ENDWELL, New York (February 2, 2026) — While browsing online on a snowy January day during a trip to New York, we stumbled upon a bit of a lost treasure in many parts of the country… an old school racing collectibles shop.

Meet 07 Racing Collectibles and owner Tom Schwarz.

“I was a local racer myself,” Schwarz said. “I always watched NASCAR and I started collecting for myself. Then, people started asking me if I could get them this or that and it just turned into me buying in bulk.”

Centrally located an hour away from Watkins Glen and an hour and half from Pocono, 07 Racing Collectibles in Endwell, NY has been in business for over 30 years, serving fans by selling various racing memorabilia including die-casts, apparel, novelties and more.

A front-runner throughout the 1980s, Tom Schwarz was a competitive driver, notably racing in the Street Stock and Late Model divisions at tracks like the former Shangri-La Speedway in Owego, NY.

“I raced on and off for 25 years, mainly at Shangri-La every week,” he said. “Raced the Race of Champions at Pocono on their three-quarter mile and a few other tracks here and there like Penn Can Speedway, Weedsport, and Owsego… but I mainly stuck to home at Shangri-La.”

One notable moment in racing history intersected with Schwarz in 1991 involving NASCAR Cup Series driver J.D. McDuffie. McDuffie was killed on lap five of the 1991 Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. After contact with Jimmy Means following a mechanical failure, McDuffie was sent flying head on into the Armco outside retaining wall and tire barrier with such force that the car rebounded into the air, rotated 180 degrees, and then came to rest upside-down.

One day before his fatal accident at Watkins Glen International, McDuffie won a celebrity race in Owego, New York, at the Shangri-La Speedway in a car owned by Tom Schwarz.

“The night before the Watkins Glen race that he was killed in he drove my car at the local Shangri-La Speedway in a celebrity race, and won that race,” recalled Schwarz. “Then the next day, that was it.”

“I did not know him that long before that,” he continued. “We had just set up the arrangements to run my car. I only met him the night he came to drive. I still have contact with his daughter and occasionally his wife. His daughter actually came to the area after few months after J.D. was killed and took my car and drove it around Shangri-La a few times.”

Since his active racing days, Schwarz has continued to be an active part of the racing community, most notably through his store.

Schwarz and his wife Joanne opened 07 Racing Collectibles in April of 1993 after repeated requests for things he already had been collecting as a fan.

“We’ve been here for 33 years at this same location,” Schwarz said. “We’ve been through it all. Good times, bad times and we’re just hanging in there now.”

Specialized brick-and-mortar racing collectible stores are becoming increasingly rare, with many closing due to a shift towards online sales, high overhead costs, and a shrinking customer base. 

Online retailers and platforms like eBay have taken over, making it hard for physical, local shops to compete.

Many small businesses are facing increased rent, insurance, and taxes.

This store has the benefit of its proximity to active NASCAR tracks and can be found via a major highway.

“We do get a lot of people passing through,” said Schwarz. “Often it’s the same people every year that stop in and buy either on their way to or their way back.”

During a race weekend, the 07 Racing Collectibles shop has hundreds of customers passing through. It’s the time between races where it becomes tougher.

“It helps out a lot because when there isn’t a race I’d say we get maybe a hundred people on an average week.”

Looking around the store you’ll find just about everything your racing heart desires.

“We sell a little bit of everything. Die-casts, shirts, hats, novelty items… mainly NASCAR but some of the local drivers too. We do it all.”

With all the various items the store has to offer, die-cast cars seem to be the most prevalent item available and the best selling.

The market for NASCAR die-casts has changed significantly, with price increases (e.g., 1:24 scales rising from $85 to nearly $100) causing many collectors to opt out. The market has been heavily consolidated under manufacturers like Lionel Racing, which has limited the variety and competition in the hobby. 

Still, Schwarz’s store finds a way to break through. The store’s website (https://www.07racingcollectibles.com) is very robust with a large selection of offerings, though Schwarz says that it’s still only a fraction of the items found actually in the store. Schwarz is very active on Facebook as well, making sure his customers know what’s available both online and in the store.

Stores like 07 Racing Collectibles still dot themselves across this vast country, and while the amount of stores available today pails in comparison to years past, the stores that still exist continue to adapt and overcome in a sales landscape that is increasingly becoming more and more digital.

Beyond the hats and bumper stickers, many of these stores have a robust treasure trove of history within them, like the story of Tom Schwarz, a local racer that got the collecting bug.

Next time you’re on the way to or from a NASCAR race, carve out some time to visit one of these shops and have a look around, you never know what you’ll find.

Story by: Daniel Vining and Steven Newbold

Photos: Tom Schwarz Collection and Steven Newbold