I have been to many an LCS in my 38 years of collecting. Some knew my name. Some knew my family. Some knew how to get more money out of us. Some probably thought I was a joke and humored me as a kid in the early 90's.
At 45, I look for something different in an LCS. It's not always about the prices of their hobby boxes or the their singles or even the amount of cards they have, but the level of service they provide. Depending on what it is I want, I technically have two that I go to, but only one that sees me on a consistent basis.
One is a shop in North Seattle that we only go to because they have a huge selection of older hobby boxes for reasonable prices. The other is my favorite.
My local LCS is about 20 minutes away. It's called Who's On First? The owner is an amazing man named Deven. Deven grew up collecting Mattingly, much like me. Deven has known my wife and I since 2018. He knows us so well, that he tolerates me sitting to the side with all of the new hobby boxes for a particular product while I wait for my wife to pick one out from a pic while she's at work. This has been our way for years. The wife picks the gems. He also will hold boxes if money is tight--like right now. It's Christmas. Everyone is having money issues. 21-22 SP Game Used Hockey and 22 Topps Chrome Update Hobby just dropped. Can't afford either but will have one of each waiting for me after Christmas.
We spend quite a bit there and he sees my wife at her job (the Post Office) so he knows we will come through when funds clear up. The thing is most LCS owners aren't willing to do this for people. But I have seen him do other amazing things as well. He is a true pillar in the community--even helping out some of the less fortunate souls around the shop.
The simple fact that he offered to hold boxes for us meant a lot. Especially right now.
If your local LCS is just a place you visit because it's close and they treat you like dirt--find a better LCS.
Find an LCS that looks at you the way you look at that burger you got from your local fast food place.
You deserve it.
Joe
👍
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