You can buy packs of sports cards at pretty much any local Target, Walmart or Fred Meyer stores, but for those who want to pay a little more than a couple of dollars a pack and want to be immersed in a culture of others who love to collect, a local sports card store will do the job.

Although the few stores in the South Sound tend to cater their memorabilia and individual card sales to the Seahawks, Mariners and Sounders (and even some Seattle Storm items for the small but passionate fan base), all the stores offer selections of baseball, football, basketball, hockey, racing and soccer cards.

Knutsen's Northwest Sports Cards

Located in University Place right off Bridgeport Way (3816 Bridgeport Way, in the Green Firs Shopping Center) Northwest Sports Cards (www.nw-sportscards.com) offers perhaps the best selection of individual cards from all eras, boxes of cards, memorabilia and collecting supplies.

It also hosts a monthly event called "Pack Wars," where customers can come in and get special deals on various packs of cards, enjoy snacks and try and try their hand at sports trivia questions. There are also prizes and giveaways. The store also hands out one raffle ticket per $10 of items purchased and awards a $40 gift certificate once per week to the winning ticket. For those who like to celebrate a nice pull of an autograph or memorabilia patch card, the store also posts pictures on its website of those who got lucky. For those who like gaming, Northwest Sports Cards hosts Magic "The Gathering" tournaments on Fridays and YuGiOh on Saturdays and Sundays.

Carl's Sports Attic

Carl's (www.carlssportsattic.com), located off Meridian Ave. in Puyallup, has all the current baseball, football and basketball cards as well as one of the best collections of vintage baseball and football cards in the area. The shop also features a wide variety of signed balls, bats, cards and photos. Customers can spin the giant discount wheel for a chance to get free items and money off their purchases.

West Coast Sports Cards

West Coast Sports Cards,located in Federal Way (2008 South 314th Street), carries a large inventory of sports boxes, single cards and memorabilia. It is routinely one of the first stores in the South Sound to carry new product releases and has one of the most knowledgeable staffs when it comes to hobby trends.

Similar to Northwest Sports Cards, West Coast (www.westcoastsportscards.org) features a "Wall of Fame" page on its website were there are photos of customers that have pulled valuable cards out of packs they've bought at the store.

A majority of the store's autographed memorabilia is certified by reputable companies such as Steiner, PSA, Upper Deck and GAI. For gamers, it also has one of the best local selections of Magic "The Gathering" singles, featuring everything from vintage to the newest set.