This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Business & Tech

Iconic Card Shop, AU Sports, Moves Next Door

Scott Beatty is bursting out of his business' traditionally cramped quarters in Village Crossing to the new location by Dempster Street and Austin Avenue. AU Sports got its first start in Skokie near Dempster and Gross Point for nearly two decades.

After more than two decades  as a Skokie retail institution, and more recently severyal years in Niles, the AU Sports  memorabilia store is moving to the next town over come May 1.

The iconic store will move into Magazine Museum’s former longtime quarters at 6006 Dempster St. in Morton Grove.

After looking in downtown Skokie, among other locations, for expanded space compared to his present 2,350 square feet in the Village Crossing shopping center, AU Sports majority owner Scott Beatty settled on the Morton Grove site a few weeks ago. The space itself is next to the empty storefront vacated during the winter by Magical Mystery Tour, a 35-year Morton Grove business stalwart.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Beatty signed what he termed a “short” lease – three years –to set up shop in a small retail center anchored by the El Sol Restaurant and Rayan Supermarket. 

Sign up for our newsletter!

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

But before he departs AU Sports’ four-year home in Village Crossing, Beatty will have one more sports celebrity signing in his store. Former White Sox home-run king Bill Melton, now a broadcast analyst, will appear Saturday, April 28, even as Beatty and staff begin emptying out the store for the move.

AU Sports will have 3,500 square feet in Morton Grove allowing Beatty to display vintage publications that had been kept in storage.

The old Magical Mystery Tour space “did not fit our needs,” he said, adding he’s not worried about the vacant storefront next door. “People come to us as a destination location,” he said.

Beatty assumed majority ownership of AU Sports in the spring of 2011, after the death of longtime operator Steve Gold. Gold’s mother, Audre, founded the store in 1980. Gold’s widow, Mary Ellen, still has an ownership
interest.  The store’s name, “AU,” drew from Audre’s name and the scientific symbol for “Gold.”

“We kind of had it kicking around, but officially, a couple of months ago,” Beatty said of his decision to move. He signed the new lease several weeks ago.

Owner walked around downtown Skokie looking for a site

While considering sites in Evanston and Chicago – Beatty is a North Side resident – he also walked around downtown Skokie looking for a compatible site. He found none.

“They were all more expensive and smaller, and the parking wasn’t as good,” Beatty said. “I liked the [downtown] location, but the shops were either smaller than what we had now, or if they were bigger, they were twice as expensive.

“Everyone we’ve told who has walked in here has been very supportive of the move, and said this will be just as convenient for them," Beatty added. "It has a good visibility area with high traffic. There’s a neighborhood around it, which we don’t have here. In the long run, I think this will be better for us.”

Beatty credited John Said, Morton Grove’s director of economic development, for helping him zero in on available storefronts.

The move to the old Magazine Memories store has interesting connections for a number of reasons. Both shops specialize in rare old memorabilia. Magazine Memories moved out in Aug. 2009 after 20 years in Morton
Grove, with owner Bob Katzman now operating as the Magazine Museum in downtown Skokie.

Old-neighborhood connections with Magazine Museum

“Eddie Gold (a longtime Chicago Sun-Times sports staffer and Audre’s husband) and my father, Irving, were friends on the West Side,” Katzman said. “I wish them nothing but good things. They used to buy stuff from me.”

AU Sports gained notoriety in its old cramped storefront at 5127 Dempster St.  Patrons had to learn to park in the alley in back with no street spaces in front. Audre, Eddie and then Steve Gold ran the store as the ultimate mom-and-pop operation. Baseball cards, vintage publications and photos crammed every nook and cranny. Interior decorating took a back seat to the display and sale of sports history.

The Golds had little problem attracting big-name autograph signers, past and present. One of the more unique signers was Marla Collins, who came into the shop about seven years ago. The Playmate was a former Cubs ball girl. Collins was fired in 1986 for posing in Playboy Magazine. When she appeared at AU Sports, several autograph seekers brought their vintage copies of Playboy for Collins to sign.

In addition to displaying magazines in the new store, Beatty hopes to one day have a sports-movie poster collection.

“AU Sports has always been cramped,” he said. “We hoping to spread out and make it a lot more organized with a lot more stuff for people to see.”

Like this story? Then 'Like' us on Facebook!

Correction: It was originally reported that AU Sports moved from Skokie. This was incorrect. AU Sports moved from their Village Crossing location in Niles. Different stores in the shopping plaza are divided between Skokie and Niles as they're located near the border.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?