“ They come into the store and the parent introduces their child to childhood toys from many years ago , then they hunt for them together . We witness this regularly from quite a few of our regular customers . It ’ s a beautiful sight .”
Dugan and Eisel both agree that their most prized possession is definitely their Star Wars collection . It includes pieces from the original line released between 1978 and 1985 , and all are brand new , never opened . The two friends keep it on display on the back wall at the shop for customers to see . “ It ’ s a great conversation piece and it ’ s truly a thing of beauty !” they note .
According to Dugan , Star Wars merchandise is definitely the most sought after , with GI Joes running a close second . “ They originally came out with a 12-inch GI Joe figure in 1964 and that line ran until the mid 1970s . In 1982 , GI Joe caught new life by creating a highly sought-after line ,” he says . “ These figures are 33 / 4 inches tall . We have a very large customer base that visits our store regularly looking for these , and we usually have two to three display cases of them in the store at all times .”
The two most rare pieces D and E Collectibles currently has in stock came from a gentleman who used to work for Zayre ’ s
discount store . While there , he acquired two store displays that ended up in his attic and were long forgotten about until recently . “ A store display is unique because it ’ s a merchandise display or a special presentation of a store ’ s product that is used to attract and entice the buying public ,” explains Eisel . One of the items is a “ CHIPs ” helicopter made by Empire Toys . “ CHIPs ” was a television show that aired from 1977-1983 . “ It ’ s more than likely one of a kind ,” he continues . “ Our research hasn ’ t turned up any info .” The other store display is from a line called Legends of the West , also by Empire Toys . There is a little information on this store display but it ’ s a very hard-to-find piece .
Additionally , the store stocks a humble video game selection consisting of the original Nintendo , Super Nintendo , Nintendo 64 and Sega , with some older systems like Atari and ColecoVision as well .
“ Basically our store consists of two 1,000-sq . -ft . rooms ,” says Dugan . “ One room is pretty much all vintage toys and the second room is all modern toys .”
On the modern side is the store ’ s famous $ 2 bin . “ We have a giant bin that has hundreds of figures that are $ 2 each — people love to dig for gold !” laughs Dugan . “ We also have a section of modern Star Wars figures that are brand new and are always priced at $ 2 each . We stock affordable items neighborhood kids can purchase , all the way up to items that might be worth thousands of dollars for the hard-core collector .”
D and E Collectibles is located at 700 Main Street in Sharpsburg , and is open Monday through Friday from 11 a . m . to 7 p . m ., and Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 6 p . m . ■
» For more information , visit dandecollectibles . com .
Most people don ’ t realize their kids ’ childhood toys that are just taking up space in the garage or in the attic could possibly fund this year ’ s vacation . Contact D and E Collectibles ! If there is too much for you to transport , D and E can come to you .
FOX CHAPEL AREA ❘ SPRING 2018 45