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At its location on 2 S. Main Street, High Speed Collectibles continues operating as a hobby store in downtown Winchester.

This December, however, they’re also taking up collections of a different kind.

The Christmas Giving Tree, previously featured at the business, returns once more through Dec. 24th to allow others to provide a child a special gift for the holiday.

“I really wanted to try to create a community that can embrace the spirit of giving and help other kids out,” said James Bowman, the store’s majority owner.

The Christmas Giving Tree is focused on serving children ages 13 and younger.

Any child of such age entering the store can add an ornament to the tree mentioning a desired gift from within the shop priced at $25 or below.

Next, to spread holiday cheer, others are welcome to take action.

Individuals can select any particular ornament and purchase the listed gift.

For kids whose wishes are met, the specifically chosen gifts will be wrapped and ready for pick-up at the store on Tuesday, Dec. 26th.

Parents are welcome to bring children if they so choose.

For Bowman, the event idea was born out of his own childhood experiences.

“Whenever I was growing up, every time we’d go to Walmart… we’d always see the trees with the angels on them,” he said. “That hit home for me a little bit because I love the feeling of helping somebody in need. That’s what kind of sparked it.”

The store includes various hobby supplies items and products from numerous franchises, though some have been typical sellers.

“Because it’s things in our shop, it’s [mainly] going to be sealed trading cards and stuff like that,” Bowman noted. “There’s actually some Pokeball tins that have three packs inside. That’s a pretty popular item because they range from about fifteen to twenty dollars. The other big item that we typically get a lot is the structure decks.”

Yet donations don’t end there.

Individuals who wish to pre-purchase ornaments for $25 can do so, and any surplus funds from pre-purchased ornaments will buy gifts for kids at the UK Children’s Hospital in Lexington.

With many customers wishing to do so, High Speed Collectibles donated 38 gifts to children at the UK Children’s Hospital in 2022.

Others can bring items into the store to support Toys for Tots as well.

Thanks to the business’s new location in downtown Winchester, which makes it more visible for many, Bowman is optimistic that the number of participants will grow.

“It’s just kind of cool to see the community step up and get in that spirit of giving,” Bowman said. “Everybody [is] helping everybody.”