How bad is the trading-card crime wave? Sam Pacheco, owner of MadRat Toys in Houston, Texas, compares it to the catalytic converter thefts of yesteryear. “I remember when that was happening a lot and you would see people going under cars, taking out the catalytic converter and running away, it’s kind of like the same thing now, you see people breaking into game stores, busting windows down, busting doors down,” Pacheco told ABC13 Eyewitness News. The thieves who hit his store in early September smashed the windows and glass cases with a sledgehammer, causing about $10,000 worth of damage, then stole an estimated $10-$15,000 worth of cards. Later that week, two men used a brick to break down the door of Nakama Collectibles, in Cypress, Texas, which had only been open for five months, in order to steal the cards. Houston police say they have two suspects in the MadRat burglary who have not yet been charged.
And in Branson, MO, a single burglar broke into the Branson Dragon Game Store and spent about half an hour looking through the store and its display cases before making off with about $10,000 worth of merchandise and another $1,000 from the cash register. Owner Joshua Slater said that community members as well as area game store owners who are in a group chat are on the lookout for the stolen items. “There’s kind of a specific set of things they steal,” Slater told KY3, “and when they try and go and sell it at another store, the store owner that’s a part of the chat can be like ‘oh these are the exact things that were stolen from this other store,’ and they’ll try and keep them there and call the police.”
The Forge, in Chaska, Minnesota, is a typical game store offering a range of tabletop games, trading cards, and arcade games, and owner Robert Cormican told CBS News, “We’ve just been trying to create a place for people to feel safe and have a fun time playing board games and card games and all that kind of stuff.” But there’s more: Next door is the fantasy-themed restaurant Bellows Bistro, also owned by Cormican, who is a veteran of the food business. “You come in and you feel like you’re in a tavern,” he said. “There’s some dwarves mining in the back, and there’s some warriors outside battling a dragon, and also delicious food is just coming to your table.” The restaurant complements the store with an array of themed cocktails and dishes as well as weekly trivia nights.
Reporter Stephanie Starks, of the Baylor Lariat, pays a visit to The Game Closet, the largest tabletop game store in Waco, Texas. The store opened in 1992 under the name Four Color Comics, and owner B.J. Williams is a former customer who bought the store in 2025, when the previous owner moved. The selection includes tabletop games, RPGs, card games, and miniature games for adults and children, and like many retailers, Williams sees his store as more than just a business: “Some of my students told me that the strategic gaming club is what got them through high school because it gave them an outlet to meet people who are interested in board games,” he told Starks, “The former owner mentioned how important this place is for people and [working full-time at a game store] is a way for me to serve others through the games I love to play.”
After Thomas Brittain lost his tech job a few year ago, his wife asked him what he really wanted to do. The answer: Open a hobby or game store, he told the Journal-News. So that’s what he did. The Tabletop Supply Co., located in Monroe, Ohio, opened its doors on August 14 with a full inventory of miniatures, tabletop games, and tabletop RPGs, as well as what he claims is the largest selection of paint in southwest Ohio, boasting over 1,000 colors. Although the store has a large inventory of games as well, the most popular ones are the stalwarts, Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer, Brittain says.
Jersey City, New Jersey, has a new game store: Four Winds held its grand opening on September 5. Located in the Journal Square neighborhood, the store carries hundreds of board games as well as trading cards, and hosts weekly board game nights and meetups as well as Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, and other game events.Source: ICV2
