What are the realities faced when running a game store? Even for someone like Jamison, who's been in the industry for over 30 years, getting product is one of those difficult realities. So, how does he deal with it, and what are some of his thoughts on how to improve upon it?

The Realities of Running a Game Store

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.

Game Night Deli: Sandwiches, Spells, And A Dream

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.

A Game Store Owner's Pokémon Supply Struggle

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.

She Stood by Me. THIS Community Made It Real.

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.

A 25,000 Card Collection Arrives At LGS

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.

$11,000 Offer For MTG Revised Box

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.

Is Opening A Game Store A Mistake?

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.

The Journey From Pro Player to Game Store Owner

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.

The Final Time You Shuffle Your Magic Cards

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?

Jonathan's Honest TRUTHS In Running A Game Store

Showcasing local game stores and their owners throughout the United States. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thematchslip/support

The Match Slip