Ohio Sports Collectors Convention, Strongsville, Ohio, April 13 -15, 2018

Work responsibilities have kept me from traveling out of town for card shows these past two years. The only out-of-town show I regularly attend these days is the yearly Ohio Sports Collectors Convention held every April in Strongsville, Ohio. I flat out love this show. As you all know, I am addicted to vintage sports cards and this show is my Mecca because only vintage sports card dealers are allowed to set up. 

The April 2018 show was my second time as a dealer. My pal Dave McDonald and I were better prepared for the show this time around having one under out belts. Last year, we had issues renting a car. No car rental issues this year! We were on the road to Strongsville from the Chicago area around lunchtime on Thursday, April 12, 2018. It was a beautiful spring day! Blue sky and temperatures in the 70s.

Last year, I was having some issues with my diabetes and needed to stop fairly regularly. This year, new meds, no problems, was able to drive for hours without stopping. The drive seemed to fly by with Dave and I catching up. I hadn't seen Dave since the November Sun-Times show. 

After about five hours, we arrived at the Strongsville Holiday Inn, site for the show, with some daylight left and time to set up. Load in and set up were pretty simple. Dave and I each had a six-foot table for this show. Not a lot of space so not much time needed to set up. I put out four display cases. I had priced a bunch of new inventory for the show. Dave had picked up all sorts of new stuff as well. 

We had the pleasure of being set up next to Payne Sports again. This husband and wife team are absolute superstars. In my opinion, they had the best selection of cards at the show, from tobacco cards to vintage Topps high numbers, most any year. They are so friendly and easy to work with. I purchased some 1966 Topps highs for my set. Tim gave me a nice deal. Thanks Tim! I also watched Tim make some amazing purchases all weekend long. He has the golden touch.

Another family was set up on the other side of us and they could not have been nicer. All of the dealers in our little corner of the room were real friendly which made the weekend that much more pleasurable.

After set up on Thursday night, Dave and I went out to find some food in Strongsville. We settled on a Mexican restaurant. Dave forgot to bring his reading glasses and could not read the menu. I offered to read it to him but he had his mind already made up. It was an impressive menu. I settled on a shrimp dish that was oh, so good. Dave ordered tamales and bean dip. His tamales came covered in a brown sauce. The bean dip looked like soup. 

Back at the hotel, I thought I'd sleep well after the drive, set up, and dinner. I think I was a little too excited for the show to begin and did not sleep well. Morning came like a thud. We had hotel breakfast which was not nearly as good as last year.

​Once in the show, the morning was a little slow for me but active for Dave. I set out to explore the room. Large show staples were nearby like Uncle Dick, Art Smith, SGC, and Heritage Auctions. I was hoping to see the guy from last year that had some inexpensive oddball pre-War but unfortunately he wasn't there.

Back home, I am happy to report that I will be set up at the June and July Orland Park shows. I have been an infrequent dealer at Orland Park because the show conflicts with Gonzaga. I am looking forward to the June 24th Orland show. Also, my next Four Points Sheraton show is July 7th. Don't forget to come see me at the June 10th Gonzaga show!!

Buying, selling, collecting sports memorabilia is a tremendous hobby that has brought me years of joy. Unfortunately, dealing with management at the Four Points Sheraton in Milwaukee has put a damper on that joy. Now that the June 2nd show is back on, I am hopeful there will be no more issues with the hotel and I can move on and get back to the hobby I love so much.

While I have been reporting on my issues with the hotel, I have failed to discuss the great shows that have occurred there despite management's efforts to the contrary. Below is a recap of the April 7th Four Points Sheraton show. 

Four Points Sheraton, Milwaukee, April 7, 2018

Just days before the show, I realized I over-booked the room and tried to bump up to a larger room. The hotel manager told me all the larger rooms were already booked. I then asked to add a second room which worked. So I had 26 tables in the Rembrandt Room and 8 tables in the next door Monet Room. Fifteen dealers total, which is a lot for me. My normal dealer count is eight to 10.

I have observed over time that when there is increased dealer interest in a particular show there is always increased customer interest. I had tremendous customer attendance at this show all day long. I placed myself in the smaller Monet Room and I could hear the larger crowd in the Rembrandt Room. Another indicator for the large crowd are my giveaways. I normally give away three boxes of cards (at two packs for each customer). At this show, I gave away seven boxes of cards! 

I almost blew the giveaway because I forgot to load the boxes of cards into my car. I was beside myself in the morning when I realized I forgot the boxes of cards. My wife's car is not running so she couldn't bring them to me. I then thought of Big Tim who lives nearby and normally attends the show. I gave him a call and he just happened to be near my house on his way to the show. He was kind enough to stop at my house and pick up the boxes of cards. Thank you Tim!!!! Crisis averted. Note to self, buy a lot more boxes of cards for future shows!

The show opens at 9 a.m. but customers started to trickle in at 8 a.m. I had trouble setting up because I had to settle in all the dealers and then had early customers. I did not finish setting up until 9:45 a.m. The worst part was that I missed the hotel breakfast buffet. They had shut it down before 10 a.m. I thought it was open until 10:30 a.m.

I was busy most of the day. While the Monet Room did not have the same buzz as the Rembrandt Room, I still had a steady flow of customers all day long. A regular customer brought in an unopened 1966 Topps Rack Pack to show me, pictured below. It was so cool! I have never seen one before. 

My sales on this day were excellent. I was steadily busy most of the day. The only drawback was I did not have the time I wanted to check out all the new dealers in the Rembrandt Room. It was not until noon that I was able to spend a little time in the other room. I was blown away by new dealer Harry Lambrecht's tables. He had some amazing vintage cards! He gave me a nice deal on a stack of 1976-77 Topps Basketball Cards. I also picked up a 1953 Topps Yogi Berra from Jerry. From new dealer Jeff Talamantez, I picked up a 1959 Topps Mickey Mantle.

Several customers tried to sell me cards but their prices were too high. One guy was a little ridiculous, asking $350 for a raw Pete Maravich Rookie. I mean the card was nice but if you are going to ask for a graded price, you have to get the card graded. There is no guarantee the card would be an 8 or a 9. In addition, I am a dealer, I only buy cards that I can make some money on. I can't make any money at $350 for the Maravich. Why not get it graded and sell it online?

Another customer was just a little too high on some vintage football cards. He offered them to me at the same price I would sell them for. Again, as a dealer, I only pull the trigger if there is potential profit down the road. He had both the Beckett and SMR guides printed, circled and highlighted -- which is great for a collector, but a dealer, I can't pay these prices and expect a profit. I recommend that everyone get their feet wet selling cards either on eBay or at a show. This sort of practical experience will create a better picture on pricing for selling cards to dealers.

It is starting to seem like no one is a straight collector anymore. Most everybody both buys and sells cards. Please consider getting a table at my show. For just $25 for an eight-foot table, you will have a lot of space to display your wares and very little overhead. Anyone can be a sports card dealer and it is a lot of fun setting up.

I had fun at the April 7th Four Points Sheraton show. It was fun having so many dealers set up at my show and it was doubly fun having such a large crowd. A huge thank you to everyone who attended the show!

A reminder is that the Four Points Show is on for the rest of the year, on the first Saturday of every month. The next show is June 2nd and will be held in the hotel's restaurant. I'm on the hunt for a new location for 2019. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Obviously, I am looking for a room where the rent won't break the bank.

After a three-week battle, management agreed to allow the June 2nd show at the Four Points Sheraton, 5311 S. Howell, in Milwaukee, to go on as originally planned.

​Here's a run down of what has occurred these past three weeks: this all started when manager Stefanie Wilcott called me and said the June 2nd show is cancelled because another group needs the room. I responded that I contracted for that room in November of 2017 and I am a lawyer and will file a lawsuit for breach of contract. Ms. Wilcott was unfazed. She offered to move the show to the Best Western which is also owned by the Sheraton. I responded that I have been promoting the show as occurring on June 2 at the Four Points Sheraton. I spent money on advertising and have listed it all over the internet and have given out hundreds of flyers. I said I cannot move the show to the Best Western because people are going to show up at the Sheraton, not the Best Western.

​She again said I cannot hold the show at the Sheraton. I suggested we move the show into the restaurant at the Sheraton. She said they will not move the show into the restaurant because they need to serve breakfast. Now I have been at that hotel every month for the last four years and have never observed more than five people in that restaurant and informed Ms. Wilcott of my observation. She again said the restaurant is not available. She suggested we move the show into the bar. No go. In November, we set my June show in the Mitchell room and I was planning on 34 8-foot tables. Well, you can fit maybe 10 tables in the bar. I told her the bar would not work. She suggested we could put additional tables in a back hallway. I responded that I wanted the Mitchell Room as originally contracted back in November. She said no.

​Well, now I was pissed off. I have been running shows at the hotel for four years. When it was under the Clarion management, I never had a problem. These Sheraton people, the new owners, have been nothing but a problem.

​So after litigating another case in court all day. I went home and drafted a breach of contract complaint that I was going to file in the Lake County, Illinois, circuit court. I sent Ms. Wilcott a copy of my draft complaint. She was unfazed. No response.

​A few days later, another manager calls, leaves a message stating he wants to chat about alternatives for my June 2nd show. I called back, got his voicemail, left a message stating there is nothing to chat about, I want my show to go on in the Mitchell Room as is written in our contract. He sent an email asking me to call. I did not respond to the email because I did not believe he would offer a viable alternative.

​I did not hear from the hotel again. So I started posting on Facebook and various sports collectible websites that the May 5 show will be my last at the Four Points Sheraton, fully believing this was the last show.

​On May 4, I drafted a press release, outlining the above and warning others to avoid the Four Points Sheraton. On the morning of May 5, as I am setting up the room at the Sheraton for the show, I placed a stack of my press releases in the entry way to the room. Ms. Wilcott swiped my press releases. She asked to discuss the situation. I met with her and another manager in a conference room. She said I cannot have my press releases in the room. I told her I will add that as another count to my lawsuit, knowing she cannot legally come into my room and take anything out of there. We argue. Eventually, she tells me she has a solution and suggests I move the show into the restaurant on June 2nd -- which is not HER solution, this was MY solution I suggested three weeks ago. She says she just has to confirm with higher management that the restaurant is available.

​An hour or so goes by, she comes back, we go back to the conference room with the other manager, who was silent the whole time. She gets the regional manager on speaker phone. He started in on me with all sorts of BS, trying to save face and claim they never cancelled my show. I told him he is going to need to make that statement under oath in a court of law. 

​He then tells me we can move the show into the restaurant. I agree. Problem solved... or so I thought. An hour or so later, Ms. Wilcott brings me a new contract which basically states that I am liable for anything and everything that could go wrong in the hotel on the day of my shows, including the parking lot, and that the hotel has the authority to cancel my show at any time. I did not sign the new contract and have not spoken to Ms. Wilcott since.

​At this point, I believe the show is back on. We will be in the restaurant on June 2nd as I await for Ms. Wilcott to put up new obstacles. There is something very, very wrong with these folks. I don't understand how the show could go so smoothly for three years with the old management and now have nothing but problems with this new group. Obviously, they don't want my show at the hotel. My guess is that I don't spend enough money with them. They want events that will spend tens of thousands of dollars. I get that but at the same time, as I've said, I've been at that hotel every month for nearly four years and rarely has there been another event running in any of the other five banquet rooms at the same time as my sports card show. I'm the only thing happening at that hotel, why treat me so poorly?

​I've gotten the message loud and clear -- I need to move the show to a new venue. I have already started the search for a new venue. In the meantime, we will still be at the Four Points Sheraton on the first Saturday of every month through December of 2018. So come on out! It is still an excellent show despite the hotel's efforts to the contrary. The continued success of the show will piss off the folks at the Four Points Sheraton. Come on out June 2nd and piss these people off!!

To my shock, awe and surprise, the management of the Four Points Sheraton Milwaukee, 5311 S. Howell, in Milwaukee, cancelled my June 2, 2018, card show. Their reasoning was that another group needed the space. I plead my case on deaf ears, arguing that I booked the room back in November and have been promoting the show since then. They did not care. They offered to move me to another hotel or place the show in the tiny bar space.

I have drafted a breach of contract lawsuit and will be litigating the issue in court. We had an agreement, they cannot summarily cancel my event.

Let this be a warning to anyone who has an event scheduled at the Four Points Sheraton, or is planning to schedule an event there or is planning to attend an event there -- this hotel may cancel any event at any time no matter if you have a contract to reserve space. Something is not right with these people. They lack honesty, decency and any semblance of professionalism. 

​As a result, I will not hold any more card shows at the Four Points Sheraton, effectively ending my run at the hotel. I started back in September of 2014, when the hotel was under different ownership/management. I had the pleasure of working with Jeff Weaver and Betsy Ignasiak of the then Clarion Hotel. Jeff and Betsy were incredibly supportive of my show, even securing autograph guests such as Dave Robinson and Gilbert Brown. Jeff and Betsy would never cancel my show out of the blue, unlike the new management of the Four Points Sheraton. Jeff and Betsy were professionals while management at the Four Points Sheraton cannot understand the term. 

Unfortunately, the Clarion was sold to the Sheraton last year and Jeff and Betsy, true superstars, were fired and replaced by a group that does not have the ability to manage a a child's lemonade stand, let alone a large hotel.

I have spent a great deal of time and money promoting the show. It is tragic that it is ending at the hands of a group that are nothing more than despots.

So the last show at the Four Points Sheraton is Saturday, May 5, 2018. I will NOT host any more shows at the Four Points Sheraton, mainly because they cancelled the June 2nd show without my authority and have not issued a  guarantee that they will allow any future shows to occur.

The support for the show over the years has been tremendous from both customers and dealers. I have had dealers drive in from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. Just about every show has been filled with customers. I cannot say how much I appreciate the support. 

As you may know, I operate a very busy law firm in the Chicago area and do not have the time to seek out a new venue. So for the present time, I will not hold any shows anywhere. However, I will still be a regular vendor at the monthly Gonzaga show in West Allis and the Civic Center show in Orland Park, Illinois. I just don't have time to do any more than these two shows right now.

Please come on out Saturday for my last show at the Four Points Sheraton. We had a good run, it is too bad the Sheraton management is rotten to the core.