Bill Clews opened his sports card shop in Salem, OR about the time the hobby was beginning its “correction phase”.
He must have done something right.
Twenty years later, the shop is still going strong.
Clews opened “The New Hobby” in 1996 and despite a burglary that cost him $20,000 in inventory, he’s managed to thrive. The 70-year-old retired military recruiter says business is as good as it’s ever been despite his reluctance to sell online. The city’s population growth hasn’t hurt. The city has grown from just over 100,000 residents 25 years ago to over 160,000 today.
The New Hobby is the only remaining store in Salem devoted almost entirely to sports collectibles and many of Clews’ customers are regulars.
The Salem Statesman-Journal stopped by recently and published a story and photo gallery as Clews’ shop celebrated its anniversary.
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