My Hunt for Cards Up North
Alright, so I found myself in Seattle recently. Wasn’t really a card trip, more like visiting some family, you know how it is. But while I was there, I got that itch. You know the one. Gotta see what the local card shops are like. It’s just something I do wherever I go.
First thing I did was pull out my phone, started searching. Found a few names, but gotta be honest, figuring out which ones were still open and actually decent was a bit of a pain. Some websites looked like they hadn’t been touched since maybe 2005. You see a listing, get your hopes up, then find out it’s a vape shop now or something.
Decided to just head towards a neighborhood someone mentioned might have a couple spots. Drove around for a bit. Parking was a nightmare, surprise surprise. Finally stumbled upon this one place. Looked pretty old-school from the outside, kinda small.
Checking Out the Scene
Walked in. Man, it was packed. Boxes everywhere, mostly baseball, basketball, some football. The guy working there, probably the owner, was behind this counter piled high with stuff. Seemed like a real collector’s den, not one of those super slick, modern places. Which is cool, I like seeing shops with character.
- Lots of older wax boxes, which was neat to see.
- Singles were mostly in binders and display cases, standard stuff.
- Had a decent amount of hockey too, actually.
Chatted with the owner for a minute. Nice enough guy. Knew his stuff but wasn’t pushy. Asked if he had any specific older Mariners cards I was half-looking for. He had a look, didn’t have the exact ones, but showed me some other cool Griffey Jr. stuff. Didn’t buy anything major, just grabbed a couple packs of something recent for the fun of it.
Later in the week, I heard about another shop, supposed to be bigger. Made the trek over there. This one felt different. More open, brighter, definitely more organized. Lots of high-end singles in fancy displays, graded cards taking up prime real estate. Felt a bit more like a gallery sometimes.
Prices seemed kinda high, though. Maybe it’s just the Seattle market, everything costs more up there, right? Or maybe I’m just used to my local spots back home. Found some interesting packs again, but held off on the expensive singles.
Final Thoughts on Seattle Cards
So, yeah. That was my little adventure into the Seattle sports card world. Didn’t find any hidden treasure or anything, but it was cool to see the different styles of shops. One felt like digging through your grandpa’s attic (in a good way!), the other was more like a clean, modern storefront.
It wasn’t like I scoured every corner of the city, just dipped my toes in. It’s always fun just to browse, talk a little shop, and see what different regions offer. Didn’t change my life, but definitely passed the time and satisfied that collector’s curiosity. Every city’s got its own flavor, even for card shops.
