Every business has a story behind what customers see.

For Rey Soto, Run It Back Classics started long before there was a storefront. It began with an interest in style, streetwear and pop culture, then grew from thrifting and reselling clothes in high school into a small operation inside his mom’s garage during COVID.

In this restored episode of Behind the X’s & O’s, Rey sits down with Ruben Escalona to talk about that journey, the decision to bet on himself and open a store, learning what customers actually want, staying ahead of changing trends, and the consistency required to keep building year after year.

The conversation also goes beyond Run It Back Classics as Rey and Ruben talk collectibles, entrepreneurship, creativity, trading cards, Red Alpha’s own beginnings, and the lessons that only come from doing the work.

This is the complete restored edition of the episode. An audio issue affected Rey’s side of the conversation in the original release, but Riverside was able to recover the missing audio so we could republish the conversation the way it was meant to be experienced.

Behind the X’s & O’s — Real Talk. Real People. Real Stories.