“Both of my sons work here,” Ryder said. “My wife works here, and my father-in-law works here.”

In all, Ryder has six total employees.

Ballgame Heroes is set to celebrate its five-year anniversary Friday.

“Some businesses don’t get that lucky and don’t stay in business past six months,” Starr said.

Ballgame Heroes owner Starr Ryder. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

He attributes celebrating a milestone with serving “a community within our greater community.”

“We’ve been so, so lucky, and we’re so grateful that the Jamestown area has supported us so much,” Ryder said.

He said that there are patrons who really support trading sports cards and other collectibles, and sometimes people come to the store just to talk with other like-minded people about trading cards and other memorabilia whether it is sports, games or entertainment.

At the 512 W. Third St. store, Ryder said, there will be food trucks, and tents set up in the parking lot to accommodate overflow patron traffic.

Ryder also likes to give back to the Jamestown area community when he can.

“I believe we do a lot for the community,” Ryder said. “We donate to all the after prom events. We sponsor a lot of (sports) travel teams. And we try our best to allocate what little (extra) funds we have into youth or youth sports.”

Ryder has a passion for sports card hobby, and his business is fueled by his love of sports cards.

Five years ago, Ballgame Heroes opened its doors with a simple goal: create a place where collectors could share their passion for the hobby.

“What we’ve built since then could never have happened without the incredible community that has supported us every step of the way. To our customers, collectors, traders, families, friends and fellow hobby enthusiasts – thank you,” Ryder said.

For more information about the anniversary celebration call 716-800-1341 or find them on Facebook.