GLADSTONE, Mich. (WZMQ) – In Gladstone, a new business dealing in collectibles, vintage finds, and nostalgia has opened its doors.
“I grew up in the 80s, and I love things like G.I. Joe, He-Man, Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, and Nintendo,” said David Laur, better known to many as ‘Mancave Dave.’ “My fond memories would be hanging out with my friends or siblings playing those things. Then, life got busy with college, work, getting married, all that good stuff. Then we found out that we were going to start a family of our own. I was like, ‘You know, I want to get some of those things I wanted to get as a kid but couldn’t have or couldn’t afford to share with my boys.'”
Laur has been buying, selling, and adding to his collection for more than a decade. He took his passion on the road, vending at toy shows in Northern Michigan and Wisconsin. He even launched Bay College’s own convention, BAY-CON, in 2022.
“We started joking about, ‘We should get a store,'” Laur said. “‘Well, that would be crazy! We can’t do that.'”
That doubt did not last long, as Mancave Dave is now a storefront at 1017 Delta Avenue in Gladstone. The shop is filled to the brim with vintage gems.
“I collect the finer things in life,” said Laur. “Action figures both new and vintage, vinyl records, signed records, signed posters, horror memorabilia, cassette tapes, CDs, a little bit of everything. We trade items as well, and we want to have a table set up for gaming.”
Helping customers find something from their past is rewarding for Laur. It’s an experience he compares to going through a time machine.
“You see people find that record or the toy they had as a kid, and for just a moment, they’re six years old again,” he said. “I get to do that every day here. I had somebody find a record this weekend. They used to listen to it with their mom every Saturday, and just the joy on his face as he found that was something that was really cool to see.”
In the shop’s first weeks of operation, Laur says the community has enthusiastically embraced its newest addition.
“That support from our neighbors has been fantastic,” he said. “We have Whitney and her family from [Superbloom Coffee House] who have come here, Jon and Autumn from Old Glory Firearms, Lily from China Lily, folks from other businesses. We’re all uplifting each other and building that camaraderie. The folks that come in, the look on their face when they walk in and they’re like, ‘Whoa!’ is so cool to see.”
For ‘Mancave Dave’ himself, it’s about more than the items on the shelves. He wants to provide joy, memories, and connection.
“With everything going on in the world, it’s really cool to be able to come together over something—a shared experience, whether it’s music, a toy, a TV show, whatever it is,” Laur said. “It’s an incredible thing to be part of helping bring people together when it seems like so many things are trying to tear us apart.”
Mancave Dave will typically be open Thursdays and Fridays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., in addition to pop-up dates. Hours of operation are regularly posted on the Mancave Dave Facebook page and outside the store.
