![Michael Parker, owner of HR Sports Cards and Collectibles, holds up some of the shop’s card packs that still sell for $1. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0321_blog_photoessay_cards2.jpg?1616791842)
Photos: Not Just a Hobby
Amid a surge in card collecting, a few shops still survive in the Capital Region
Card shops have been declining in number the past 20 years, but
there’s a gold rush in the industry today.
![Elyse Tolles creates polymer clay-based jewelry for her line, Elysian Theory. (Photos by Andrew Calisterio)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0321_blog_gettingtokno1.jpg?1616696497)
Getting to Know: Elyse Tolles
Sacramento designer of polymer clay-based jewelry has gained national recognition in her craft
Elyse Tolles is a one-woman show — a designer of artful jewelry
and a former flutist.
![Tess’ Kitchen & Culinary buys from more than 400 vendors to stock the 6,000-square-foot store. (Photos by Debbie Cunningham)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0321_dept_taste_debbiecunningham_embed1.jpg?1615999686)
Something for Everyone
How a 90-year-old store with a new owner is surviving a pandemic
Small businesses continue to open, and some longtimers — like Tess’ Kitchen & Culinary — have found ways to thrive under new owners.
![Laurelin Gilmore (right) and Miranda Culp became the owners of Richard L. Press, Fine and Scholarly Books in November 2020 and renamed it Amatoria Fine Art Books. (Photos by Andrew Calisterio)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0221_blog_gettingtoknow3.jpg?1613755528)
Getting to Know: Miranda Culp and Laurelin Gilmore
The owners of Amatoria Fine Art Books in Sacramento share a deep love of books
Miranda Culp and Laurelin Gilmore are accustomed to the look of
wonder on the faces of the people who stumble into their
independent bookshop, Amatoria Fine Art Books.
![Al Calderone, owner of ARC Guitar in Winters, works on the design of a guitar. He has built 64 acoustic guitars. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0221_dept_beatentrack_stevemartarano_lead.jpg?1613159834)
Off the Beaten Track: Strumming Along
Teaching the craft of guitar making in the heart of Winters
In the heart of historic downtown Winters, Al Calderone
builds guitars, teaches the craft of guitar and ukulele making,
and gives lessons.
![(Shutterstock illustration)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_1756143098_2.jpg?1612213462)
Retail Survival
The co-owner of six local La-Z-Boy Home Furnishing & Decor showrooms talks pandemic strategy
The pandemic recession has shaped businesses in big and small ways, and its impacts have reached employers, employees, suppliers and customers.
![Kevin O'Neill (left) is the vice president of sales and marketing for Water Street Antiques & Interiors, a company opened by his father, Terry (right), and his mother, Christine, in 1972. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0121_dept_beatentrack_stevemartarano_embed.jpg?1610385371)
Off the Beaten Track: Making New Look Old
Water Street Antiques & Interiors also specializes in building furniture
Water Street Antiques & Interiors, founded in 1972 by Terry
and Christine O’Neill, isn’t just an antique store.
![Craig and DeeDee Lyman are CEO and vice-president of Douglas Feed & Pet Supply in Granite Bay. (Photo by Tom Couzens)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0920_dept_mainstreet_tomcouzens_lead.jpg?1600976692)
Main Street: No Horsing Around
A growing equine community has helped boost business for a Granite Bay feed and pet-supply store
DeeDee and Craig Lyman own a feed store in a community of equestrians and animal lovers.
![Jacob Dill (right) opened Plant Daddy Co. in East Sacramento with his partner Luke Swanson during the pandemic and says business is booming. (Photos by Andrew Calisterio)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0920_blog_gettingtoknow2.jpg?1600899989)
Getting to Know: Jacob Dill
Co-owner of Plant Daddy Co. in East Sacramento says retail business is booming
Luke Swanson and Jacob Dill, cofounders of Plant Daddy Co., are partners in life and business and discovered the joy of plant parenthood in their 20s living in San Francisco and Portland.
![Becky Routh works in her Sacramento-area home on her sustainable swimwear line, Beckinis. (Photo by Kelsey Brown)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0920_blog_mmp_fashion_beckinis_lead_logo.jpg?1600280968)
What to Sustainably Wear
Small local clothing companies rethink sourcing of materials for sustainability
Bikini tops made from inflatable vinyl chairs and chain harnesses made with floppy disks aren’t items that department stores typically sell, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be fashionable.