Crew's Card Shop: A new place to hang out and make memories in Huntingburg

*Zach Heim (left) and Eric Jochim at the newly opened Crew’s Card Shop at 305 E. Fourth Street. The four figures in the store’s logo refer to the four friends that made up the crew.*

The crew in Crew’s Card Shop refers to the four friends in Huntingburg who spent hours and hours together growing up in the 80s and 90s. At first, biking all over town, visiting card shops and candy shops, and eventually cruising to Wally’s to drink some 40s and play some shoot ’em up games (translation: driving to Walmart to play in the arcade and drink a big Faygo soft drink).

“We didn’t want people to know we just wasted our weekend at Walmart,” Eric Jochim laughed, adding that calling themselves The Crew wasn’t very imaginative.

The crew, Eric, Zach Heim, Dustin Petry and Justin Neal, are older and maybe a bit further apart these days, but the essence of those moments being outside and doing fun things together are what Eric’s trying to capture and share at the new shop on Fourth Street.

“I want kids to have the same kind of childhood I had when we ran around with our friends, going to the card shop, the candy shop,” he said.

Crews Card Shop features a variety of sports trading cards whether in packs or boxes as well as trading card games like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, and all the supplies you need to keep those cards safe and secure. He also carries supplies for pickleball, disc golf, wiffleball and fishing.

The shop also has an arcade area featuring “classic” video games like Pac-Man, claw games and a pinball machine that rewards a bouncy ball to every player.

Faygos are missing, but a cooler behind the counter has some sodas, Yoohoos and fruit juice boxes that Eric’s son picked out for young visitors who want to hang out. There is candy, too.

*The arcade features Mark Marshall’s scoreboard from his shop, Marshall’s Manave, which was also located in the building. Mark passed away unexpectedly earlier this year.*

Located at 305 E. Fourth Street, Eric and general manager Zach Heim want the location to become the spot for new crews to develop around shared interests in sports and generally having fun.

“I love seeing the kids sitting here for hours going through cards or just hanging out and talking,” Eric said.

But Crew’s Card Shop is bigger than that.

“Actually, I am more excited about seeing a dad buy a Wiffle Ball and Bat than I am if they bought a $50, $60 card or a $100 card,” Eric said. “I’m more excited about that, knowing they’re going to go out and have fun with it.”

Zach and Eric also enjoy helping newcomers to sports card collecting. They spend time teaching them about the value and demand of certain cards, and how to take care of their collections. As well as how to spot fakes.

“Believe it or not, we have had a lot of fake Pokemon cards in the month we have been open,” Eric said. “You can actually buy everything you need to make fake Pokemon cards as a kit on Amazon.”

They also offer card grading and auto authentication services through PSA and Beckett Collectibles.

Introducing kids to the hobby is fulfilling.

“The very first weekend we were open, a kid and his dad came in her and bought a Blaster (basketball cards pack),” Zach said. “They were going through it and he hit a Victor Wembenyama. He was so excited.”

Both men agreed that picking up a card featuring the French basketball player’s first-round draft pick in 2023 in a pack is a magical moment. Witnessing that moment makes having Crew’s Card Shop worth it.

That magic transcends all ages and backgrounds.

Eric began collecting when he was in grade school. He specifically remembers the year, 1988. “The only reason I know that is because I still have those cards,” he said. Every once in a while, my dad (Dan Jochim) and I would be at Save A Lot checking out with groceries. The cards were by the checkout, and he’d nudge me to get a couple of packs—one for him and one for me.”

They’d go home and open the packs together. “They were ’88 Donruss, and when he died, I got the album,” Eric said. “That’s how I know I started in ’88. I was six.”

Crew’s Card Shop is open Wednesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can follow them on Facebook here. The shop number is 812-631-4517.

“This is more a labor of love than anything,” Eric said. “I want kids to just come in and see this place. Parents, too.”