5Z Sports Cards is the new business addition, focusing on selling various sports and trading cards. As a family run operation, owner Johnathon Mayr stated that there is nothing more important than the aspect of family involvement in the business, and serving those within his community.

The business is currently owned, and largely run, by three members of the family; Mayr, wife Lindsey Mayr, and sixteen year old son Zavyer Mayr. Mayr actually noted that every card available in their shop is one of his sixteen year old son’s, showing the immense amount of contributions that each of the three has given. The name 5Z is a nod to the five children that make up the family, with a seven in the logo also representing the total household size of the family, said Mayr. The logo also has a J and an L incorporated into the design, representing Jonhathon and Lindsey’s initials. This additional incorporation of family references in the logo further stresses the deep importance of family to Mayr and the business.

“This is a family business, we really focus on the children,” said Mayr. “No kid goes through our doors without having some kind of card. We have free packs, we give them away all the time. We’re always running a contest or game, if you will, in-store where there is always a prize to be won.

Further proof of the love and passion for children was shown through the actions of the business upon first opening. Mayr mentioned that the store gave away 30,000 cards, 1500 packs of 20, to every student in the Falconer School District. This initiative was done over any sort of advertisement early on, as the business’s opening and endeavors have all been self-funded by the owners. Mayr also noted additional difficulties in acquiring the products when starting out. This is because Tops and Panini, the two large sports card producers in the United States, will not give product to a store unless it has been open for more than a year. Due to this, everything that is currently in the store has had to be self-sourced, yet still sourced in full cases to ensure case hits.

The card shop initially opened to the public through a soft launch on Oct. 17, following a complete transformation of the location. The entire transformation process took about three months in total. Mayr noted that the building was formerly the location of the Jennifer Ellen Salon and Spa, meaning that there were many changes that had to be made to transform the location. Due to this, Mayr stated that there were numerous salon supplies that had to be removed and that lots of plumbing had to be changed. Additionally, the back room of the business was completely stripped down and the family built a massive display case to hold excess stock. Mayr noted that there are currently about 600 cards in storage in this back room. Slat panelling was hung all around the walls of the interior of the building, said Mayr. Mayr also said that the upstairs of the building is still continuing to be renovated. One upstairs room has been transformed into an office space and the other upstairs room is being renovated into a streaming area for the online sales that will be starting soon.

“So far we’ve had a really great response. People seem to enjoy it,” said Mayr. “We’ve got over a thousand cards out on display. We’ve built our own custom display cases and ordered custom glass and all that. You know, it’s a unique store.”

The owners are currently pushing to get the streaming service and online store ready as soon as possible. Mayr stated that a link has already been purchased that will have all of the live streams, as well as products, available for order online. While no date is set in stone at the moment, Mayr noted that the owners hope to have the streaming area operating within the next couple weeks.

The business is located at 1975 East Main Street in Falconer. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. Mayr encourages people to come by, and enjoy the scenery and seating that is available inside. For any further information contact (716)-665-9015.