Let's Reminisce...your first regular LCS

[fly4apuckguy]

I used to go to three places in Saskatoon when I lived there 30ish years ago - AJW Sportscards, Brayshaw Sportscards and Penn's Collectibles (I think that was what it was called). Brayshaw was just down the street from me, and it was run by a guy similar in age to me at the time (when I was in university), but it didn't last. I think he was more a collector than a businessman, and was just cashing in on the early 90s excitement around cards. I believe AJW is still there. Good guy, really liked going there. Penn's was okay but the neighborhood was rough so I didn't go there as much.

 

[MR.M's Cards]

Wow this brings back some fantastic memories. I was the owner of one of those shops at 16 years old. Our store was called "RC Sportscards" in the building of a business called "M&M Screening". Just two doors down was "Watcha got", he was a pawn shop and card shop. Both of us where across the street from "Coach Inn". I am not sure what the 3rd store you are referring to was. There was so many popping up at the time.



Haha this made me laugh. During the day when I was at school or sports after school my cousin ran it full time along with my Dad's best friend who owned "M&M screening". Neither had a clue but it was cheap labor and remember I was 16 years old hiring for the first time. If myself or Dad where in the shop we both had the Beckett prices memorized.



This was the most miserable person I have ever met lol. I still have no idea how he stayed in business or what happened to him.



He was in the Grey County Mall. He outlasted us all. It was a decent shop.

Do you remember the first card show in Owen Sound? It was at the Bayshore (now Harry Lumley) Arena. It was insane. We did over $15k (roughly $40-$50k in today's dollars.) in one day. I am not kidding when I say people where throwing money at us. I could not keep up. Imagine at 16 having that much at the end of the day. It was insane...all of this in little Owen Sound.

One more side story of how crazy it was...My uncle lived in Windsor. He would go over the Gibraltor trade in Detroit and buy us pallets of Pro Set, Score and whatever UD he could find. UD was so hot it was hard to find even then. Drive it up to Owen Sound. We had people waiting outside of our store for when he arrived. So crazy...

Again thanks for bringing back some great memories.

I always thought this was your uncles account never knew it was yours. The other store I was talking about was Mikes Book store, for at least the one summer he was big into cards. Not sure if it was right beside whatcha got or maybe there was a store between them. I actually thought you have the one in the old bus station right beside the coach in.....if that wasnt you then I guess there was another I had forgotten about. I know a guy I went to school with (Jimmy something?) and his dad had the one beside the coach at one time. I didnt make it to the show at the bayshore, my brother did and came home with an uncut sheet of 89-90 OPC that he over paid for but he was 9 years old and loved it. I remember a show at the grey county mall that they brought pat borders in for. I recently made a trade with your Dad he gave me some 80's stickers and I gave him some 90's UD for sets he was working on. I think your dad and you as well as the guy in the mall were the only ones who were true hobbyist.....all the others were just trying to make fast money.

 

[burebuyer]

Growing up in North Vancouver, BC in the early 90s there must have been like 6-7 shops at one time. My favourite shop was literally inside the Sears department store in Capilano Mall. Was called Mr. C's Sports Cards.

Derek

 

[Mbenz7846]

This is a great thread!

First for me was in 1990 in Calgary, can't remember the name but was a small store in Canyon Meadows in the strip mall (Elbow Drive and Anderson), I remember the lighting was dim but they had a largeselection of singles/boxes and boxes of 80s cards which was amazing to see after only ever buying packs at a convenience store.

Shortly after we moved to Aurora Ontario and there were two shops Great Canadian Cards and another one on the other side of Yonge Street, can't remember the name. Anyway, one day at Great Canadian the owner (Dave maybe?) introduced me and and my friend to Pittsburgh Penguins player Jim Paek who was in the store at the time. We had no idea who he was but were super excited to meet/see an actual player.

 

[DougLaurieSports]

Bought my first packs from Werth's Dairy Mart in Caseyville, IL, in 1975. Topps Baseball, and no idea how many George Brett RCs I traded away. That little store was at the foot of a mile-long trek down the hill, across a two-lane road and a quick duck into Ginny's Tavern to say (and grab some peanuts), a trek I made at least twice a week when I was seven. SEVEN! Can you imagine that now?

I also frequented this little hole in the back of the Sears in St. Clair Square in Fairview Heights. He was a coin and stamp shops, but he had a big bin of cards three for a dime and I'd dig around carefully in there. I got to know him well enough that before we moved in 1980, he'd run off to the can and have me watch the shop for a few minutes. I'd get a handful of cards for that.

The father of one of my best friends in high school was an avid collector and when his son was murdered my senior year, I ended up spending a lot of time with him. Gary was an insurance actuary and one of the smartest guys I ever met. His wife owned a dog grooming business in a building with a veterinarian, and he eventually put a couple counters in the lobby of those businesses.

I helped him on occasion and the absolute slam of people led to him taking over a space on Main Street in my hometown. I continued to help him when I was home from college, and when he passed away, his family asked me to take over. I did, splitting space with one of the other kids who sold comics and Magic cards.

I don't remember the exact timeline, but at some point I left, then opened a tiny little corner in a record store not long after right around the time the first BAP came out. Sold that and started in the newspaper business, only to get back into cards again in 2005 when I moved to Canada.

And now, after a large amount of grief a few years back, I have my place in Barrie, ON again. Sucks to be limited to curbside pickup now, but the shop looks the way I like it - crap lying around EVERYWHERE from recent buying, lol. If you're in the area, pop by and hopefully we can be your new LCS.

 

[numbern9ne]

The Penalty Box in Clinton Twp, Michigan. It was run by this super friendly older gent named Walt Montreal. Got all my fixes on 90s wax from there as a kid... It was a 2 minute walk from my parents house.

 

[Cujokidder]

So many memories.

Fantasy Warrior on the Queensway-owner went on to open Legends of the Game. I remember buying an 85-86 OPC Flyers Team set with the Lindbergh death card...still have the card and it still haunts me.

Sports Connection-Eglinton and Bathurst. An hour on the bus as a 14 year old with my 20 bucks from my paper route in my pocket-so many crazy deals. Buying up Gretzky, Mattingly and Boggs.

Sluggers-not far from Sports Connection. Pulled an 86 Fleer Canseco rc from a rack pack on the bus on the way home.

Z & Z Sportcards. Was always told they searched their packs-not from my pulls. Tons of Yzerman, Gilmour, Lafontaine RC's from 84/85 OPC and a 1983 Fleer Boggs rc pulled in that store probably around 1990/91

Legends of the Game-their grand opening was epic.
Steps from the dome. Not cheap but an expensive location-good variety and i could get my Sports Collectors Digest.

Rookies at Skydome
Same deal, super expensive but you had to buy a few packs when walking through the skywalk back in the day-best pull was a 1982 Topps Nolan Ryan from a wax pack.

The Card Castle-Eringate Mall in Etobicoke. This was during the 90's hey day. Didnt last long but i bought a ton of vintage hockey there back in the day when it was really affordable-they had the best condition cards from the 70's Mario and Tony i believe. Acquired my Joe Montana rc and one of my Gretzky rc's from there.

Queensway sportscards. Spent many great years in there chatting with Paul and Rino among others. Got most of my Cujo collection from there-and my Trevor Kidd Leafs equipment.

There is also a guy (i forget his name) in the Dixie Flea Market (Value Mall) who has been there for years-super nice guy sells jerseys and cards. My wife (then girlfriend) bought me the Jim Carey Painted Warriors Mask card to complete my set back in the day as a surprise, he got it for her.

Good times...

 

[TanguayFan]

For me, my first shop that I remember was Cardboard Jungle in Sackville, NS, which sold both cards and comics. I also remember going into D and M Sportscards when they were is a house on Windsor St. in Halifax. However early on, most of my wax was bought from card dealers at the local flea market in Downsview Mall, as many of us who set up each week would swap singles amongst each other for more wax. In the late 90's and early 00's, my sole go-to spot was D and M when they had the shop in Burnside.

Nowadays, I don't really visit card shops, as D and M seems to focus more on non-card sports items, I have no idea where Strictly Singles moved to, AMG can't stay in one spot for more than a few months it seems, and there is one spot (whose name eludes me) on Main St in Dartmouth that I went into once, and have never set foot in again. So most of my card related purchases are online and at the local shows and flea market. I haven't busted any wax since 2010, so they aren't exactly missing my business. LOL

 

[Maple Leaf Sports]

First for me was in 1990 in Calgary, can't remember the name but was a small store in Canyon Meadows in the strip mall (Elbow Drive and Anderson), I remember the lighting was dim but they had a largeselection of singles/boxes and boxes of 80s cards which was amazing to see after only ever buying packs at a convenience store.

This sounds like Kelly and her store called 'The Book Addic'...?

 

[bamlinden]

This sounds like Kelly and her store called 'The Book Addic'...?

That’s exactly what I was going to say Darren. That was the first card/comic shop I went to in the late 80’s.

I wish I had a photo of the place.

The thought of taking a simple snapshot for something just like this 30 years later...just never would occur to me.

 

[Sharks1917]

cards

Peninsula sports cards in Belmont, California. They have 2 other stores as well down in the San Jose area. Still go there & have known them since 1987. Not to many people collect Hockey here in California, So I usually get first crack at the products.