Editor's Note: This article is part of a new online series launched in July 2023 by the City of Gainesville intended to highlight and promote must-try businesses in the area of the historic square in downtown Gainesville, Georgia. As the community continues to flourish and welcome new restaurants, retailers and service providers – especially within the downtown corridor – leadership wishes to introduce available offerings to residents and visitors alike ahead of their next trip to the City of Gainesville. Must-Try Monday features will be released weekly via gainesville.org and the @GainesvilleGeorgiaGovernment (City of Gainesville, Georgia) Facebook page. Be sure to "Like" and follow us on social media so you don't miss the latest and greatest about the Hospitality Capital of the World!
Downtown Sports Cards | 206 Bradford St. NE | Open 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday + 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Sept. 25, 2023) – When it comes to sports card shops, consider Downtown Sports Cards a grand slam – a retailer that knocks it out of the park whether your focus is on trading cards, memorabilia or other hobbies.
"We are a sports card shop that buys, sells and trades cards," Owner Randy Cruce told the City of Gainesville, whether it's baseball cards, Pokémon cards – you name it.
Learn the ins and outs of Downtown Sports Cards, what makes it a Must-Try Monday-worthy business and why you should make it a destination the next time you're near downtown Gainesville by reviewing the exclusive Q+A with Cruce and staffer Mike Roth below.
Q: When did your business open and where? If your business has operated at other locations, please list those.
A: December of 2022 at this location. – Cruce
Q: What drew you to operate your business in downtown Gainesville?
A: A need for a sports card shop up this way in the northeast. Anyone in the sports card world [originally] had to go up into Atlanta. There’s nothing north, east or west of us. – Roth
Q: What kinds of products and/or services does your business offer to the public?
A: Singles, wax, grading, buying, selling and trading of cards. Basically anything that any collector of sports cards and collectibles in general [would seek out]. We have memorabilia, but we don’t do a lot with that, it’s mostly the card industry, whether it’s Pokémon, Disney Lorcana, sports cards ... we do all of that. – Cruce
Q: Can you give some examples of unique products and/or services you offer that aren’t easily replicated elsewhere in town?
A: We are Topps direct, which means all of our Topps products come from Topps because we are a hobby shop. We’re also a Lorcana OP store, meaning that we have the Disney Lorcana trading cards and are an official play store for them. – Cruce
Q: What offerings are you most proud of and why? Give us the scoop!
A: Along with being a Topps direct and Lorcana direct store, we also grade submissions. – Cruce
Q: Do you target a specific audience? If so, can you please specify?
A: No. We target everyone. – Cruce
Q: In your own words, what makes your business a positive addition to the downtown cityscape?
A: It’s the community aspect of it. People leave the sports fields and then come here, whether it’s a father bringing in their son from the ball field or a dad bringing in their daughter after a soccer game. – Roth
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: We’re always buying if there’s somebody trying to get rid of their collections. The ‘80s and ‘90s are tough. We buy a lot of Pokémon, we turn over a lot of Pokémon and a lot of truly vintage ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s sports cards. – Cruce
PHOTO CUTLINE | Downtown Sports Cards is located at 206 Bradford St. NE, just off the historic square in downtown Gainesville. Find additional photos shared via the @GainesvilleGeorgiaGovernment Facebook page.
