ABOUT US:
A lifelong friendship,
an unstoppable obsession.
Two life-long friends, since kindergarten and living a half-block away from each other, have had a love and obsession for tiny metal and plastic cars known as Hot Wheels and Matchbox. From playing with them in the dirt, along with playsets, to smashing them Demolition Derby style and throwing them off a second story fire escape to watch them smash into smithereens.
These two diecast fanatics, Curtis and John, have partnered together to create a small business to hunt down these beautifully crafted cars and offer them to you. Through our experience, we plan to sell these, and perhaps trade, a multitude of brands and scales of diecast. From Hot Wheels and Matchbox, to Greenlight Collectibles and M2. Johnny Lightning. AutoWorld. To brands that are not household names.
We plan on being an involved, community based business. We want to share the hunts with you. We want to “unbox” these found treasures live through multiple platforms. Be it Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. All we need is your help. We need the leads. We need the networking. Help us help you!
Our finds will be sold on our website, www.egonsemporium.com, eBay, and through our social media. We want to be as straightforward and have the most interactive experience we can.
Please join us and become a part of our Egon’s Emporium family.
And remember,
“We want to buy from you.”
CURTIS:
Taking on this endeavor as an entrepreneur, as a co-owner of Egon’s Emporium with my best friend John, was something that was kind of forced on us. We have been lifelong fans of diecast since our childhoods. I was more of a Hot Wheels fanatic, while John was a Matchbox fanatic. Did that cause childhood rivalry’s? Absolutely! Did it cause massive amounts of fun and lifetime memories? Of course. From playing in the dirt with our small 1:64 scale diecast to throwing them off a second story balcony to see them shatter into pieces. That was the beginning of the obsession, the collection, the never-ending hunt for these beautifully crafted pieces of zinc, aluminum, magnesium, and copper.
As we moved on to adulthood, there was a lapse in acquiring these magnificent pieces. The generation of Hot Wheels creators changed along with the genre of castings abound. But in 2013, I was blessed with my first child, a son. This brought back the everlasting love for these small cars. I began hunting on an almost daily basis to find him one of every Hot Wheels produced from 2013. That was a minimum of 250 pieces just for the mainlines! Talk about exhausting. I did succeed in that mission and set them aside for when the right time comes to give them to him.
But during my transition back into the Hot Wheels culture, I began to learn of something beyond mainline castings. There were Super Treasure Hunts, the Redline Club, adult premium lines. My mind was blown and the addiction returned with a vengeance.
John and I reconnected after we settled into jobs and marriage. His mother was looking to sell off his father’s (We miss you Gus!) collection. I immediately took the opportunity and bought it without hesitation. More so for my son and I to play with then resell. But purchasing that collection lit a proverbial fire under my ass. As I began digging deeper and doing more research, I realized that there was a market to sell these tiny cars. All while being able to make profit.
John and I, while being members of the SJPD (South Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware) Hot Wheel Club, took on the endeavor of trying to buy a collection or two and see what happened. Well, doing so ultimately lead to Egon’s Emporium. We formed this small business completing a circle. With much optimism, we hope to serve our customers, the community, our club members, family and friends, for many years to come. To summarize;
“We’re ready to buy from you.”
JOHN:
I cannot imagine a better business venture than to buy and sell diecast and collectibles with my lifelong best friend Curtis. We spent hours upon hours playing with Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Majorette, Corgi, Zylmex and probably countless other types and manufacturers of diecast! The only thing that came close to the time we spent with diecast was how much time we played with our Ghostbusters toys.
While growing up, my Dad, Gus, had his own business known as “Garton’s Auto” that was known internationally through Hemming’s Motor News and renowned shows at Hershey, Manheim and Carlisle as THE place to buy New Old Stock car parts and accessories for antique and collectible Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles from the 1940’s - 1970’s. He also bought and sold toys such as Lionel trains and diecast. As a kid, Curtis and I spent many hours helping my Dad crating up fenders, moving quarter-panels around and unloading our share of entire door assemblies for my Dad. We gained an appreciation for car culture as well as how important excellent customer service is.
As a kid, this was a great experience. I was surrounded by 1:64 scale to 1:1 scale antique cars and trucks! Growing up, the passion for toys and vehicles only got stronger. Despite jobs, marriage and everything else in between, Curtis and I still enjoyed the diecast hobby despite not being super active in it. Curtis and I reconnected when my Mom wanted to sell my Dad’s Hot Wheels after his passing. I knew Curtis might be interested so I called him. He educated me about how the hobby had evolved with super treasure hunts, the Red Line Club and so forth. He explained that he was a member of local club, South Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware How Wheels Club.
The club is a great group of people with a very strong sense of community. Falling back into the diecast hobby, Curtis and I started small by purchasing small collections to fill holes in our personal collections eventually evolving into a formal business venture, we are where we are today with the formation of Egon’s Emporium! Obviously, the name Egon is a nod to our favorite character from Ghostbusters! Our business builds on our love of car culture as well as our understanding of the good business principles we grew up with!