RSSThe little sports memorabilia shop that could
Looking around A.J.'s Sport Stop on Maple Avenue in Vienna, brimming with thousands of packs, boxes and loose cards of sports and non-sports figures, one can easily see why the clientele and workers get along so well.
"We work here because we love baseball, football and other trading cards," said Gary Grimsley, one of the owners of A. J.'s Sport Stop.
Since opening its doors in 1980, A. J.'s has seen many ups and downs with the local professional athletic teams, and Grimsley has been a part of the store through much of that time.
"I was a customer for 18 years, I worked here a total of eight years -- managing for two -- and in the last year or so I became one of the owners," he said. The shop, housed in a double-wide trailer with restaurants and red brick dental offices among its neighbors, is a bit of a throwback. In its own way, A.J.'s is like a vintage baseball card clothes-pinned to the spokes of a fairly new bicycle -- it sticks out and draws attention for fun reasons.
A.J.'s has been riding a smooth trail of business recently since some of the current hottest sports cards on the market have local ties.
"More of our sales lately have been newer baseball because of [Stephen] Strasburg and newer hockey because of [Alex] Ovechkin," said Grimsley, referring to the Washington Nationals' rookie pitching phenom and the Washington Capitals' captain.
A Strasburg rookie card sold for more than $16,000 in an online auction before he made his major league debut in June.
Rick Lucian, another of the A.J.'s six owners, said Strasburg cards remain very popular. "But, it's not the frenzied madness from last month," he noted.
Even so, Lucian said the 2010 Bowman brand Strasburg rookies sell well at $30 each for the base type and $60 for the Chrome style. The packs and boxes of those cards sold out weeks ago. Copies of "Inside Pitch," the free stadium program from Strasburg's MLB debut, which includes a card of the pitcher, sells for $20.
A hobby for the ages
Lucian added that the memorabilia shop appeals to customers of many ages. "And about a third of our customers are 25 or younger," he said.
David Valle and his sons Jacob, 7, and Cristian, 9, of Chantilly visited the Vienna shop on a recent Saturday to look at an assortment of cards. David Valle, who collects primarily Chicago Bears cards, has helped his sons build their hobby interests.
"Collecting is one of those things that you pass down from generation to generation," David Valle said. "And A. J.'s is a family-oriented shop we are very comfortable with."
Jacob has been collecting about a month or two and he knows what he wants.
"I like Marvel [superhero] cards, military cards, football and soccer," he said.
His brother Cristian goes for "a little bit of hockey," some Pokémon cards based on the popular game, and football and soccer cards. Cristian said a lot of his friends collect, too.
He added that he likes A.J.'s because of "good prices and nice people that work there."
On this particular day the Valle boys gravitated toward the store's soccer cards.
Meanwhile Michael Belous, 19, of Fairfax City scouted Nationals' items. Belous has frequented the shop the past four years, partially because of the store's selection of Nats cards.
"I'm a Nats fan in general, but I'm a big fan of Ryan Zimmerman," said Belous, of the team's power-hitting third baseman. "I pretty much collect anything of his," said Belous.
And Strasburg cards? "I dabble in those," said the teenager.
Fairfax resident Bob Menefee, however, regularly is on the lookout for Strasburg prints. "I have been collecting since 1989 and Ken Griffey Jr. in the 1989 Upper Deck set was big, but Strasburg is bigger than that," said Menefee, 72. "He is great for baseball and for sports collectibles."
Menefee also collects Mickey Mantle cards and vintage Washington Senators pasteboards.
He comes in several times a week partly to check on the bid board, which ends on Saturday afternoons, where collectors can auction off their own cards. "We also talk baseball a lot at the store," he said.
Even with "Strasmas," coming every five days in the Washington region, the overall talk of the sports card world is somewhat mixed, said T.S. O'Connell, editor of the weekly national publication Sports Collectors Digest.
"The new-card market is probably in a bit of a transition," O'Connell said.
He cited the fairly recent consolidation and elimination of several card licensees and card sets as the driving force behind the transition. "It's going to take some time to shake it all out and see what emerges," he said. The SCD editor added vintage cards and memorabilia "remain relatively strong despite broader concerns in the economy."
The big one
The annual National Sports Collectors Convention, held since 1980, takes place this year for the first time in Baltimore from Aug. 4 to 8. "The National" is the Super Bowl of sports memorabilia shows. Both Lucian and Grimsley are happy the convention is so close to the D.C. area this year.
"I know a lot of people who live around here that are going," Grimsley said.
The store owner is also optimistic for the future of the hobby, currently holding on during a down economy. "In the next few years, when the economy improves, more people will return to this hobby and will realize they can have fun without spending a lot of money," said the cousin of former big league pitcher Ross Grimsley.
Local Sports Collectibles shops
A.J.'s Sports Stop
703-938-1688
255 Maple Ave. W
Vienna
Collectors Corner
703-450-7280
47024 Harry Byrd Highway
Suite No. 106
Sterling
Pete's All Stars
703-461-7827
5130 Duke St., No. 2
Alexandria
Ron's Collectors World
703-256-8408
7030 Columbia Pike
Annandale
The 31st National Sports Collectors Convention
Baltimore Convention Center, One West Pratt St.,
Baltimore
When: Aug. 4-8
Tickets: Purchased online start at $16.50, tickets on site $19.95.
Other ticket packages, with autographs, are more.
Parking: Starts at $15.
Various autograph guests.
Children under 12 are
admitted free all week.
For more details visit www.NSCCShow.com.