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Mike Weber, also known as “Uncle Mikey,” can’t remember the exact date his sports memorabilia shop called Hall of Fame Collectables opened in Mesa.
That seems like “centuries ago,” he said.
The 93-year-old Weber might not remember every detail about that opening more than 30 years ago, but he remembers one thing about those first days: “It was Chris Webber’s rookie-year card,” he said of the former NBA and Michigan Wolverines’ star, who was drafted in 1993.
“Great, great Hall of Fame player.”
There has been plenty of memorabilia since then — and plenty of customers.
But Weber says it’s time to hang it up. He expects this Saturday (Aug. 3) will be the last day for his store in the shopping center at the southwest corner of Broadway and Lindsay roads, though Friday is a possibility if he sells more than expected by then.
Like many sports memorabilia shops across the country, Hall of Fame Collectables is filled with high-value baseball, football, and basketball cards spanning generations. The shop has other items as well, including jerseys and collectibles.
Weber’s catchphrase and mindset has been, “If I ain’t got it … I’ll get it.” That made sure there was something for everyone inside his store.
It could be a signed basketball from a six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, or even a baseball bat signed by up to 34 MLB Hall of Famers. Just a week ago, he sold a “very rare” full-size autographed helmet of Arizona State and Cardinals’ legend Pat Tillman worth $12,000.
Originally from Brooklyn, Weber grew up an avid sports fan by bonding with his father over their shared love for the New York Giants baseball team. His mother later loved the Mets when they were established in New York in 1962 to replace the Giants, which moved to San Francisco in 1958, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, which moved to Los Angeles.
He said that since moving to the Valley nearly 40 years ago, he pledged his allegiances to the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks.
After moving to the Phoenix area, he worked as a national sales manager for a photography company, Weber said. He ran into a friend who changed his course.
Weber recalled the friend, who ran a card store, said, “Mike, why don’t you come in and help us out?”
That him into the world of sports memorabilia.
“I came in, and I liked it,” Weber said. “So I bought them at $4,000, and I’ve been here ever since.”
Money is not Weber’s motivation, but the connections he’s made with people through the store, calling himself a “sentimentalist.”
His passion for sports and love for the community drove him to pursue special sports memorabilia to put smiles on the faces of kids he has watched grow up to be husbands, wives, mothers, fathers and grandparents. He recalls some of his most frequent customers visiting his store when they were so young they struggled to see over his store counter.
“People that like sports are usually very nice stand-up kind of people,” Weber said. “And I’m a sports nut. I follow all the sports. I’m a history buff as far as sports go.
“I was at the ballpark for Willie Mays’ catch. I was there for Sugar Ray Robinson’s heavyweight championship fight. I was there for the first $100 ringside heavyweight championship battle between “The Brown Bomber” Joe Louis and a kid by the name of Billy Conn. That was in the ’40s.”
Weber’s old neighbor, former boxing writer Barney Nagler, got him tickets to see Louis and Conn fight in a 1941, David and Goliath-esque bout. It’s something he’ll never forget.
Louis and Conn fought twice for the Heavyweight title, in 1941 and ’46, both won by Louis.
‘We had a good run’
So why close his business now?
“It’s time. We had a good run of 34 years,” Weber said, while discussing Hall of Fame Collectables’ financial challenges over the last three years.
In addition to the hit caused by the pandemic that slowed business, inflation and high rent in the strip mall have made sustaining the store a challenge.
It helps to have friends like Victor Allinger, who’s been a Hall of Fame Collectable customer for 25 years. Allinger said he has collected numerous framed jerseys, championship rings and a bat signed by 56 Hall of Famers, Weber’s shop has helped him add to his collection.
“I feel bad for Mike,” Allinger said. “Economy’s bad, and it’s tough to maintain this in today’s time. There’s a lot of good collectors out there, but, you know, not enough to keep it afloat. And I feel bad for Mike, but at the same token, it’s time for him to take it easy.”
Weber said when business got slow, there were times when Allinger would come into the store and not just buy a couple of expensive items to get his friend back on his feet; he would, on multiple occasions, nearly purchase “the entire store.”
“He doesn’t need it; he buys it to help me,” said Weber.
Weber said it’s friends like Allinger who bring tears to his eyes thinking about this journey. Weber’s wife currently is traveling in Greece, he said, visiting family while he winds down the shop.
Recently, Phoenix Suns and Devin Booker memorabilia had been the hottest commodity. That merch has flown off the shelves this summer.
The Suns appreciate him, too. Just this past week, Weber received a visit from “one of the nicest guys in the whole world,” former Suns forward Drew Eubanks, who recently signed as a free agent with the Jazz.
Weber worked on a couple of custom framings for Eubanks, so he returned the favor by purchasing a couple of items from his store and dropping off a black Suns jersey for Weber with his No. 14 and likeness on the back.
An abundance of sports treasures remain up for grabs in Weber’s store. He’s arranged to sell whatever is left to another seller of sports merchandise, he said.
Weber is still considering one more way to stay connected with people, though.
“Well, believe it or not, I don’t know if I believe it, but I was offered a job in my old industry,” Weber said. “So whether I take it or not … It’s a selling job.”
