Founder and owner of Mill Creek Sports, Scott Mahlum, was delighted with the response to the most recent in-person signing event held at his store. As he explained, “On July 20th we welcomed Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, and over one thousand people lined up around our block. They wanted to have their photos taken with their favorite local baseball stars and bought or brought bats, jerseys, baseballs, cards, and photos which Julio and Cal signed. We served free pulled pork tacos outside. It was a wonderful day!”

Scott began trading and selling cards at age 11 as a hobby, but after graduating from high school, he assumed he would have to find a profession so he studied finance and accounting at the University of Washington. But in 1989 he did a signing with Hall-of-Famer Ken Griffey Jr. and suddenly saw a different path where he could make a living selling sports memorabilia and cards. In 1991, he made that dream come true by opening Mill Creek Sports.

“My wife Kris and I were both raised in Everett, met in middle school, and dated while at Everett High School,” Scott explains, “but we went our separate ways when I went to the University of Washington. When we got together again, we decided to raise a family in Mill Creek and opened the store here. The school system here was a major factor in our choice, as was the friendly community.” The couple’s son Derrick, now 29, and their daughter Nicole, now 31, both attended Cedarwood Elementary School here, and – as life goes full circle  - Nicole is now a teacher at Cedarwood Elementary.

Scott and his team, which now includes son Derrick, run between ten and twenty live events with stars every year. “Back in 1999 we had Willie Mays at our original store location and 700 - 800 people turned up when we had only 1200 square feet in those days,” Scott continues. “Then a couple of years ago we had Mike Tyson, who also drew over a thousand people.”

Mill Creek Sports is the Pacific Northwest’s largest sports memorabilia and card store, and the current store and warehouse were custom built seven years ago on vacant land that Scott purchased. “Nowadays, the business is 15% retail and 85% online. We sell via our own website (www.millcreeksports.com), are active on Facebook, and have several hundred thousand people on our e-mail list - about half of them outside the Seattle area,” Scott says. “We have over 30,000 unique listings on our website. Every single item is stored in our 15,000-square-foot building and we can grab it within minutes.” Equally important, Mill Creek Sports is one of only two sports memorabilia dealers on www.costco.com. Scott credits manager Brent Holcomb as a key team member and contributor to the company’s success - he has managed the business day-to-day for over 25 years.

Scott and his wife are active in the community and have both been Mill Creek Rotary members for the past few years. They support several charities including the Everett Boys and Girls Club and the Dawson's Place Child Advocacy Center where, as Scott says with feeling, “The stories are really heartbreaking.” As notable business owners in Mill Creek, the couple are involved with the Mill Creek Chamber of Commerce, sponsoring the summer concert series on Wednesday nights in the Town Center.

Looking forward to upcoming signing events, Scott is excited to announce that Tyler Lockett, the Seahawks wide receiver, has signed with Mill Creek Sports, as has rookie Bryon Murphy. “It's great for the fans to meet these people in person!” Scott enthuses. When friends and family ask Scott about his plans for the future, and the possibility of retirement, Scott concludes, "I’ll keep working as long as I enjoy what I do!”