Submitted by Dave Stemple
Being a teen in Parsons in the 90’s usually meant that you had at some point had a job as a pin setter at the bowling alley, a friendly rivalry still existed between Parsons and Hamrick, and evenings were mostly spent hanging out, shooting pool, and buying or trading cards at Hanks.
Hanks was a local sports card shop and arcade located in the tan building beside Long’s operated by former sheriff Hank Thompson. While Hanks wasn’t the actual name of the business it was what most of us local kids came to know it by as Hank was always there to greet you, talk sports, and sell you the latest packs of sports cards.
In it’s heyday Hanks was the hottest afterschool spot in town attracting most local teens with coin operated pool tables, the latest arcade machines, and a huge selection of sports cards. They were well poised as the only card shop in town and managed to ride the sports card craze of the early to mid 90’s.
Sadly the sports card market was more of a 90’s fad that began to fade and declining sales resulted in the closure of Hanks. The card shop may now only exist as a memory but it’s one shared by almost every member of my generation that grew up in our area.