If you’re like me, you love sports memorabilia and collectibles. I started collecting when I was five years old. It started with baseball cards, bobbleheads, and starting lineup figures. I remember sending letters to my favorite baseball players asking for an autograph or just telling them how much I loved watching them play. The excitement I felt, waiting for the mailman to show up every day to see if I got a response, was like waiting for Santa to arrive. The times an athlete would respond brought such joy to me and always added one more thing to hang on my bedroom wall or to display on a shelf.
As I grew up, my collection began to grow, maturing to feature autographs, stadium seats, and game-used items. I still love collecting, today, and get such great joy watching my kids collect and transform their bedrooms. For most collectors having a Fan Cave is a dream — if not a reality. However, one of the most fantastic Fan Caves I’ve seen belongs to Stewart McVicar!
The new Netflix series, “Amazing Interiors,” featured Mr. McVicar’s Fan Cave. He is a lifelong Cubs fan who turned his 2,300 square foot basement into the ultimate man cave for Cubs fans. It comes complete with a bar, theater, and arcade. He has over 500 autographed baseballs, 100 bats, 50 Jerseys, an organ from Wrigley field, a life-size bobblehead of Anthony Rizzo, and to top it off he has current and former Cubs who come to his house for Charity functions.
Mr. McVicar’s is living his dream, and in so doing, he is raising money to help those in need. Over 20 athletes have held Charitable events in his Man Cave, raising over $300,000 to-date. What an incredible story!
McVicar said, “This was a dream of mine I had a long time ago. This is something I thought about when I was a little kid, building the ultimate place to watch the Cubs. To see it blossom to where it is now, especially the charity portion of it, is amazing. The opportunity it has given my family and me to help other people truly is the best part.”
He turned his dream into a reality and can now use the fulfillment of that dream to help others. I hope your collection, and mine, are bringing joy to the people who surround us. My guess is, they are!