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Eclectic Corona Memorabilia Shop to Close After 20 Years

By Katie Honan | March 9, 2015 7:43am | Updated on March 10, 2015 6:38pm
 Tommie O'Quinn has displayed his memorabilia in his Northern Boulevard shop for 15 years.
Shop Showcasing Owner's NBA Son for Rent
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CORONA — When Tommie O'Quinn bought a building on Northern Boulevard near 105th Street 20 years ago, he kept the original stained-glass storefront, tin ceilings and wood floor.

Since then, the 72-year-old turned it into an eclectic mix of memorabilia, from a motorcycle and taxidermy to a showcase for his son's NBA career.

For the first five years there was a barbershop there simply called "The Barbershop," but he's kept it as his office and display case ever since, he said.

"I collect whatever stuff is old. Tools, toys, you name it," he said. "Anything that has an age on it, and is something sort of different."

A motorcycle fan, he has a Harley Davidson parked inside along with chairs, hats and leather jackets.

There are two stuffed deer and an old jukebox from the 1960s, and photos and posters lining the walls.

But the front of the street-level shop is filled with collectibles of Tommie's son, Kyle O'Quinn, a power forward for the Orlando Magic.

He started that collection in 2012, after his son's remarkable performance playing for the 15th-seed Norfolk State team that upset the 2nd-seeded Missouri to advance. 

There are trophies from Kyle's high school years at Campus Magnet in Jamaica, where the O'Quinns live, as well as photos from his time at Norfolk State, and stickers commemorating that college's first-round upset in the 2012 NCAA tournament.

A life-sized cutout of his son smiling in a Magic uniform hangs towards the back. 

O'Quinn's collections are varied, and he just picks things up when he sees them, he said. But he decided he'd try to rent the space out after years using it for himself.

"We're not relocating," he said. "I decided to rent it instead of using it for display purposes."

He'll clear out the store once he gets an offer he likes, he said, and imagines a chain shop in the 70-by-20-foot space.

"Mom-and-pop shops can't survive in this current rental climate," he said.

As for his collection, he said he'll sell or give away most of it — although his son's items and his Harley are not for sale.