A Favorite Pastime Stays Alive at Howell Shop

Depending on how old you are, your relationship with collectible cards has very likely changed over the years. Whether you punctured them with your bicycle spokes to make noise as you cruised down the street, or you flipped them with your friends leaving it up to fate to decide which cards you came home with a lot has certainly changed over the decades. 

Even in the past 10 to 20 years the hobby has changed as card flips were replaced by well thought out trades based not only on the favorite player but also the value of the cards. And while he cannot give you the cardboard like gum that used to come with the packs Bob Colello of  can help bring you back to your collecting days with a visit to his store. 

After more than five years at a location further down Route 9 Colello settled into a new spot near the where his store can provide collectible fans with a variety of items. Having six years of experience, Colello said he loves what he does. "When I left my old job and I was looking for something to get into, after a lot of research I found out the best thing to do is your hobby," he said. "My hobby is collecting all my life. I figured since I knew it I'd start a business and I'm happy I've done it."

Colello also knows that his business is not as popular as it once was, making for less competition but also making it a difficult business to be in. "It's a very hard business to make money in," he said. With competition not coming from other shops but rather the internet, he said he still offers a big selection that his customers seem to enjoy. 

In addition to cards from the major sports, Colello said he also offers items from games like Magic the Gathering, Pokemon and Yugioh. Other popular things he sells include autographed items and novelties including toasters that can burn your favorite team's logo onto your morning bread slices.

Colello said most of his customers are adults who collected during their childhood but he is always working to bring a younger generation into what has been a lifelong hobby and passion in his life. Not only is he trying to bring in younger shoppers and collectors, but he said the card companies like Topps are trying to tap that market as well. 

Arguably the icon of the baseball card world, Colello said Topps has tried to bring traditional collectors and the more internet savvy shoppers together. In some packs a redemption card can be found allowing the person holding the card to get a classic card to add to their collection. "Hopefully that gets the kids to keep coming back," he said. 

Other companies, he said, are doing their part to help the small stores that are still in business. Upper Deck, another popular brand will not sell to online dealers. Panini, another company which some collectors might remember as Donruss gets their items to the stores a week before the online markets and the stores cannot sell those items online until 30 days after receiving them. The volume of what is offered has also been drastically cut. "When I opened six years ago there were 140 baseball products. Now you're down to Topps for baseball and they have 15 products and that's it."

The collection hobby may not be as popular as it once was and might lack some of the fun, Colello said today's collectors know what they want and know how to treat their items "The kids that do come in these days, the cards they get they protect them really well," he said. 

Whether they buy a pack of cards, a vintage card or just a box of tissues with their favorite team's logo, Colello said he just likes interacting with other sports fans. "I just enjoy talking about sports," he said. Whether they agree with his choices of the Mets, Knicks, Islanders and Dolphins as favorite teams, Colello said the discussions that ensue make every day different in his shop.

Putting his personal preferences aside, Colello said he offers items for all the local teams but some are easier to sell than others. As they continue to rule the local baseball scene Colello said the Yankees and Phillies are the easiest to sell. On the other hand, he said, "It's hard to sell anything Mets right now." That was not always the case since he first opened his store. "It was a lot of Mets when they were winning and then all of a sudden it changed to the Phillies," he said. "I'm sure eventually when the Mets start winning again it will flip back."

Walking through the store you might see a card you had when you were a child, or one of a player you heard of but never really knew. Either way the Howell location can be a trip down memory lane for fans and collectors of all ages.