The Things You Find Left on Your Desk

I walked into my office and there was a baseball card on my desk alongside a sheet of scratch paper with a phone number written on it.

So began a fun trip down memory lane with longtime La Grange residents Danny and Linda Hass, who I soon learned might be Fayette County’s most creative couple.

They have even built an entire model city of La Grange you have to see to believe.

But let’s start at the beginning.

Back in November, I wrote a column in the aftermath of the Astros World Series title, thinking back over the origins of my love affair with baseball and the Astros.

And I mentioned my fond memories of “Home Run Baseball Cards” a shop on Travis St. that closed 20 years ago.

I didn’t really know the owners back then – and just assumed they had left town when the shop closed.

But they didn’t. Danny and Linda Hass have been here all along.

And when Danny read my column he was “tickled” that someone remembered his shop.

So one day he came by to see me.

I wasn’t in – but he left a calling card of sorts – that baseball card I mentioned earlier.

It’s a picture of Danny and Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan in his card shop here.

Danny had more Nolan Ryan memorabilia than just about anybody in the world – and his fame spread so much that Nolan just had to drop by La Grange to check it out.

A sports card magazine that Danny still has even did a story about the 1990 visit.

“You could have heard a pin drop,” Danny told the reporter who did that magazine story. “I went up to him and held out my hand and he said, “I’m Nolan Ryan.”

“I remember my friends were upset at me that I didn’t call to tell them Nolan Ryan was in the store. Nolan spent about 30 minutes in the store, and we talked while his sons [Reese and Reid] looked around. I remember Reese buying a Bo Jackson rookie card ... Nolan was a quiet and sincere gentleman.”

On the back of the Danny Hass/Nolan Ryan business card he left on my desk was info about Danny’s shop.

I called the phone number that was left with the card and had a wonderful conversation with Danny and Linda, who are 81 and 80 years old respectively – but you’d never know it by how energetic they are.

I learned a lot more about the people behind my favorite childhood business.

They moved to La Grange in 1976.

Linda is an amazing artist and for years she owned Country Arts Gallery in the riverside area of town.

In 1989 they opened up their shop at 340 E. Travis Street (It’s the building between Golden Chick and Super Donuts).

Danny had his baseball cards in the front of the shop, Linda taught art classes and sold doll houses in the back.

I had long since moved away for college and jobs when, in 2003, they closed the shop.

Danny sold most of his inventory. Interestingly, their son Kevin now sells sports memorabilia online.

The change in the way people shop these days has left Danny thinking a physical baseball card shop would never work financially anymore.

Linda moved her art gallery to the H&R Block shopping center and stayed open there until 2008.

These were two very entrepreneurial and creative people, but I didn’t know just how much so until they invited me out to their place outside town a few weeks ago.

They wanted to show me that model city of La Grange.

It was amazing. They’ve got the entire courthouse square (complete with the courthouse Danny crafted by hand). There have the bridges, the river, Monument Hill, the train depot, the water tower.

Some of the houses are stock miniature model houses that they have added local embellishments to.

Of course Danny even built a mini version of their own country home in the scene. They have the winding bluff road, complete with the famous roadside gorilla.

The entire thing has a beautiful countryside landscape backdrop painted by Linda.

The model city is placed on a twin size bed frame.

They love it and have put so much work into it, but as they have gotten older a realization has hit.

“I don’t want us to die and nobody get it,” Linda said.

“At our age we’re trying to downsize,” said Danny, who recently sold 1,000 die-cast cars to a new antiques shop now open in the old Hermes building downtown.

In addition to the cohesive city scene they have created, there are also overflow scenes depicting the new remodeled Walmart and HEB stores and the bridge construction scene.

They would love for their model city of La Grange to be put on display somewhere public around town where people could enjoy it after they are gone.

They aren’t exactly giving it away, however, but if anyone is interested, Danny and Linda would love to chat about it.

Their number is (979) 2474575.

“We’re the only Hass in the phone book,” Danny said.

The miniature city is only part of their massive hobby room.

Together they have made impressive miniature Civil War battle and Alamo scenes and superhero and animal displays.

They have crafted fanciful garden gnome style artwork. Linda’s latest projects involve turning blue glass bottles into castles.

She still teaches art lessons at their home, but otherwise Danny and Linda pretty much keep to themselves.

“We like it out here. We have 7.5 acres and it’s everything we want,” Danny said.

But even in their 80s, and even though they are downsizing, it’s fun to have a hobby (or two), and they can’t imagine just sitting still.

“It’s good to get up and have something to do,” Linda said.