A Main Street presence for over thirty years, the sports memorabilia store Sports Card Heroes is trading owners. Rodney Currence, who with his brother Rick founded the store, has sold the business to Steven Jordon, of Ellicott City. Jordon took ownership as of December 4 last year.
Rodney and Rick Currence, from Olney, Maryland, opened their store in 1991 in a space above Red Hot & Blue. In 1992, they moved across the street, into a space that is currently a spa and stayed there for twenty years. In June of 2012, they moved back across the street, into a location a few spots from where they started.
The brothers decided on Laurel after researching the area thoroughly. They liked the favorable town demographics, and the location. “You can get here from anywhere,” Currence said, citing the closeness to Washington and Baltimore via I-95.
When the Currence brothers first opened the store, sports collecting was going through a boom. The hobby’s popularity dipped, however, in 1994. “You had the baseball lockout, and the hockey strike,” Currence explained. Sports fans became disillusioned, and the sale of memorabilia dipped. During this time, the store expanded into non-sports merchandise, including pogs and the red hot (at the time) Beanie Babies. The downtime also had an unexpected benefit, as competing stores suffered. “There used to be five sports stores in the area. Now there is just us.”
Eventually the popularity of sports memorabilia rebounded, although Currence admits the hobby has changed. “It used to be for kids, now it’s for adults, “he said, citing the rise of prices, including cards.
In addition to selling cards, jerseys, bats and balls, and the like, Currence also got involved in autograph services. Starting in 2000, the store would host autograph sessions, where customers could meet the athletes and get their items signed in person. At their height, the store would have a signing once a month, with the athletes booked far enough in advance so the store could advertise upcoming events.
“You could come in for one signing and see who was appearing next month.” Among the athletes who appeared at the store were Raymond Berry (Colts football), Darrell Green and John Riggins (Washington football), Alex Ovechkin (Capitals hockey), Dwight Gooden (Mets baseball), Jim Palmer and Cal Ripken Jr. (Orioles baseball), and Ed Reed (Ravens football). Currence has fond memories of most of the players he dealt with. “The best were guys like Jeff Bostic or Don Warren (from the Redskins football championship teams), who took the time to talk to fans.” Asked if there were any players he regretted not getting, his answer was immediate. “Brooks. Should have gotten Brooks Robinson.”
I asked Currence if he thought Laurel favored the Baltimore or the Washington teams. His answer: both. “When we started here, it was just the Redskins and the Orioles. The Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Nationals (not to mention the Washington Commanders) came along much later. Sports Card Heroes is known in sports memorabilia circles for their Washington football stock.
Rick Currence left Rodney in charge and went into real estate, then retired from that around seven years ago. Rodney, while giving up the store, will continue in the business, doing mail-in private signings as well as working some of the larger area memorabilia shows. He said he found the “perfect successor” in Steven Jordon. Jordon found out about the store from his father, who was a frequent customer. Jordon is excited about Sports Card Heroes and is happy with the location. Currence predicts there will be little noticeable change for his customers, and the store will continue to serve the sports fans of Laurel for years to come.
John Mewshaw has been a Laurel resident since 1986. A graduate of the University of Maryland, he has been an amateur photographer for as long as he can remember.
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