What are your favorite card/hobby stores from your youth?

[wolf441]

Originally Posted by spec

Like most of the oldtimers who have posted about collecting in the 50s and 60s, I was limited to convenience stores and mom & pop markets when I first discovered baseball cards back in Florida.
However, when I graduated to vintage cards in the 70s and 80s, I had the great good fortune to be in Boston where a variety of card shops sprang up.
My apartment was within walking distance of Walt Kelley's store in Kenmore Square. Since I worked nights and weekends, I was able to spend many weekday afternoons there. However, I also made regular visits to Hall's Nostalgia in Arlington. That required taking the T into Boston, then out to Cambridge, followed by a bus to Arlington, but it was worth the trip. In addition, I used Boston's unique public transportation system to visit Bill Carvalho's store in Melrose and Phil Castinetti's Sportsworld in Saugus whenever I got word that they had purchased some interesting material.
Though my collection still includes wonderful cards from each of these establishments, some of my fondest collecting memories are of afternoons spent discussing sports with Dave and Joel Hall at Hall's Nostalgia and with Walt, Dave and Joe at Kenmore Sportscards near Fenway Park. If any of them read this forum: Thanks for the memories!
B0b Rich@rds0n

Great memories, Bob!

Was Kenmore Sportscards in one of those brownstones right near Kenmore Square where you walked up a short brick stairway in front of the building? I couldn't remember the name of the shop, but my mom used to drive me in back in the early 1980's and we'd park on a street behind the building (I remember 10 year old me thinking it was kind of a sketchy looking area ). I was amazed that there was a whole store that had nothing but sports cards and collectibles!