I recently visited this shop and was impressed right away by the size, layout, and wide variety of products available. They have a great selection and plenty to browse through, which makes the experience enjoyable for collectors of all levels. However, I was a little disappointed that I didn't see any single card boxes to dig through--only sealed blaster and hobby boxes behind the counter. It's possible I missed them, but from what I could tell, singles weren't readily available. The biggest concern for me was the pricing. As a newer collector, I was already a bit nervous about choosing the right boxes, and seeing some items marked significantly higher than retail made me hesitant to buy. For example, the most recent Topps NBA Holiday Box was priced at $60, even though we had just purchased the same box at GameStop for $35 and it's still widely available at that price. Since it doesn't seem to be a rare or hard-to-find product, the markup felt a little excessive. On the positive side, the customer service was genuinely great. The employee who helped us took the time to talk with us and seemed truly willing to assist with anything we needed. That part of the experience definitely stood out in a good way. Overall, while I appreciated the variety and the friendly service, the pricing made me hesitant to spend money during this visit. I may do a bit more research and give the shop another try in the future, but based on this first impression, I wasn't fully comfortable making a purchase yet. read more

Had to do a double take in pulling up this business to post a review. I've known this store since it opened in 1991 when it was located on Lawton Street in San Francisco. Several years later, he moved to downtown Novato which is the last location that I visited. A few years ago and after the world changed in March 2020, he found a larger space here and made the move. He carries a full variety of sports cards and memorabilia as well as hosting games on weekends for Magic and Pokemon fans. He also carries card collecting supplies such as sheets, binders, and cases to frame jerseys. I've been fortunate that we are also casual friends so when I am looking for something, he will look for it or source me to where I can get it. With the recent Giants' outfielder from Asia doing a signing event then cancelling it last month, I asked him to help me get two autographed baseballs, one for a friend and the other for me. He's helped me frame jerseys and I've bought cardholders, sheets, and random sports items to give as gifts for friends. I hope to visit their store, likely when I make a road trip to the North Bay. Ask for founding partner John or his fellow owner Peter. read more

This is our go to place for Pokémon trading cards. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly, we never end up leaving without some great conversations. We may not always get a winning pack of cards but that's the luck of the draw. Their prices are definitely reasonable considering some of the experiences we've run into over the years. I highly recommend this store if you're looking for sports memorabilia, trading cards or anything related in that realm. A+ read more

John is very knowledgeable in sports Pokeman Magic and all aspects of cards. He's also a patient kind guy. A really good guy. Love his store. read more

This is a great shop. I happen to be spending the week up in Petaluma for a work assignment, and popped into the shop to see what they had to offer. They were very friendly, attentive and the selection was on point. Great prices all around. Especially for individual cards. Thank you for having a great selection of items to view. I will be back. read more

Extremely over priced! Especially in sports cards you'll be paying 100-300 dollars possibly more for a hobby box that you could find anywhere else for a much better price. read more

Very nice I got a steal of a card and the people there were very nice. I thought they had great value and the selection was great. If you are a sports fan, Pokémon fan, or yugioh fan this spot is perfect for you. read more

The Strike Zone - Hobby Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

This is the best card and memorabilia store in the Bay Area if not all of CA! The owners and employees are all EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND KIND! The all know everything there is to know about anything sports or trading card related and the inventory is EXCEPTIONAL! Definitely stop in and tell them Ty sent you! read more

Really impressed with this shop! The prices are a bit high (especially for the baseball cards, which the owner says they don't have a direct contract with topps). I did notice, for Pokémon cards he was 10-20% cheaper than a shop down the street! So what makes this my overall favorite card and memorabilia shop in sonoma county?! The owner! The owner is amazing!!! I wish I would have gotten his name. I have been in twice, he is so kind and knowledgeable. He is patient with kids who think they know it all, or are just... kids! The second time I came with my son. My son walked around amazed at all the Pokémon cards and I asked him to pick the two best packs around $6 for his stocking. He was so smooth my son had no idea and pulled some great cards. He then gave my son and another boy (who he talked out of buying an agreeably overhyped product) a free stack of base cards, which included some short prints IYKYK. Overall the memorabilia is awesome, amazing location, too bad I don't love going over the Cotati grade and braving the parking on Kentucky! read more

Been going here since Novato location in the 90s and early 2000s. Now in Petaluma it's one of the best places to find a variety of cards. Now when I visit once every few months to browse the cards it's like walking into a candyshop. Prices are often very reasonable and negotiable. They use ebay and TCG player for market value. If you buy more and spend more you'll often get a solid deal for being a frequent. Staff is very friendly and chill, all around it's a cool place to pass the time. read more

Terrific, helpful service. A lot of good choices, although not a ton of boxes, but enough to be solid from sports to games to memorabilia. Good location right in downtown Petaluma too. Impressive and the best spot to go to in the North Bay for trading cards and sports collectibles. read more

worker gave me 25 cents for the gumball great customer service super nice very great place great employees

The best sports cards and other game cards in all of Northern California. This is the best place to get all of your sports cards and memorabilia. The store owners are very knowledgeable and helpful. You can get all of your supplies here also. Great prices and excellent customer relations. This store is the absolute pride of Sonoma County!!! read more

Absolutely amazing shop!! Peter was a pleasure to chat with and the newer gentleman that helped me and it was his first day today. Amazing singles and sealed product for all TCGs and sports! Fair prices as well overall! Great business. Honestly my new favorite shop in the NorCal area. read more

Everyone who says the owners of this store are rude and unprofessional just don't like being told bad news about their cards. These guys shoot straight and will be completely honest if your cards are of value or not, you yourself should do some research instead of expecting that since your cards are from the 90's they carry thousands of dollars of value! I will continue to do business with Strike Zone and shout out to the owner John, he continues to help me with my streaming business and is extremely knowledgeable. read more

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Fun place nice guys. Whenever I'm in need of a new set for pokemon this is always a go to for me. The guys at the counter are very informative and know their stuff whole things might be vastly different in price and sometimes a little expensive compared to the bigger stores like target I always go here to support local businesses read more

Very nice store. Lots of unique merchandises. Owner and workers are knowledgeable and friendly.

I stopped by on work from Reno. Peter was a gracious host and great to speak with. He clearly loves the hobby. He has great inventory and a pleasant person to do business with. I'll certainly be back when I make my visits to the area. This is definitely one of the top stores in the bay-area that I've visited. read more

Awesome selection of card collectibles of all sorts. This is a Pokémon TCG Mecca ! This is a local gem if you're into trading cards and collecting. Every big store simply doesn't compete with The Strike Zone. You have to check this place out if you are a true collector/ trader. read more

The Strike Zone - Hobby Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

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Well they certainly helped me out in a pinch! First - Extremely fair and very very honest when getting information on some sport memorabilia collection that I came across from a client. I'm sure I came across as one of those desperate collectors just looking for some free advice - part true. But because of John's patience and sharing of his knowledge, I didn't hesitate for a second when I needed a specific item for a gift. I was back in his store weeks later wanting/looking for something special - not only was he already offering to find it, but he happened to walk me around the corner of his store pointing to exactly what I wanted. Without even asking, he cut me a deal that I gratefully accepted and went on my merry way. The gift was perfect and will be forever cherished! read more

The Strike Zone - Hobby Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

Whenever I'm in town in Petaluma, I always stop by The Strike Zone. They have a great selection of sports cards and trading card games. I just got back into collecting Pokemon cards and they have a deep selection of older packs that are harder to find, along with some of the Japanese sets too. Price points are a little on the higher end of things, but compared to other card shops, you'll definitely find what you need here. Owner's a nice guy, and great to chat with. read more

Love the owner, he's super friendly , honest , and trustworthy. I am a regular customer and I always get the best service here. Best sports card shop in Sonoma county! read more

The best sportscard store in Sonoma County! If you're in Petaluma come check on this spot, it will not disappoint.

I'm going to start my review by saying John is everything that is right with the hobby. He's extremely knowledgeable, and he's not going to push you into anything you don't want to buy. He always provides his honest opinion, even if that means steering you away from spending a ton of money. He has the best interests of his clients in mind at all times. I've been to other card shops where the people there will always try and suggest buying more, or buying something more expensive, not John. He wants you to buy something you'll be happy with. The shop itself is really clean and well organized, a great place to hang out and talk cards for a little while. If you're even at all curious about sports cards or memorabilia, you owe it to yourself to check this spot out. read more

Came here for years when i was a kid in Novato for baseball and pokemon cards. Walked in as an adult and was treated so poorly. Literally everything marked up higher then on ebay. I said hey these are even cheaper on ebay, after pulling them up on my iPhone. Before i got a pissed off look, and stormed off to his empty store. So actually i even messaged the guy on Ebay paypal'ed him and saved a few hundred dollars, over a $1,000 what Jon was selling for, in order to avoid ebay fees on both ends. I would have gladly paid for to have it right away and support the shop i went too as a kid, and i'm now 30 making more then enough money, but overnight shipping, $1,000 savings and rude service deterred me from any fond memory i had. Please avoid and hope they go out of business. read more

The strike zone is an amazing place to get memorabilia it also has a great Pokémon and sports card section the only thing is that some of the stuff is a bit overpriced. read more

A well lighted, clean and just all around great baseball cards and sports memorabilia shop. Friendly staff, always worth a visit. read more

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The Strike Zone is not only a great place to grab your sports, especially Giants, memorabilia, but it is also an amazing place for trading card collectors to gather to buy, play, and trade cards. There are a number of tables available in the store for open play. There are also display cases filled with assorted cards from the top card games like Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering, Cardfight Vanguard, and of course, Pokemon! The location is ideal in downtown Novato with street parking in the front, and a small lot in the back. The owner John is a fantastic guy and runs his business well. Definitely a stop to check out if you're a sports or collectable card fan! read more

The Strike Zone - A gathering ground for card collectors and players. - Hobby Shops Near Me - Petaluma, California

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The owner, John, is absolutely amazing. I first started going to The Strike Zone almost 20 years ago when it was in Novato, I played Yugioh and John made sure the environment was fun and appropriate for the kids there. When I moved on to playing MtG nothing changed. Whenever I'm in town these days I make sure to swing by and support the best LGS I've ever been to. I once went five years without stopping by but when I finally did John still remembered that twelve year old boy who could rarely buy anything but loved to play cards. You can't put a price on that sort of customer service. And on top of all that, the selection is wonderful, I had been looking everywhere for Strixhaven Collector packs and, of course, The Strike Zone was the place I finally found them. read more

I extremely needed some money to get out of debt from the high rent and gas prices these days and had a couple of good condition Pokémon cards (1999 Shadow Charzard 7.5 CGC and others!) I honestly wouldn't have traded it. I went to a couple of trading card stores to see if I could get any value from it and at this time, every store I went to offered me $150-$190. I then Came Back To The Stike Zone and it was the best decision ever as they offered me the most out of all the other stores!!! I highly recommend this place and everyone should check this place out! Great deals and offers read more

I want to see if one of my Pokémon cards were fake or not and The worker said it was fake and he was like mean and said you shouldn't trade with your friends!. read more

The guy behind the counter was very unprofessional and rude. When helping me he proceeded to answer the phone and carry on two conversations then when he finally got off started helping other people and didn't even acknowledge me anymore. Should get zero stars it really needs to work on their customer service read more

Really great store and Joe is really helpful. Lots of cool cards to choose from and Joe is a good conversationalist. Will definitely be coming back! read more

One of the BEST sports collectible shops in the Bay Area and there aren't many left. Jon the owner is friendly, professional, and great with the kids! My two boys love visiting the Strike Zone to pick up cards of their favorite players. He also carries non-sports collectibles (Yugioh, Pokemon, etc.). He has the some of the best selections of autographed memorabilia. read more

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Strike Zone used to be the place where Pokémon masters and Yugioh duelers came. SZ served as place to meet other card collectors and obviously the place to buy some more "packets." I stopped by and had flashbacks of my childhood. Glad to see that they're still in business even after I first set foot in 1997/1998 ! read more

Very helpful when we were looking for Jumpstart packs. Great selection of Magic cards.

Awesome shop! Glad to see the long-time Novato shop move to Petaluma. Bought some singles and chatted with the owner about baseball. Good times! read more

I was in Petaluma from out of town for work. The shop owner was extremely helpful and knowledgeable about everything he sold. I will definitely be going back for football and Pokémon memorabilia every time I am in town. read more

John is Amazing!!! New to the Hobby, he always steers my in the right direction! He has the best selection of cards and memorabilia. I tend to stick to football cards, but he has it all! read more

First time in and first time seller yesterday. The space was great, the service was incredible. He was honest and kind and jovial. I have collected cards for most of my life, casually, and I'm always learning. I have collected and not sold, and now I'm selling some of my stuff and as with everything else condition is the only thing that matters, save for autographed items. For example if you have two identical baseball cards and one is flawless in all aspects it's perfect and of the highest possible value, if the next card has an almost imperceptible smudge on the back and was dropped on the carpet once they may as well be two different cards from two different sports and of two different people. It matters THAT much. That tiny, itty bitty, "who cares it can't matter that much" flaw is the difference between your treasure being worth $100 and $100,000. The condition is the rarity. Once you get past that then you're good to go and you will enjoy one of the few people left who are breathing life into a pastime that is in a sad state of decline. It's a great hobby, with great people, and is accessible on all levels and fits every shape, shade, and color possible. What's not to love? This store is full of infectious passion and good clean fun, don't complain about video games and not going outside when this sort of gem is sitting in your beautiful and picturesque downtown. read more