Pandemic No Sweat For Brookfield Sports Memorabilia Store

BROOKFIELD, WI—A Brookfield sports memorabilia and novelty store was busy on Friday afternoon. Jeff Lemieux, owner of Jeff's Sports, said it wasn't just because of the now ill-fated Green Bay Packers championship game but also because former Milwaukee Braves player Hank Aaron died recently.

Lemieux gets customers looking for items especially if someone local passes on, he said. During the year, he will get customers looking for Vince Lombardi or Bart Starr items in addition to current Packer items. "There has been a definite spike for Packers gear. Packers have been good for many, many years now," Lemieux told Patch.

Lemieux admitted he has come across a few fair-weathered fans, but generally "Packer nation is pretty loyal." He called himself a "homer" and is a fan of all the home teams in Wisconsin: the Packers and the Milwaukee Bucks and Brewers.

The great thing about Wisconsin sports enthusiasts is the loyalty to their teams. "People complain about the teams and can be Debbie Downers, but it is part of the camaraderie," he said.

The store at 14165 W. Capitol Dr. has been in business since 1983. Lemieux said the store's history can be traced back to his father's coin store.

The coin of destiny

As a kid, Lemieux collected baseball cards, not coins. "My dad (Darrell Lemieux) asked if I wanted to sell cards and would give me a counter at his store, but I had to be there in order to sell them," he said. That taught him responsibility as he worked there during the summers.

When Lemieux was in high school, the baseball card craze really took off. "The card industry went wild in the '80s," he said. Before the internet, card collectors had to lug around heavy binders to conventions. Lemieux traveled around the country to attend the conventions. He eventually partnered with his father in the business.

After graduating from high school, he advised his dad to sell the coin shop and open a sports memorabilia store. "This is the business to be in," Lemieux said.

They called it Jeff's Sports. Lemieux and his dad have been in business ever since.

Lemieux described himself as an honest, organized and hard-working owner, which is why the store has thrived. Lemieux said his dad had confidence in him and shared the feeling they had a recipe for a successful venture together.

A score for sports stores

The store started out selling just cards but eventually evolved and now sells autographed pictures, helmets, jerseys, baseball cards and footballs and also offers custom framing. It has worked with many different sports teams over the years.

The pandemic hasn't hurt the demand for sports memorabilia, Lemieux said. It's skyrocketed, especially card trading and collecting. "In 39 years, I have never seen [baseball cards] this hot," he said.

Lemieux believes people are bored and not traveling, which has increased their disposable income. People put money into their houses to create man caves, and his business has picked up with customers who finally have the time to get their sports items framed. "The pandemic has actually helped us," he said. "We have been really busy."

Benefits of pack rats

A key to the store's success is providing education to customers, he said. When customers want to sell items, Lemieux's staff will tell them what they're worth and what they're willing to pay. Some sell to him, some don't.

That's OK with him. "We want to at least educate customers," he said. "We would hate for them to be taken, as there are dishonest people."

The great thing about Wisconsin is what is in people's basements, he added. "There is a large majority of people here who are pack rats. You could find a New York Yankees bat and other crazy stuff," Lemieux said with a laugh.

The fun aspect of his job is seeing the collections people bring into the store. "I love it when they come in, and they don't know what they have," Lemieux said.

Lemieux refuses to part with a few personal items, such as former Packers star Brett Favre's used jerseys from 1995 to 1997, signed by Favre himself. "They are valuable, but I could never part with those," he said.

To find out more information on the services and merchandise at Jeff's Sports, visit the store's website.