Three Year Anniversary

Three years ago this week I unlocked the doors of Retrofix Gaming & Collectibles for the first time and prayed for a customer to walk in. I was nervous. I had dreamed of opening a game store since I collected board games as a kid, and here I was, actually giving it a shot. I had a 5 year plan and a lot of hope, and not much else. Now here we are, three years later, and so much has changed. We've grown from a very modest 1,200 square foot storefront with mostly video games to a 3,000 square foot location with a great play area and expanded gaming options. We continue to grow, sometimes a little uncomfortably, to accommodate our customer base of video game collectors, magic players, board game enthusiasts, and other hobby gaming aficionados. We've made mistakes, learned a lot, and have done our best to conduct business honorably and transparently. We've made a lot of new friends, a few enemies, and hopefully raised the bar as to what to expect from a game store. Thank you to the video game collectors that “get” us. You understand what we're trying to do and appreciate the effort we put in, which makes it worth doing. Thank you to the magic players who didn't buy into the BS and gave us the opportunity to show you what we really are about. You gave us a chance, and we're grateful. Thank you to the board gamers who spend Saturday afternoons with us, and the vinyl collectors who stop by and browse for their holy grails every week. Thank you to the gaming community leaders who choose inclusion over divisiveness, who are far too busy building up to devote energy to tearing down. Let's face it, we live in negative times. Staying positive in the face of the rising tide takes courage. Thanks to the fans of the shop, here and abroad, who offer encouragement and support. Thank you to my team for working so hard and making the store what it is. And to the haters? Thank you for keeping me motivated, focused, and pushing every day to do better than the day before. Mostly, here's to the people who turned an idea rolling around in an awkward 10-year-old kid's head into a real community. You are what it's all about. Not with us yet? Just because you are late to the party doesn't mean you aren't invited. Are you excited for the next three years? I am. -J.