The Match Slip

In this interview, we discuss the "dream" of creating a space where you never have to "play hungry" and how a store owner's lifelong dream was realized, if not for some unexpected costs along the way.

Pokémon is experiencing high demand; the issue is that the supply does not match the demand. For Card N All Gaming store owner, Mason, Pokémon is his favorite game, but he's seeing a shift at his store. The shift? Customers aren't buying sealed products to open packs and trade in cards, as the latter yields the highest margins. When he wants to purchase sealed products for events like pre-releases, his favorite, he's unable to obtain the amount he needs. If that weren't frustrating enough, he has nobody he can talk to at the Pokémon Company to share the problems he's experiencing.

This is the story of Underhill Gaming and how its store owner, Jason, overcame adversity with the support of his wife to build a community of players who bring him much joy.

Selling at MSRP is always a goal of Joe's, the owner of Cardboard Chaos Games. Having a smaller store allows him the flexibility to offer products at said price. That said, sorting cards is a challenge, especially when you're operating solo and a collection of 25,000 cards comes into the store.

Herbie, owner of Reality A Games, is a lover of games, with MTG Commander and video games being his favorite. Owning a game store, which has always been a dream of his, says every day is different at the shop. The most recent example: a customer offering boxes of MTG Revised at $11,000 per box. Not only is Herbie a game store owner, he is also a game developer, having built an RPG called Reality A. Moreover, he's now working on his own TCG.

Owning a game store can be a source of stress. Jason, owner of Wizard's Keep Games, acquired the store in 2020. Due to the many needs required to keep the doors open of a local business, Jason feels the mental exhaustion from the long-term goals he has for the store. Was acquiring the store a mistake? He consulted a Magic 8-Ball to ask it that very question when the store was in his possession.

As a former competitive Magic: The Gathering player who finished 12th in the Journey Into Nyx Pro Tour, Stu is now the owner of The Vault game store in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. As a competitive person, he always strives to be the best in everything he does, applying his competitive instinct to become the best game store owner he can be.

Playing a game of Magic: The Gathering while running a game store. When Chaos Games store owner, Joseph Hurt, saw customers lining up to check out while he was playing Magic: The Gathering, it was at that moment that he realized he could no longer be a player. However, that doesn't mean he doesn't find time to fit it in. With a second location on the horizon, Joe notes that in every Magic player's journey, you'll shuffle your Magic cards for the last time, and you won't realize it.

There are many lucrative job fields, but Jonathan shares that being a game store General Manager is not one of them. So what keeps him doing so to this day? How does he manage 9 employees and $250,000 in inventory while generating $1.5 million in sales?

He is a gamer at heart and a store owner who still gets to play games actively at his store, Divine Gamez. Early into his game store owner journey, Evan LaBarge is already on his second store location. The first store was small but was out of a building owned by his father. Commander is a true joy for him, and his high-powered Commander deck can deliver 256 damage to all his opponents at once, but delivering a game enjoyed by his community is most important to him.

We know that game stores with multiple locations exist. Zia Games in New Mexico is one of them. However, have you heard of a store owner who also owns conventions? Yes, conventions, as in more than one. Store owner Troy owns three conventions in New Mexico. He shares how he finds store locations and his methods for building a successful convention. He's also willing to pivot when something is or isn't working.

Have you ever been to a store that runs Magic: The Gathering Commander tournaments every night of the week? Not only does General Manager Alexandra do exactly that, but she'll run an event for any smaller niche game that may only turn out four players. Duke City Games operates four stores in New Mexico with its largest location supporting 100 players.

Michael, the owner of the Finch and Sparrow Games store, tells us that Magic: The Gathering is different from how it was five to ten years ago. As a game store owner, he specializes in card games, where Magic: The Gathering is 95% of his business. Michael believes in doing one thing well rather than being OK at multiple things, hence card games.

Most game stores offer a variety of games, including board games, Warhammer 40,000, and collectible card games. Steve, the owner of E4 Cards & More, has explored other games like Warhammer 40,000, but he mentions that they have a "different vibe, different focus." He wanted to concentrate on one aspect and excel at it: collectible card games, all while creating a store people enjoy visiting.

Scott and his family set out to create a game store that cares about its customers. Scott learned from his son that "Silver Dragon" is the "caring" meaning behind the store's name. Moreover, the family sought to build a store women would want to visit, so Scott enlisted his wife as the interior designer.

If you're considering starting a game store business, Matt, owner of Just Games Rochester, recommends building a store "for the life you're looking to have when your store is successful."

How many local game stores get a second shot after the first store closes down? A $15,000 Kickstarter wasn't enough to save Family Fun Hobbies, but it bought enough time for an investor to come around and bring a second opportunity and the birth of Round 2 Gaming. General Manager Miranda has worked at both stores and is helping spearhead the growth of Round 2 Gaming. Moreover, she has a genius idea for generating more money per sale while saving the customer money!

Magic: The Gathering and MSRP have always been debated amongst consumers, but how does a game store owner view it? Nathan, owner of Riftgate in Salt Lake City, Utah, is heavily involved in selling Magic cards, which he did not anticipate when starting the store.

Travis, owner of the largest game store, Millennium Games, takes on the role of General Manager for Gamezenter in Roseville, Minnesota, which Travis denotes as the largest game store in the midwest. One of the boons Travis sees with the store is its custom-developed add-on, which integrates directly with Shopify. He views this as a product that can be sold to other stores at some point. While the store has a lot of inventory, there aren't enough employees. It's a main area of focus. Travis notes that high-level sales knowledge is needed to help elevate the store. Furthermore, bringing on people with experience in the gaming industry is necessary for product knowledge and custom service. Moreover, Travis has taken over ordering products due to his vast knowledge of industry expertise and his relationships with manufacturers. The event space has growth potential and not just for gaming. 60% of the 22,000 sq. ft. is dedicated to gaming space. They've been able to host comedy events, and in addition to having their liquor license, it's drawn in crowds that maybe aren't into gaming. However, Travis has had to reduce some gaming space as he notes that more retail space is needed to facilitate sales. Travis sees many opportunities for Gamezenter to improve its operations. His goal is to revitalize the store. Travis views the opportunity as a challenge for himself. Travis and his relationship with Chris Petersen - the owner of Ghost Galaxy, Gamezenter, and Strange Stars -allow him to run the store through his vision, for the most part.

In this episode, Sean, the owner of Brute Force Games in San Diego, California, joins us on the podcast. Initially, Sean started an online venture selling card collections for additional income and turned that into a 4,800 sq. ft. game store. Having loved Magic: The Gathering since 1994, it's no wonder the game is also most popular at his store. Like most stores, Commander is the most popular format; however, unlike other stores, they only offer open play. There are no points for wins, as it's 100% casual. From a competitive standpoint, Sean doesn't dabble in that realm often. However, during the RCQ season, he tries to hold a limited event as it is his favorite format to play. At the time of recording, Brute Force Games has been a WPN Premium store for 4-5 years. Moreover, the store has been Sean's full-time job for over 10 years and has ten employees. These days, Sean's primary responsibility is looking at the bigger picture. However, he still likes to be involved with the store as he doesn't want to be too removed from the industry. He does share that he's not happy about the store's online presence and has hired a marketing team to address those issues. Furthermore, he says he should attend conventions to get the store's name out there. Overall, Sean loves being around people. It's one of the benefits the store has brought him and something he didn't expect. From a big-picture standpoint, he's always had the idea of having a mini-mall where he is the landlord, but all the businesses support nerd and gaming culture. However, the idea of being a landlord has always created pause.