Brad Strebeck of Paxton and his son Ben pose in front of the main entrance of Game Changer Sports Shop, which is scheduled to open Thursday, Aug. 29, at 222 1/2 N. Market St. in downtown Paxton. Courtesy of Game Changer Sports Shop
PAXTON — For Brad Strebeck, running a sports card shop with his 16-year-old son, Ben, couldn’t be more fulfilling. Even over the phone, you can see a smile on the elder Strebeck’s face as he does his best to answer what it all means to him as a father.
“It’s everything,” said Strebeck, 49. “He’s doing what I did (as a kid), and it’s a really good feeling for him to experience that — as far as collecting, selling and trading. I’m not saying I want him to follow in my footsteps, but it’s definitely a father-son bonding thing. That’s really it.”
That sentiment is shared by his son, a sophomore at Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School who helps his father run the soon-to-open Game Changer Sports Shop at 222 1/2 N. Market St. in downtown Paxton. Ben Strebeck called the opportunity “a dream come true,” Brad Strebeck said.
Ultimately, the plan is for Ben to succeed Brad Strebeck as owner of the store, which will have an opening weekend from Thursday, August 29th through Labor Day on Monday, September 2nd.
Game Changer Sports Shop opens Thursday, Aug. 29, at 222 1/2 N. Market St. in downtown Paxton. The store will sell sealed boxes and packs of sports cards, individual sports cards, signed jerseys and football helmets and other memorabilia. Fighting Illini merchandise and accessories will be offered, as well as MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL and NASCAR merchandise and Pokemon cards. The store will offer buy, sell and trade options. The store’s opening weekend will run through Labor Day. Will Brumleve/Ford County Chronicle
“I’m the sole owner, but the goal is to hand him the reins,” Brad Strebeck said. “This is really going to be for him. This is a big learning experience for him, but he’s taken it – and run with it.”
Located in the former Paxton Daily Record newsroom on the north end of the former Paxton Printing Inc. building – which currently also houses Coffee & Friends – Game Changer Sports Shop is indeed a “family affair” as Brad Strebeck’s wife of 19 years, Christine, is involved in addition to their son. The couple also has a 15-year-old daughter, Ella, a freshman at PBL High School. All have sacrificed their free time to get the shop up and running.
“It’s going to be a family business,” said Brad Strebeck, who pointed out that owning the store is just a side job to his other part-time job as owner of Strebeck Auctions and his full-time job with the Illinois Department of Transportation. “We all have jobs,” he said of himself and his wife, “but we’re all going to try to make it work.”
Signed jerseys, shoes and football helmets and other memorabilia can be purchased at Game Changer Sports Shop, 222 1/2 N. Market St., Paxton. Courtesy of Game Changer Sports Shop
Game Changer Sports Shop is actually a “double store,” as Brad Strebeck noted, as part of the space is used for its auction business. A room directly behind the store is used for storage and shipping for both the card shop and online auctions, while another room directly behind it is used for live auctions conducted through Facebook and hibid.com.
“The back room will be dedicated to that purpose, so to speak,” said Brad Strebeck, who has owned Strebeck Auctions for 12 years now.
Brad Strebeck, a lifelong Ford County resident who graduated from Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley High School and has lived in Paxton since 1998, said he has been collecting cards since he was 10 and has amassed a “huge collection of stuff” in the four decades since. Much of it is for sale, while some — like his highly coveted 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card — is definitely not for sale.
Brad Strebeck and his son Ben pose in front of the main entrance of Game Changer Sports Shop, which is set to open Thursday, Aug. 29, at 222 1/2 N. Market St. in downtown Paxton. Courtesy of Game Changer Sports Shop
Some of the sports cards and memorabilia available for purchase are replaced regularly, Brad Strebeck said, with a new product coming onto the market every few weeks.
“There are new products coming out literally every week,” he said. “Not that we’re going to have everything new every week, but we’re probably going to change our product at least every two weeks. … We’ll stay on top of some of the new stuff as far as the packages and cases that are going to be sold.”
The store’s offerings include complete sets and individual packs of sports cards – from virtually every sport, including MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, PGA and NASCAR – as well as signed memorabilia such as jerseys, helmets and photos. Accessories such as card sleeves and boxes are also available. There are also some vintage sporting goods for sale, as well as Pokemon cards.
In addition to sales, the business also engages in buying and trading.
Game Changer Sports Shop, located at 222 1/2 N. Market St. in downtown Paxton, sells sealed boxes and packs of sports cards, individual sports cards, signed jerseys and football helmets and other memorabilia. Courtesy of Game Changer Sports Shop
The store has a seating area that can be used by customers looking through their cards or by waiting family members. There is free WiFi.
“We also have a separate table where if you open the cards there at the table, you get free sleeves and toploaders when you open them if you draw something big,” said Brad Strebeck.
Initially, the store plans to have an appearance about four times a year by a current or former college or professional athlete who will sign autographs, meet fans and take photos with them. Brad Strebeck said he hopes to get a current University of Illinois basketball player to make an appearance soon and later get Buckley’s pride and joy – former San Francisco Giants pitcher Scott Garrelts – to do so. In the future, he said, such events could become more frequent – perhaps monthly – and perhaps include former players from the Chicago Cubs or St. Louis Cardinals.
Game Changer Sports Shop is open Thursday and Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Will Brumleve/Ford County Chronicle
While details are still being worked out, Brad Strebeck said tickets would be required for entry to each signing, and there would be additional fees for autographs and photos with the sports stars. There will be a flat fee per signed item, and fans can bring their own items or purchase them on-site instead.
According to Brad Strebeck, the sports card market has recently regained popularity after years of decline.
“When COVID hit in 2020, things really took off again,” he said. “Just like online auctions, everything moved online and really took off from there.”
“Sports cards are coming back,” he continued. “They’re now a popular collectible again and the younger generation is actually interested in them.”
He explained that one of his goals in opening the store was to rekindle children’s interest in collecting sports cards – like in Strebeck’s childhood.
“I just want the kids to have something to do again as far as collecting cards goes,” he said. “When we were growing up, that was our big thing. … You’d go to the store, spend 50 cents on a pack of Topps cards and come home and think you really had something … and sometimes you did.”
In addition to following in his father’s footsteps as a sports card collector, Ben Strebeck has also enlisted his friends. A group of them could be found at the card shop often this summer as Ben Strebeck has spent the last month getting it ready for opening.
“When I go up there just to check, there’s about five or six kids there because he calls them and says, ‘Hey, come on up,'” Brad Strebeck said. “Last week we went up there and there were kids knocking on the door — there were about 10 kids there already. That’s what I want — I want them to have a place to hang out and have fun. … One kid came in and said, ‘Man, I need to get a job.’ He said, ‘I just want to buy everything (in the store).'”
The elder Strebeck said he was confident the card shop would be supported by the community.
“I really believe that,” he said. “I really believe Paxton will support this. I think it was needed. It’s definitely something different. Obviously it’s not for everyone, but with downtown being renovated and a lot happening, I really think something different was needed. Obviously restaurants and a wine shop and boutiques are coming downtown and stuff, but I think this will be something for the boys, and I really want the kids to be involved in something like this again.”
During opening weekend, the store will be open on Thursday, Aug. 29, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 30, from 5 p.m. until after the PBL Panthers football game; Saturday, Aug. 31, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 1, from noon to 6 p.m.; and Monday, Sept. 2, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. After the opening, the store will be open regular hours, which are Thursdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be light refreshments and probably some giveaways at the opening, but otherwise it will be business as usual, Brad Strebeck said.
The ticket shop can be reached at 217-781-4131.
