Vintage Bucks memorabilia is a hot item at SayWerd, located on Oakland Avenue in Milwaukee. Owner Benny Tralongo is a die-hard Bucks fan. He opened his dream shop just weeks before the state went into lockdown in 2020 due to the pandemic.
"It’s been a wild ride this last year to say the least," said Benny.
At the shop he sells everything from comic books, to Pokemon cards, to vintage Wisconsin sports gear. But it's the Bucks items that have been flying off the shelves - and it's helped with sales.
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“Vintage Bucks pieces are hard to come by, specifically 80s to 90s. The Bucks weren’t a big market team so these companies didn’t make a lot of it, so to find it already has been hard but now with so much hype around them, it’s become even harder. I’m digging and sourcing 24/7, it’s become an addiction finding Bucks stuff for the store for myself,” said Benny.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said this NBA Finals has been a huge money generator, not only for businesses in the downtown area but also across the city.
“We know many of these businesses have been hit by the pandemic, but we also know these businesses are going to bounce back stronger than ever," said Mayor Barrett.
Benny said has fought hard to make his dream store a reality, and said that’s exactly what the Bucks are doing right now -- fighting to make a championship dream come true.
“You gotta have faith, it’s sports, anything can happen. People have come back from way worse situations with way worse teams. I think we have a bunch of All-Stars and Olympians that can bring it home,” said Benny.
He says the team has done more than help businesses. It has united the city and shows that with grit and heart, the hard work pays off.
“To have a team rise up that’s kind of representative of the city to where in 10-15 years past, we haven’t been the best but to come back and revitalize the city downtown, the people and show them again you can make something out of nothing and you have to fight and want it,” said Benny.
To find out more about SayWerd, click here.
