About Us
It all started in 1999...
I was starting to develop my own business. My top priority was buying and selling sports memorabilia. This started with hosting shows of, attending events and searching for items for my own personal collection.
The name for Papa Hawk Sports and collectibles came from a long standing nickname of ‘Hawk’, given to me by my friends and family, throughout my high school years. I also wanted to make sure it incorporated everything I wanted to work with, which included sports cards and collectible/memorabilia pieces.
In 2004 I started building the business from the ground up. I worked hard on learning when things became valuable and how to price them. I was lucky enough to have a great network of friends, collectors, and customers who helped my business thrive. Many of whom I still deal with today.
Nearly every weekend I’d pack up my truck and head out to see my customers and attend shows. Because of my passion and enjoyment for this hobby I decided to open a small store in my retirement.
In 2013 I opened a 600 square foot store and stayed there for four years. At the end of 2016 I was starting to realize that I had outgrown our space and decided to move one mile down the road to a 2900 square foot location that I’m currently at today!
Coming in Feb of 2021 we will be adding a picture/photo gallery in our store with around 1000 additional sq. feet devoted to pictures, photos, plaques and more, many will be signed by either the artist, player(s) or both.
Other changes that we have been working on include starting to collect with our customers more through the internet. I started an eBay store in the summer of 2016 to get more of our products online and reach fans who are located outside of Minnesota, and 2020/2021 will be the year we update our online presence and start selling more of our products online via our new website!
Show months are Jan, April, September and November each year. Please watch this site for our next show.
We look forward for the things to come and hope you’ll join us on this journey!
-Mark Hochstaetter