The Match Slip
Whether you're a fan of Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon, board games, or any other tradeable card game, or you're looking to open a game store, this podcast gives you a behind-the-scenes look into what goes into running a game store in the United States.
Episodes
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 c...
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 fundraiser 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 sal...
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, th...
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, ...
A visit from a Pokemon collector, Deep Pocket Monster, would prove to be an amazing opportunity for Tabletop Tavern's store owner, Jimmy. The popular Pokemon YouTuber attended a Pokemon trade night hosted at the store that brought more community to Jimmy's store and showcased the great things this store is doing.
Jimmy's store is located in Chula Vista, California. He's been a fan of Magic: The Gathering since the early 90s, and n...
In this episode, we're talking with Lexx, owner of Chicagoland Games: Dice Dojo in Chicago, Illinois. This episode was recorded live at Dragon Con 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The store was born in 2008 after a store Lexx worked at called Gamers Paradise went out of business. He's been a gamer since youth, with his first love being Dungeons & Dragons. The store sports 3,000 board games in their lending library for free, with 50% ...
In this episode, we're talking with Dan, the operator of Walt's Cards and Games. While Dan is not the store owner, Walt allows Dan to operate the store as he sees fit. Walt is away from the store often and works more with his travel service.
Dan has been working for Walt since 1994. His career started at a store called Cards For You, where he worked for one year. When Dan began working for Walt, sports cards were the main seller....
We're chatting with Van's Comics and Games store owner, Travis.
The store is located in Ridgeland, Mississippi, and was originally owned by Van, hence the name. Van is a family friend of Travis and owned the store for 20 years before passing the torch. At the time, the focus was on comics. There are currently 80-100,000 unique back issues. When the reigns were passed, Travis kept the store name to recognize the legacy ...
In this episode, we talk with Brenton and Nugget, two of The Deck Box's three owners in Fletcher, North Carolina.
Early on, there were plans to run a comic book store, having started as a backpack trader. When the switch to having a game store began 16 years ago, it originated in a flea market with 1,100 sq. ft. The store slowly grew with its community for 6 months before a prime opportunity arose to buy a dedicated shop.
...
In this episode, we're talking with Ben, co-owner of Player 1 Services in Kensington, Maryland.
Ben is a big-time Pokémon collector. In fact, according to Guinness World Records, he has the largest Pokémon card collection at 50,000 cards which he expects to exceed by the end of 2024.
A unique aspect of Ben and co-owner Rose's store is they specialize in Pokémon. They take special orders for products like Lorcana, ...
In this episode, we're talking with Luke, owner of Level Up Games in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
Luke started his journey into gaming at the age of 6. The first game he ever played was Pokémon. However, he took a hiatus from card games until he was 16. As time progressed, Luke realized he enjoyed buying and selling cards more than playing the game; which he didn't feel he was very good at.
Before launching the store in...
In this episode, we're talking with Cody Romano, owner of Everything Games in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Cody opened the store with his dad over 12 years ago. Since that time, the store has seen accelerated success. While they started the store online, Cody soon realized that having a brick-and-mortar presence would be key to acquiring products.
The store has always remained in the same strip mall but has moved to larger spa...
In this episode, we're talking with Lauren Bilano, owner of Twenty Sided Store. The store is located in Brooklyn, New York; Williamsburg in particular. The store has been open for 13+ years and is currently in its second location - one block from its previous location.
Lauren, who has a background in photography, is a storyteller by trade. Initially, she wasn't expected to be heavily involved in the store. However, onc...
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