Former Reds pitcher JJ Hoover opens card shop in Northern Kentucky
ASKED TO CALL CPD. A FORMER REDS PLAYER HAS OPENED A CARD SHOP IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY. JJ HOOVER IS PLANNING A SPECIAL GRAND OPENING FOR HOOVER’S HANGOUT. RIGHT AFTER REDS OPENING DAY AND ONLY WLWT NEWS FIVE’S RACHEL WAYLAND GOT A TOUR OF THE SHOP TODAY. AT MOST CARD SHOPS, YOU CAN’T BUY A CARD OF THE OWNER OF THE PLACE, BUT THAT’S THE SPECIAL KIND OF EXPERIENCE YOU CAN GET HERE AT HOOVER HANGOUT. IT WAS JUST SUCH A GREAT PLACE TO PLAY. OF ALL THE SPOTS, FORMER PITCHER JJ HOOVER COULD HAVE LANDED, HE CHOSE TO COME BACK TO THE PLACE. HE GOT HIS RED LEGS. THE FANS WERE AMAZING. WE HAD SUCH A GOOD TEAM. YOU KNOW, 2012, 2013, GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS AND JUST JUST THE COMMUNITY. THAT’S THAT’S REALLY IT. NOW JJ IS HOPING TO DEVELOP HIS OWN COMMUNITY HERE IN ALEXANDRIA, WHOSE HANGOUT LOCATED RIGHT ACROSS FROM CAMPBELL COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL, IS A PLACE WHERE FANS CAN BUY, SELL AND TRADE CARDS. THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST CARDS WE’VE PULLED ON OUR STREAM. THIS IS A JAYDEN DANIELS AND CALEB WILLIAMS, ONE OF ONE DUEL AUTOGRAPH CARD, WHILE LITERALLY HANGING OUT WITH JJ, HAVING FANS COME IN AND TALK ABOUT BASEBALL STORIES. MY EXPERIENCES IN THE BIG LEAGUES, I WILL PROBABLY DEVELOP IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS AS A MENTORSHIP PROGRAM OFF OF THIS. AND IF SPORTS AREN’T YOUR THING, JJ ALSO SELLS TRADING CARD GAMES LIKE POKEMON LARKANA AND EVEN BO JACKSON’S BATTLE ARENA, AND THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO, I THINK, FEEL WELCOME IN THIS ENVIRONMENT. AND BECAUSE I CAN WILLINGLY ADMIT THAT I’M A POKEMON FAN, I THINK THAT ALSO BREAKS DOWN THAT BARRIER. SO WHETHER IT’S BASEBALL, UFC, OR VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS, JJ BELIEVES THERE’S MAGIC BEHIND THIS CARDBOARD. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? WHEN YOU FIND WHEN YOU GOT YOUR FIRST CARD MADE OF YOU? THAT WAS A DREAM COME TRUE. I’VE NEVER REALLY THOUGHT THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, I’M SITTING THERE SIGNING. HOWEVER, 3000 CARDS IN A DAY. IT WAS THAT WAS A BLAST. THAT WAS. THAT’S A MEMORY I’LL CHERISH FOREVER. THE SHOP’S GRAND OPENING IS FRIDAY FROM 3:00 TO 10:00. THERE WILL BE FOOD TRUCKS, GIVEAWAYS, RAFFLES, AND EVERYONE IS WELCOME. REPORTING
Former Reds pitcher JJ Hoover opens card shop in Northern Kentucky
Whether you are a fan of sports or trading card games, Hoov’s Hangout in Alexandria has something for everybody.
Updated: 5:43 PM EDT Mar 24, 2025
Of all the spots former pitcher JJ Hoover could have landed, he chose to come back to the city where he earned his Red Legs. “It was such a great place to play and live. The fans were amazing. We had such a good team,” said Hoover, who played for the Reds from 2012-2016.Now, Hoover is hoping to develop his own community in Alexandria, Kentucky. Last week, he opened Hoov’s Hangout on Washington Street, right across from Campbell County Middle School. The shop is a place where fans can buy, sell and trade cards of all sports, all while hanging out with Hoover. “Having fans come in and talk about baseball stories, my experience in the big leagues. I will probably develop, in the next couple of years, a mentorship program off of this because the young athletes today just need somebody there that, that’s been there. So I just want to be approachable and accessible to the community,” said Hoover.The shop also offers plenty of trading card game collections, such as Pokemon, Lorcana and Bo Jackson’s Battle Arena. Hoover hopes they attract a more diverse customer base. “That allows people to, I think, feel welcome in this environment. Because if I can willingly admit that I’m a Pokemon fan, I think that breaks down a barrier,” said Hoover.Whether it’s baseball, the Ultimate Fighting Championship or video game characters, JJ believes there’s magic behind these pieces of cardboard. He recalls the first time he saw a baseball card of himself.”That was a dream come true. I never really thought that was going to happen. And then, you know, I’m sitting there signing, however, 3,000 cards in a day. That was a blast. That was a memory I’ll cherish forever,” said Hoover. The grand opening of Hoov’s Hangout is Friday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. There will be giveaways, raffles and food trucks, as well as a new Pokemon release. Everyone is welcome.
Of all the spots former pitcher JJ Hoover could have landed, he chose to come back to the city where he earned his Red Legs. “It was such a great place to play and live. The fans were amazing. We had such a good team,” said Hoover, who played for the Reds from 2012-2016.
Now, Hoover is hoping to develop his own community in Alexandria, Kentucky. Last week, he opened Hoov’s Hangout on Washington Street, right across from Campbell County Middle School. The shop is a place where fans can buy, sell and trade cards of all sports, all while hanging out with Hoover.
“Having fans come in and talk about baseball stories, my experience in the big leagues. I will probably develop, in the next couple of years, a mentorship program off of this because the young athletes today just need somebody there that, that’s been there. So I just want to be approachable and accessible to the community,” said Hoover.
The shop also offers plenty of trading card game collections, such as Pokemon, Lorcana and Bo Jackson’s Battle Arena. Hoover hopes they attract a more diverse customer base.
“That allows people to, I think, feel welcome in this environment. Because if I can willingly admit that I’m a Pokemon fan, I think that breaks down a barrier,” said Hoover.
Whether it’s baseball, the Ultimate Fighting Championship or video game characters, JJ believes there’s magic behind these pieces of cardboard. He recalls the first time he saw a baseball card of himself.
“That was a dream come true. I never really thought that was going to happen. And then, you know, I’m sitting there signing, however, 3,000 cards in a day. That was a blast. That was a memory I’ll cherish forever,” said Hoover.
The grand opening of Hoov’s Hangout is Friday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. There will be giveaways, raffles and food trucks, as well as a new Pokemon release. Everyone is welcome.