and the demand for meaningful, high-quality items. With Subbly powering both ventures, Thomas was able to manage operations while working full-time at the fire department.
"Subbly made it simple to create an exclusive VIP experience. We grew our subscriptions by 20% and boosted revenue without adding any extra work."
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As FD Collector’s Club grew, Thomas encountered a distinct challenge: how to deliver a deeper sense of exclusivity for his collector audience. Firefighter memorabilia collectors are highly engaged and take pride in owning rare or limited-edition items. A standard subscription box alone wasn’t enough to satisfy their desire for premium, exclusive collectibles.
Thomas needed a way to elevate the experience for his most passionate subscribers—without introducing unnecessary complexity or creating a new tech stack. The solution had to be easy to manage, scalable, and integrated into his existing Subbly setup.
To solve this, Thomas introduced a VIP Membership tier using Subbly’s built-in Content Feed feature. This allowed him to create a password-protected “secret store” for VIP customers, which offered exclusive collectible items and bonus perks. The VIP tier included double the content plus private access to additional products available only to members.
By using the Content Feed, Thomas could seamlessly update a monthly password and deliver targeted posts directly to VIP subscribers. This approach created a sense of anticipation, exclusivity, and community—while remaining fully integrated within his existing Subbly backend.The secret store concept not only delighted collectors but also added a premium layer to the FD Collector’s Club experience.
The impact was immediate. In the first month of launching the VIP tier, Thomas saw:
Subbly’s Content Feed made it possible to deliver a high-value experience that felt personalized and gated—key elements for a collector-driven customer base. With minimal operational overhead, Thomas successfully scaled his offering, deepened subscriber engagement, and generated new monthly recurring revenue streams.
Now running two businesses on Subbly, Thomas continues to grow his subscriber community while staying focused on what matters most—delivering authentic, meaningful products to the firefighter community.
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