By Katy Killilea

This store is a vacuum whose hose is attached directly to my son’s piggybank. With baseball, football, and basketball cards, Wacky Packs, and Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Naruto, and Magic cards, Allsport Collectibles is a card-obsessed child’s heaven.

Ken Souza—a father of three young children (4, 3, and 7 months)—recently opened the shop along Route 114 in Barrington. He really knows his client base: the store offers a tantalizing selection of cards. Cards are available in sealed packages as well as individually, allowing a collector to get just the combination she or he wants. The individual cards are displayed in a tidy glass case, like jewels. (Individual “rare” Yu-Gi-Oh card, $2. Pack of Magic cards, $12. Basketball card signed by both Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, $1200.)

In addition to cards, the store sells card notebooks and organizers, comics, posters, and Red Sox stickers. There’s even a large selection of unusual games, including Muppets Monopoly and Elvis Monopoly. And in the interest of having something for everyone, soon the store will offer the ubiquitous Webkinz and Webkinz cards.

Kids ten and older can join in periodically scheduled tournaments (such as Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon), held at a long table right in the store. Tournaments will be starting soon on weekend afternoons, providing the opportunity for serious players to come together and do what they love best.

This is all good news for card-collecting kids who relinquish their entire allowance Target—now they can do it at a small, locally owned shop and get just what they want.

Details:
Allsport Collectibles - 1 Waseca Avenue, Barrington RI 02806 (Map it)
Store Hours: Monday through Friday, 1 p.m.-7 p.m., Saturdays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sundays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Phone: 245-CARD (2273)
Email: allsportri@aol.com