An innocent walks in here, looking for specialty trading cards (or perhaps to sell some cards at a…read morefair price). Yes, sure, that's the easy and obvious reason to come here, and probably the reason that draws most here in the first place. But what the innocent doesn't know is this:
Upon the first step inside as you push the door open, you catch your breath. And in that breath, you breathe, you smell history, friendliness, knowledge, and secrets waiting to be discovered. Just in that first single second, you realize you have found a special place that doesn't exist anywhere else in the whole entire world. You gaze in wonder, hardly daring to even take the next step for fear of missing some gem on the walls, shelves, stacks or showcases. You know immediately, that you will spend many seconds, minutes and hours here, just appreciating the wealth and variety of sports memorabilia. And if you don't know what you're looking at, you soon will. The owner has an easy way about him: insanely knowledgable, yet approachable and so kind to kids and grown-ups alike. He gives you a friendly greeting, and within a few minutes of chatting, he has sized you up, knows your inner longings and dreams regarding all things related to sports nostalgia. He saves and hoards special items for hundreds, nay, thousands of customers, delighting and taking honest pride in his humble quest, which appears to be to provide the perfect home for each and every one of the treasures he meticulously collects.
Complete with a kids' club ("Gilbert's Gorillas,") where kids get free cards, games and an education in collecting, this is an old-school mom & pop joint that's as good as it gets. You can find a myriad of trading cards for every sport imaginable. You can find baseballs signed by famous people (yes, even the Big Bam is featured), sneakers worn by basketball players, jerseys and all manner of other great sports-related gifts. But mostly, you just have to experience the vibe in here. You may have wandered in here as a casual browser, but you will walk out an acolyte.
