In the Cards

By Lisa Arnett
August 2025 View more Discover

Score sports cards and more at these shops for collectibles

Dean’s Dugout

2035 S. Washington St., Naperville

Married for 42 years and in business together for 34, Marilyn and Dean Bapes both collected sports cards growing up and continued the hobby into adulthood, hosting card sales out of their garage and attending collectors’ events. They opened their first store in 1991 in Aurora and moved it to Naperville in 1996. Marilyn previously worked in corporate retail management and tapped her merchandising and marketing experience to run the business. “She came up with the slogan, ‘Dean’s Dugout: Where kids are VIPs,’ and we’ve really stayed true to that,” Dean says. In 2011, they moved to their current Washington Street location and have enjoyed keeping in touch with customers over the years as well as meeting a new generation of card collectors. “We often have people come in with their kids and say, ‘My parents used to bring me to your first store,’ or ‘I had my birthday party here when I was 10,’ ” Dean says. “We don’t have children so I always say our customers are like all our kids.” Though the Bapes are known for their inventory of sports cards, they also sell gaming cards such as Magic, Pokemon, Vanguard, and Digimon.

Good to Know: The store hosts events at six nights a week—from Dungeons & Dragons on Wednesdays to Friday Night Magic—and love to bring in professional athletes for meet-and-greets and autograph sessions.

Mark’s Card Shop

914 Curtiss St., Downers Grove

After years cycling through other jobs and never quite finding the right fit, Mark Gronek Jr. found his passion in sports cards retail. “We are a sports card and Pokémon card shop, about 660 square feet, a little slice of heaven in beautiful downtown Downers Grove,” he says. “We sell card singles, so anything from 10-cent cards sorted by sport, all the way up to a box set that could be $500 or higher.” He opened the shop in 2021, when sports card collecting was having a moment that can only be described as “bananas,” he says. “It was fun and crazy. A Michael Jordan rookie card peaked at $750,000 in 2021. Now the same card can go for $150,000 to $200,000.” Though the market has since stabilized, a renewed interest in sports card collecting has made the industry an exciting one to be in. “Its a fantastic time to be in the hobby right now because athletes are getting connected to cards more than they have ever been,” Gronek says. He hosts monthly trade nights at the store and is passionate about serving collectors on every part of the spectrum, including young sports fans with pocket change to spend on finds from the bargain bin.

Good to know: The shop has a partnership with local athlete Owen Lansu, Downers Grove North High School quarterback and future University of Minnesota player. Lansu will appear in promotional campaigns for the store and attend trading card releases and other events at Mark’s Card Shop.

World Champs Sports Cards

5238 Main St., Lisle

Peter B. Vasquez and his girlfriend, Mila Reyngold, took an unlikely path to owning a sports cards shop, but they’re happy things shook out the way they did. Vasquez worked in the restaurant industry for more than 30 years, designing interiors for McDonald’s locations around the United States as well as Japan. After surviving a major car accident 10 years ago, Reyngold received a substantial settlement and was looking to invest in a new business. Because Vasquez had been a longtime sports card collector, selling on eBay and attending shows on the weekends, they decided to open a brick-and-mortar store. Over the past decade, it’s become a third place for many customers. “We are like the barbershop,” Vasquez says. “You can just come hang out and have a good time.” The shop carries Pokémon as well as cards for a wide range of sports, including WNBA and men’s and women’s soccer. “We have sports memorabilia like signed jerseys and baseballs and footballs, and we also have a pretty nice selection of vintage tobacco cards from the 1930s.”

Good to know: Every first Saturday of the month, the shop hosts a trade night, where customers are invited to trade or sell their best cards. “We have Brasi’s Pizzeria next door, so we always have pizza and drinks for everyone,” Vasquez says.

Photos: Dean Bapes; Mark Gronek; Peter Vasquez