Seattle area sports card shops (1990's and beyond)

[mrmopar]

I thought this would be a fun topic, as I recently unburied a bunch of business cards I had grabbed and kept. This discussion welcomes other regions and contributions, but I think anyone collecting cards in the PNW in the 90s/00s will probably recognize some or many of these businesses. I think nearly all are gone physically, but a few definitely remain in business, some even in physical form! I know a lot of people have complained that they don't have a good card shop close or it closed. Well, travel back to a time when shops were all over the place, at least in some areas.

A little history on this. i got out of the Navy in 1993 and while going to college, I developed a habit of spending my free time seeking out shops and shows to advance my recently revived collecting passion. Most of those shops were located on the Kitsap Peninsula, where I lived and went to school. When i graduated and got a job, i moved over to the Seattle side of the water and my job initially had me roaming the greater King/Snohomish counties and cold calling. This had me on the road a lot and I scheduled my trips and used my lunch time to check out any card shop i could find close by!

Enjoy and feel free to share some memories of any of the shops you personally knew or visited. Maybe some of these people are still in the business online? Maybe some are even members here?

 

[t.rooster]

Very cool display, thank you for sharing, that was a different time... I was in Seattle two summers ago for a wedding and I went online to see what card shops were available. There were a few that I detected, but Seattle is so very spread out that I couldn't swing it logistically.

 

[Chavezforprez]

When I was stationed at NAS Whidbey Island, I thought I'd have to drive all the way to Seattle to find a card shop, which would have been a half day adventure with the drive and then time spent at the card shop/s, but fortunately, King's Cards was in Oak Harbor. I spent a lot of time there and that is where I met Robert Hall, who I learned about The Bench from. Bruce and his wife held monthly pack battles and other various contests. One of the best shops I had ever had the pleasure of being apart of. To this day, the King Card Motto "you pick bad" still sticks with me when I purchase a bad pack or box. Growing up in Portland, Oregon, there seemed to be a card shop on every corner and a card show every weekend. I miss the old days!!!

Billy

 

[metsman1986]

Not many website sites on those business cards...........

 

[mrmopar]

Very cool display, thank you for sharing, that was a different time... I was in Seattle two summers ago for a wedding and I went online to see what card shops were available. There were a few that I detected, but Seattle is so very spread out that I couldn't swing it logistically.

Yes, these shops probably span a good 80-100 miles from end to end. I visited a few others, but maybe they didn't have business cards or were out. I know I have been to more shops than that locally.

And as for the websites (or lack of), most of these were mid 90s. Websites for physical stores were not quite as necessary as they are now.

I remember Robert and I think he was the first guy recognized by the site when he passed away. I have to think that others may have passed away since, but last I looked, there were still only 4 names memorialized in the Hall Of Fame. Does that even exist anymore?

 

[mrmopar]

I found it under the members tab. it is reformatted and I didn't see the memorials any longer, but I didn't look at each page.

Funny, the HOF levels are named after members, but besides the Robert Hall Memorial Wing, I am not sure the other two are active any longer (Primus) and (Legacy).

 

[mm1sub]

I was never on the West Coast when I was in the Navy. I did have the pleasure of being stationed in New Jersey and there were plenty of shops in Northern New Jersey. One shop in particular is where I picked up a ton of 1960 Topps. I remeber walking in one day and the owner telling me that he had a card I might like. He brought it over and it was the Yaz rookie..I said I was interested in it for sure. I asked how much and he told me that since I was such a good customer he would let it go for 35.00. I still have that card. I also remember a shop in Orlando, FL on Orange Blossom Trail. I picked up a bunch of 1970'2 singles for pennies on the dollar back in the day.

It really was a great time to be collecting in the 1990's.

 

[mrmopar]

I was never on the West Coast when I was in the Navy. I did have the pleasure of being stationed in New Jersey and there were plenty of shops in Northern New Jersey. One shop in particular is where I picked up a ton of 1960 Topps. I remeber walking in one day and the owner telling me that he had a card I might like. He brought it over and it was the Yaz rookie..I said I was interested in it for sure. I asked how much and he told me that since I was such a good customer he would let it go for 35.00. I still have that card. I also remember a shop in Orlando, FL on Orange Blossom Trail. I picked up a bunch of 1970'2 singles for pennies on the dollar back in the day.

It really was a great time to be collecting in the 1990's.

I was in the Nuclear Training program in Orlando, following boot camp there. It was 1987-88. I was fresh off leaving home and was still trying to maintain my collecting, but it would be the beginning of the end for a 5 year or so stint. I had no car while I was there, so I would get most of my cards at the mall just outside of the NTC base. I don't think I visited an actual card shop in Orlando when I was there.

 

[mm1sub]

I was in the Nuclear Training program in Orlando, following boot camp there. It was 1987-88. I was fresh off leaving home and was still trying to maintain my collecting, but it would be the beginning of the end for a 5 year or so stint. I had no car while I was there, so I would get most of my cards at the mall just outside of the NTC base. I don't think I visited an actual card shop in Orlando when I was there.

We much have just missed each other because I was there in 1989 to 1990

 

[mrmopar]

I believe I was heading up to Groton in Feb/March 1989 for Sub School, then on to San Diego for my cross rating to Sonar after Nuke school did me in.