As owner of the Madison Mallards minor league baseball team and co-owner of professional soccer team Forward Madison, Steve Schmitt is used to knowing the folks on the field.

But when he walks into the Duck Pond or Breese Stevens Field, he’s not thinking about the players, coaches or managers.

His mind is on the people in the stands.

“The most important person on any (sports) team are the fans,” said Schmitt, 76, whose phone quacks when he gets a new text message. “Come smiling, leave smiling. That’s our goal.”

Now, after years of running a shoe store and a sports bar, he’s built a place that’s all about the fans: Steve Schmitt’s Sports Treasures Plus. Located just off Highway 51 in Stoughton, it’s a sports memorabilia shop that’s more about celebrating than selling. 

There’s a basketball signed by star NBA centers and longtime rivals Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. There are 900 autographed baseballs and a slew of autographed, miniature football and baseball helmets. There’s even a scorebook from the 1932 game in which Babe Ruth pointed to the bleachers and then hit a legendary home run, though that piece isn’t for sale.

And that’s just the beginning. “There’s 975,000 items here,” Schmitt said in a way that might or might not have been a joke. “There’s no end to it. There’s more than that. Under every table there’s more than what’s on top of the tables.” 

For decades, he stockpiled collectibles at home and in the basement of The Shoe Box, the Black Earth shoe store he’s owned for 50 years. A smattering of his collection adorned the walls of Rookies Food & Spirits, a sports bar near Mazomanie, until he sold it in August — minus the memorabilia. 

Then he started looking for a home for it all. “I had so much … and it was just bothering me not to get it out and to expose it,” Schmitt said.

When he spotted the space for rent in Stoughton last year, just five minutes from his house on Lake Kegonsa, he was immediately interested. “I didn’t even hesitate. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s my corner.’”

Open since December, the place is full but meticulously organized, with enough space to comfortably maneuver the aisles and peruse the goods. That’s a testament to Schmitt’s restraint.

“I could fill this whole 2,400 square feet again with more memorabilia,” he said, explaining that what’s stored at The Shoe Box is probably twice as much as the inventory currently on display.

The collection would be far bigger still if it wasn’t for the 2018 storm that flooded the shoe store’s basement. The flood, deemed an “act of God,” wasn’t covered by the store’s insurance.

“We filled up a 30-yard dumpster overflowing with my memorabilia,” Schmitt said. “But I got lucky: I saved half. It could have been a lot worse.”

Fans flock in

Schmitt calls himself more of a “monkey” than a collector. He can spot the more serious buyers when they come in, often checking their phones to see how much they can resell a piece for. 

“I get along with them great, but … that’s kind of the opposite of me. I just want people to have a good time and come in and get a fair price and get a lifelong piece of memorabilia.”

In fact, Schmitt is all about giving things away. Behind the shop, where the Culver’s drive-thru customers wait for their orders, a sign invites customers to show their receipt for a free signed sports card. In front, another invites visitors to try their hand at the bean bag toss and take home a free (unsigned) sports card for each bag they sink. 

“If you get skunked, you get a fortune cookie, so if you lose, you still win,” Schmitt said, joking that the fortune might say, “Practice your bean bag toss.”

The game, open to people of all ages, has found a following among local kids. “The same bunch come in every day, which just warms my heart,” Schmitt said. “They bring their families and friends and their dads and moms.”

It’s not just the free cards that keep the fans flocking. Each weekend, Schmitt watches parents point to a glove, a ball or a jersey and regale their children with stories of their childhood heroes. 

“Dads bring in their sons, sons bring in their dads … grandsons bring in their grandpas, and they don’t have to buy a thing: just the memories,” Schmitt said. “It’s great. Better than selling Beanie Babies, I guess, or stamps or coins.

“I don’t even know if I’d call it a business. It’s kind of a hobby … It’s for the people who come here with smiles on their faces.” 

While some store owners might get irritated by a stream of lookie-loos, Schmitt is thrilled. He’s happy to change any of the six TVs to whatever game or Hallmark movie visitors want, and he’s even set up a lounge in the back where a group of friends could throw a party and order a pizza. 

Schmitt plans to keep the place running until the lease ends in four years. He’s there most of the time, except when fan duty calls. He doesn’t miss a home game when his grandkids play, even the granddaughter who plays volleyball at University of Dubuque. 

And he’s proud to say he’s only missed five Mallards home games in 24 years. After all, being a fan is serious business.

The four questions

What are the most important values driving your work?

Taking care of the fans, the customers, whether they buy or not. No pressure if they don’t buy, just show them a great experience. Hopefully they walk around and explore, and if they want to recommend, they can recommend. I just listen to their stories and get their input. That’s how I learn. I’m thankful that people come in and hang out and talk about their stories. It’s fascinating to me.

How are you creating the kind of community that you want to live in?

I hope I’m a plus for the community, with the kids of all ages coming in here with their families and friends. It’s not just Stoughton. Families come in from all over: Beloit, Rockford, Edgerton. It’s Madison to Black Earth to Sauk City. These sports people, they’re something. 

What advice do you have for other would-be entrepreneurs?

Do something that’s fun, and if you ever think it’s like work, go the other way. Don’t waste your life doing something you don’t want to do. 

Are you hiring?

Here? No.