'We have the 'Cheers' mentality': O's Hobby Shop turns childhood joy into Topeka business

Matthew Waits was working in health care when he decided to quit the profession and pursue a childhood passion.

Along with his wife, Lara, Waits owns and operates Topeka’s newest sports memorabilia and hobby store, O’s Hobby Shop, 1927 S.W. Gage Blvd.

“We’ve been open a month, and it’s been busy and wonderful,” said Waits. “I’ve always been a collector. As a kid, I mowed lawns and did chores to make money to buy cards. There’s an excitement to opening a fresh pack of cards.”

O’s Hobby Shop, which is named after the couple’s daughter Ophelia, carries sports cards, as well as other brands of trading cards like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! and sports memorabilia, including jerseys, autographed photos and more.

Owner of O's Hobby Shop decided to do what he loves

“Before this, I worked in the health care industry. For my mental health and the sake of my family, I decided to get out of health care and do what I love,” said Waits. “Customers who come in tell us it’s been so much fun walking through their childhoods that they’ve started collecting again.”

He said people might be surprised to learn that the average customer at O’s is female and between 34 and 44 years old.

“They’re shopping for their kids or their husbands,” said Waits. “The thing that means the most is watching kids connect with their parents.”

Waits said he realized the need for a business like O’s in Topeka after watching collectors line up at garage sales at 7:30 a.m. and stay until 4:30 p.m., just looking at and talking about cards with other card enthusiasts.

“It was the COVID boom,” Waits said of the renewed interest in card collecting. “Everybody had extra money and a lot of people spent it on sports cards, which grew the market.”

Matthew and Lara looked for a location to open shop for a year before a former co-worker told Matthew about a storefront in Seabrook Shopping Center that had stood empty since the pandemic. Within two months, O’s Hobby Shop had a home in southwest Topeka.

O's Hobby Shop also does free appraisals and sells on consignment

In addition to buying, selling, and trading cards, O’s offers grading services, educating customers on how to research the price of cards they already own and on how to care for and protect them. Waits said he also conducts free appraisals and will sell items for customers on consignment.

He wants people to know that nothing for sale in the store is more than $100 unless it’s on consignment. The goal is to keep prices affordable for the entire community.

“We don’t believe you have to take out a second mortgage. Everything is fairly priced,” said Waits. “We want to make it affordable and fun for everyone.”

O’s Hobby Shop runs daily activity specials, including a Pull Box where customers can spend $5 to pull out patches, autographs, card packs and more, as well as a spin wheel and roulette table good for percentages off store merchandise. Even when customers don’t win, no one goes away empty-handed. Waits gives each person who tries their hand at roulette a free pack of cards.

Customers can also create their own packs for $5.

He admits that it’s difficult to let some collector’s items go. Waits was a professional wrestling fan in the 1990s and said Hulk Hogan memorabilia is especially difficult to see walk out the door.

Some of the most valuable memorabilia he has come across includes a 1924 baseball glove signed by Babe Ruth, which is part of Waits’ personal collection, and a Michael Jordan rookie card he sold under consignment for a customer that went for $6,000. He also has a rare collection of cards paying homage to Native American athletes.

“This is Topeka’s community shop,” said Waits. “We have the 'Cheers' mentality. We know your name, and we want everyone to be family. It’s about the energy. We don’t care about the dollar. We care about the customer. This is a fun, safe environment for all collectors.”

O's Hobby Shop has upcoming event collaborations

O’s Hobby Shop recently partnered with the nearby Seabrook Apple Market to give back to the community. Customers who donated a canned food item received a free pack of cards.

“We’re big on giving back to the community,” said Waits. “If you take care of the community, they’ll take care of you.”

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Several other events are planned as well, including collaborations with Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka and La Creperie Co. food truck owner Carmen Romero-Nichols. Waits said he plans to work with local sponsors after the beginning of the new year to name high school student athletes of the month. One male and one female athlete from the area will receive a gift card and customized sports card of their own each month.

Additionally, O’s Hobby Shop hosts a monthly card trading night. The business provides food and drinks and hands out free card packs. The next scheduled card trading night is an Ugly Sweater Party scheduled for Dec. 15 with card-themed holiday decorations.

The public can follow O’s on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date on future scheduled events.

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Shanna Sloyer is a Topeka-based freelance writer.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: O's Hobby Shop turns childhood passion into new Topeka business