Bill’s Bullpen turns 20 this year
– and owner Bill Mifsud Jr. said he can’t ignore the sports
memorabilia and comics store’s age.
Bill’s Bullpen turns 20 this year – and owner Bill Mifsud Jr. said he can’t ignore the sports memorabilia and comics store’s age.
After all, children who shopped at Bill’s when it first opened are now grown up and bring in sons and daughters of their own.
“You feel old, but you also feel like you’ve done something good,” Mifsud said.
Mifsud’s father, Bill Mifsud Sr., opened the store in December 1987. Bill Mifsud Jr. took over shortly afterward, but he said his dad is still a “silent partner.”
Technically, the store’s birthday has already passed, but Mifsud said he plans to celebrate in February with a storewide sale. It just seemed like the right month to drum up business, he said, especially since customers might bring in some of their tax refund money.
While downtown Hollister has its mainstays like Muenzer’s Sports and Cyclery Center and Maddux Jewelry, it also sees plenty of turnover. Mifsud said he’s proud to make it to 20 years. He attributed much of his success to his personal presence in the store. Although Bill’s has other staffers, Mifsud is the one you normally see behind the counter, six days per week.
Maintaining that personal touch is particularly important now, Mifsud said, as he competes with Web sites that sometimes offer similar products for lower prices.
“If I can’t win on price, I try to win on service,” Mifsud said.
Sports and comics may not seem like an obvious combination, but Mifsud said the mix of products has also kept the store going as changing times destroyed some of the competition.
“Pogs, Beanie Babies, Magic the Gathering, I’ve seen a lot of fads,” Mifsud said.
Bill’s Bullpen faced one of its biggest obstacles early in its history, when the shop was damaged badly in 1989’s Loma Prieta earthquake. But with community support, it reopened at its current Fourth Street location, and even started a second location on Tres Pinos Road in the 1990s.
Now, Mifsud said sales have dropped due to the flagging economy, rising gas prices, the baseball steroids scandal and the disappointing play lately of the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers.
“Our business is like the weather,” Mifsud said. “There’s a lot of things we can’t control.”
Still, loyal customers such as Hollister resident Larry Drexler said they’ll keep coming back. Drexler said a trip to Bill’s has become a regular treat for his 12-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter. Mifsud can get Drexler “pretty much anything I want.”
“He keeps me pretty informed,” Drexler said. “He’s actually gotten me interested in trying to pay attention to politics and business decisions.”
