General Forum

I'm back in my hometown of Clawson, MI and snapped a photo of the bulding where I started buying sports cards at (specifically 1980 and 1981 Topps Football). I seem to recall packs were .25 a piece and a wax box was less than 10 bucks. I never traded cards, etc, as a kid and I still have these cards today and if they could talk, boy, the journey they have been on. Here's the building:

https://imgur.com/a/23T3Jdq

This bulding use to house M&M Party Store AKA Mrs A's. For those who don't know, party stores are common in MIchigan (maybe elsewhere too). https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Party%20Store Basically a convenience store. I'm not sure when Mrs A's closed up shop but I'm sure it was years ago. 

But regardless, the older I get, the more nostalgia I feel about things and places and since I don't travel to Michigan but every 2-3 years, I figured I'd snap a pic and share. 

Anyone else have pics of the building you first bought cards at?

I could get a picture as the place I bought as a kid is about 25 miles from where I live now and is still in business. It is called Tangen Drug and is still a pharmacy today. Even more interesting is we starting buying from our childhood stores at the same timeframe. I bought my first packs in 1980 but really got heavy into it in 1981.

Excellent thread. Apparently if you search the location on Google Maps you can get historical pictures of places as they've changed over the years.

Here's where I bought my first 1966 Philadelphia and 1966 Topps Baseball in Del Rio, Texas.

It's been converted into a small church now. 

The strip mall that had my first store has long been torn down and replaced. Twenty years ago they took it out and built a restaurant. the 7-11 my brother and I used to buy a lot of 87 Topps from (and "stole from each other" eventually turned into an quick loan place

My first sports collectible was the 1983 Topps Sticker Album, and it was bought at either a 7-11 or a Woolworth's, I don't remember which. My first cards were the following year (1984 Fleer and Topps), which I believe were from Acme and/or 7-11 (also collected the 1984 Topps Sticker Album). The Acme is still around (but stopped selling cards and stickers in the 80s) but the other two are long gone

My first card purchases wereof 1979 Topps football  at a 7-11 in Oxnard, CA.  The store is still there, but stop selling cards several years ago.

Great thread.  I started buying cards in the early 1970s when I was in school in Bellegarde, SK at the town Co-op store.  My friends and I would go there and spend our money on cards every week and then trade to complete the annual set.  Back then it was hockey and CFL football.  I remember the red 1971 Football set. The school I attended for 12 years was torn down after I left with a new school built nearby.  The Co-op still exists thoughnot sure what name it sports now.  I doubt if they have sports cards but one never knows. I don't think we would see the craze we have seen elsewhere over cards, happen in this town.

Seeing as the town was not very big (farming community), I figured I woudl post apicture of the whole town.  As you can see, it was not a long walk from the old school site to the Co-op (it was not a long walk to anything other than home, uphill both ways in 6 feet of snow).

When I was a kid I would go around the corner to a small convience store where I would buy a pack of 10+ cards for under $1 from a nice man.  Every element of that statement is gone today.  You can't go around the corner, you would be lucky to fins a LCS in a 25 mile radius.  You can't get them at small convience stores, Walmart put them all out of business and now Walmart is no longer selling them at the store. Packs are usally less then 5 cards. The cheapest pack was $5 but thats gone too.  Even the nice man is gone replaced with a shop owner trying to make a margin to keep his shop open.  

I just looked up mine on google maps...and I guess google hasn't been to Lasalle Ontario in awhile as the picture still has the old variety store 'Ashtons' even thought it was converted to a Pizza Place years ago and now I believe is boarded up. Also the fact that the gas station next door has gas at 87 cents a litre leads me to believe this is quite old LOL. Here is a link don't know if it will work.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2342041,-83.061639,3a,75y,306.46h,88.78t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZChsxzQkY-4AYugyOZYQeA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

EDIT: Yup if you "drive" down the street a little bit you can see the pizza place and the gas station has a new digital sign with gas at $1.20 a litre. :)

The first packs I remember purchasing where the O-Pee-Chee Star Wars Red Series, I think they were 15¢ a pack. I never got to finish the set, though, but it was fun. :-)