Vintage sports goods shop in Angola is unique nationwide

Paul Davison, says his shop is unique not only in Angola and Indiana, but also across the country. “There’s no other, trust me, I’ve been in probably 1,000 baseball card shops all over the country,” said Davison. “What’s special about my shop, I don’t just have cards.”

The name of his shop is Vintage Sports Shack, and it’s located in the old Sound Cellar building on West Maumee Street. He explained that he traveled across the country and visited at least 38 states and in each of those states we went to the card shops, and he did not see the card shops that also carried memorabilia and vintage sports shoes and clothes, as he does in his store. “I’m the only card shop like this,” said Davison. “They’re all baseball card shops, and they might have memorabilia, but they don’t have shoes, they don’t have clothes.”

Read More : Sportswear brand Castore gets into shape for $200m fundraising

Instead of opening a regular baseball card shop, said Davison, he decided to open a shop that would make a difference in the field — the one that could appeal to anybody — not just men and teenagers, but also children, women, and families.

In his store he now offers more than 300 pairs of sport shoes, and many of them are never worn sneakers from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1880s, more than 200 apparel items, memorabilia, figurines, and old sport advertising. “I’ve been getting them for the last 20 years,” said Davison.

He said he got a lot of his sneakers when a similar store in the area closed 15 years ago, but he was also getting some on his own. The main sport shoes brands that Davison offers in his store are Nikes including Dunks and Air Jordans and Converse.

Along with some limited editions, one of Davison’s most treasured pairs is Nike’s collaboration on mental health awareness – a model called “Why so Sad” featuring question marks on the backs of the shoes and the question written itself on the inside.

The store also offers the so-called dunks that were popular in Davison’s youth because at that time they looked like Air Jordans that cost $125 back in the end of the 80s, but that could have been picked up for $40. “The Air Jordan took off real famous and the dunks weren’t famous,” said Davison.

Davison also has brand new sport shirts with the tags from the ‘70s and ‘80s, and a worn baseball uniform from the 30s with buttons from the 40s that he ordered from a similar store in Hawaii, and that for him is a piece of history in his store.

Despite being not the only item on sale, cards remain one of the major features of Davison’s Vintage Sports Shack. He said he started to collect cards when he was about 10, but then he stopped and resumed collecting them only when he was in his 20s.

In his store he now offers recent editions and cards from the ‘70s and ‘80s — both graded and ungraded or raw cards. The difference between raw and graded cards is that the graded cards get an official score for their condition and are then put in a special plastic case and consequently can be sold for more than raw cards.

The most expensive graded cards can be sold for as much as the record $12.6 million as was the case with a 1952 Mickey Mantle rookie baseball card sold in August 2022. Davison noted that the same card in a less perfect condition, being crinkled and beat up, could have been sold for about $10,000-$15,000. “People think, oh, I got an old card, it’s worth money,” said Davison. “No, it has to be in perfect condition.”

The most expensive item in the Davison’s store so far was the Hank Aaron’s rookie card that had recently been sold for $2,000. One of his most expensive items on display now is Michael Jordan’s cards. “Michael Jordan stuff is expensive,” said Davison.

He explained that except for the card’s age and condition, the objection that is also considered when determining the price of a card is their quantity. Some cards are produced in limited editions, or short print, and they are typically more expensive than similar regular versions.

On memorabilia side, the shop carries old shoe advertising of the Beatles collaboration with Vans for their Yellow Submarine sneakers, and Vans collaboration with Star Wars advertising, as well as authenticated and certified Walter Payton’s, Terry Bradshaw’s, and others autographed helmets and Ryne Sandberg’s autographed T-shirt. “He is the greatest second baseman to ever play the game,” said Davison, for whom Ryne Sandberg is one of his top-three favorite players along with Bo Jackson, and Ken Griffey Jr.

Davison, Angola native, who works as a real estate appraiser, said he started to collect sport goods, such as shoes and jerseys, football, baseball, and basketball cards, and memorabilia when he was a child and that hobby continued into his adult life. “I’m a collector, and I’ve always enjoyed it,” he said.

Davison opened his store on 303 W. Maumee St. in November 2022. He said that he still remembers the days when the buildings next to him that are now vacant were occupied by candy stores and baseball cards shops, and he thought that the people like him who had been around their whole life should try to do something about it. “But I can’t expect other people to do it if I don’t try it,” said Davison.

For that, he chose the location farther away from downtown and closer to the Trine University because he wanted to bring life back to the area farther from the monument and beautify it while also connecting the college with the downtown businesses. “I’m trying to give back, trying to do something for the community,” he said.