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New store in Spring Hill shoots to score with fans

The store, on U.S. 19 in Spring Hill, stocks pocket-size helmets, flags and other items, and also offers mounting and framing for sports memorabilia.

By MICHAEL KRUSE
Published September 27, 2005

SPRING HILL - A woman walked into the new shop on U.S. 19 called Just for the Fans one recent Saturday and put a bouquet of flowers on a table in the back.

"May you have much success in your new venture," the note said.

Roger Levine is 33 years old and wears a ball cap and a football jersey to work. This is his work. His mom is the owner of the store, and his dad is retired and hangs out here a lot, but Levine is the manager of this place that's kind of a cross between a fancy matting and framing shop and a sports nut's dream.

Newly opened Just for the Fans, 2416 Commercial Way, is a specialty store. It's the kind of thing that usually would sit in a mall - except, of course, there are no malls in Hernando. Driving to Citrus Park or New Port Richey to get sports stuff? No need.

Not anymore.

That's the plan.

"Why go to a mall?" said Joe Levine, Roger's father. "Why spend $3 a gallon for gas?"

A man walked in.

"I didn't know you guys were here," he said.

"We just opened," Roger told him.

"Come on in."

Behold: ball caps, golf shirts, footballs with logos on them, picture prints of baseball players, basketball players, football players, tennis players, soccer players, golfers and boxers and race car drivers. And jerseys. And helmets. Mini helmets. Throwback helmets. Want an autograph? On a ball? In a shadow box?

Roger used to have a kiosk at Citrus Park. That lasted a year. By July, he says, it had gotten too big.

The Levines are from Bethpage, N.Y., on Long Island. Islanders fans. Mets fans.

But they've lived here for 14 years, which, in this move-here place in this move-here state, practically makes them natives, and now they like the Lightning and have season tickets for the Bucs.

Plenty of other fans in the area, though, are still loyal to the teams from "back home."

Which works well in this business.

"If we were in New York," Joe said, "we'd be selling Yankees and Mets, Yankees and Mets."

At Just for the Fans: lots of Bucs, lots of Lightning, even the Devil Rays, too, but also plenty of Cubs and Tigers and Jets and Giants and Red Sox and Yankees and Dolphins and Patriots and Braves.

"Everyone," Joe said, "is from somewhere else."

Now, they live in new houses in new subdivisions off U.S. 19 or Spring Hill Drive or the Suncoast Parkway, the Levines say.

And in their three-bedroom, two-bath, they might have a foosball table, or a pool table, or a "man" room with a big TV and a soft couch where they get comfy and eat Doritos and drink Miller Lites, and, well, they're going to need some pennants or pictures ... right?

In Just for the Fans, ESPN is always on. Or maybe ESPNews. Or maybe the tape of the Lightning winning the Stanley Cup. Or the Bucs winning the Super Bowl.

Always, though, the real attraction is on the wall - wall to wall.

The store has more than 1,000 prints of athletes in action. But not just pictures. Meticulously done montages with specific themes - like, say, images of Bears greats Walter Payton and Gale Sayers coupled with a view of Soldier Field in Chicago.

Or maybe panoramic pictures of Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium or Wrigley Field or throwback venues like Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Ebbets Field in Brooklyn or the old Boston Garden.

Pens and pennants and pencil sets: got 'em, got 'em, got 'em. Trash cans, key chains and welcome mats: yes, yes, yes. The flags that flap on the sides of cars on the way to the big game? Those too.

Want something in a shadow box? A ball? A little helmet? A special ticket?

A jersey in a frame?

The Levines mounted former Buc Chartric Darby's game-worn Super Bowl jersey a couple years back.

"We'll do everything pretty much that anybody asks for," Roger said. "However they want it mounted, framed, whatever nameplates they want."

On the way: more NASCAR merchandise and a signing session on Oct. 15 with Bucs rookie Alex Smith. He's the first Tampa Bay pro athlete to commit to coming to Just for the Fans. Twelve bucks to get in.

Early on this Saturday afternoon, though, Spring Hill residents Mel and Brenda Geloneck walked in.

"Are you a fan?" Joe asked.

"Baseball," Mel said.

"What's your team?"

"Tigers. Braves."

Used to live in Michigan, Mel explained. His wife was looking around and said something about his birthday coming up, and Christmas, too. The Gelonecks spent a good bit of time in the Levines' new store.

"Well," Mel said, "I guess we better get going. But I gave her my birthday list. She'll be back."

[Last modified September 27, 2005, 02:45:31]