Hockey cards, games and collectibles in Redwater

by Grant Cree

Jethro’s Cards & Collectibles in Redwater celebrates its first anniversary this May. The store is easy to find since it’s located within footsteps of the town office. Owner Jeff “Jethro” Gawluk opened his retail store in May 2021 after operating online at eBay for almost ten years.

“To sell things like hockey cards, they require you to have a brick and mortar store,” said Gawluk. “That was why I started this. I wanted to sell hockey cards. And so I get to sell hockey cards now, which is pretty awesome.”

Gawluk had to wait a while before he could finally open his store to offer hockey cards, so he kept busy with other things. “I have a grading company now, which just we just signed on [recently], so it’s kind of a big deal, especially for the Town of Redwater and Edmonton area.”

His retail store carries a variety of items ranging from hockey cards, Pokemon, action figures and board games. A recent arrival is Dragon Ball Card Super action figures. “They are kind of a big deal,” said Gawluk.“Two movies are coming out for that this year, so that will be a big deal.”

Jethro’s Cards & Collectibles doesn’t carry puzzles or comics, although Gawluk might consider ordering a few comic supplies. But retailers globally are facing supply challenges. “It’s tough to get plastics; there’s a real shortage,” he said. “When the plastic market in the world dropped, one of the first things that got hit was collectibles.”

Gawluk began collecting hockey cards when he was three years old. “I’ve always been collecting hockey cards,” he said. “So I want to get more hockey cards in here. I love the town and started up the store, and it’s been really good.”

He manages a store Facebook page and recently created a YouTube channel to connect with customers of all ages. He also enjoys meeting them when they visit to compare cards and talk shop. “The kids of Redwater are fantastic,” he said. “They’re really excited to have a store in town, and I’m super excited to be here.”

Gawluck estimates his customers are a 50-50 mix of youth and adults.

He’s noticed a few trends. For example, some adult customers only collect hockey cards, others collect Pokemon cards with their kids, and many adults enjoy playing games like Digimon and Dragon Ball.

“I don’t think a single demographic comes into the store that doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “I’ve had senior citizens come in and pick stuff up for their grandkids. Everybody wants to hang out with their kids and their grandkids. And this is a really good platform for that because you’re collecting, and it’s super fun art, games, and all of it.”