Searching for a New Local Card Shop

I don't really have a 'local' card shop, but the one that I've most recently considered that(about an hour and 15 minute drive away) and visited a handful of times over the past 6-8 months announced that it would be closing its doors at the end of this week. It is always sad to hear of a shop closing up, but I especially liked the atmosphere of this place. The owner even shipped a box to me at no additional cost when I had driven out to pick it up and it wasn't in hand due to a shipping delay. It was always worth the trip to check it out. SO, with this news in mind, wallet Wool E. and I decided to check out another shop located in a mall the other day... Now, I've never been a fan of mall shops because they're typically overpriced due to their high overhead, but we had to explore options.

I'm not fond of malls in general, and it had actually been several years since I had set foot in this one. I had no idea what to expect. We began by documenting our visit with the above pic, and once I stashed Wool E. safely back in my wallet, I went inside and did a quick lap around the shop. It's about the size I would have expected and most of the singles' sticker prices were, in fact, quite high. However, it was very well stocked with supplies and I was able to find a few singles to add to my collection without breaking the bank.

I completely avoided the display cases and was rewarded with some $2 boxes to search. A few cards in, I came across this DJ to add to my PC. Somehow I hadn't picked up a copy of this parallel. After that,  I ran across a number of cards from Collector's Choice and early 2000's Fleer base, stuff that would be more welcome in dime or quarter boxes. 

Next I found this Jeter that illustrates 'The Flip' play. I probably overpaid, but I needed to add this card as well. It's one of the plays that I'll always remember watching.

Towards the end of the final row of the box, I came upon this card of the reigning AL MVP. It's hard to tell from the scan, but it's the refractor version. I don't collect Trout, but I had to pick this one up to make it seem like the trip was worth my while..

Next to the $2 box was a small 'priced as marked' box. Not much of interest in that box, except this:

I'm not the biggest fan of the UD Goudey product, but this Kershaw was marked at $8. I couldn't pass up the chance to add another Kershaw RC to my collection at that price.

There was a decent amount of product devoted to pack sales, some of which dated back 10 years or more. Unfortunately, the pricing was through the roof. I'm pretty sure that if I decide to open product, I'm gonna have to order it online somewhere.

As I mentioned, the shop was well stocked with supply options. I had not seen these tobacco size top loaders before and had to pick up a few packs.

All told, I wasn't blown away by this shop, but I was able to find enough value that I didn't feel like it was a wasted trip(all of the above cost me $20). I probably won't make frequent trips here, but it is certainly better than having no option at all. At least wallet Wool E. finally got a chance to get out for a moment.