Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on May 6, 2015 10:48:37 GMT -6
Comics seem to be something of a sideline at Lakeport, California’s Kingdom Games and Comics, which just held its grand opening, but owner Brandon Costner stocks the new comics and hopes to develop a loyalty program and comic book club eventually:
www.record-bee.com/arts-and-entertainment/20150505/kingdom-games-and-comics-holds-grand-opening
Kingdom Games and Comics holds grand opening
By J.W. Burch IV, jburch@record-bee.com, @jwburchiv on Twitter
LAKEPORT >> Hundreds of people flocked to Kingdom Games and Comics’ grand opening on Saturday.
Superheroes such as Spiderman, Deadpool and Thor made appearances for photo opportuities, while face painting, snacks and drinks, as well as balloon animals from Fill-up the Clown, were provided free-of-charge to visitors.
Formerly Cheese’s Game Shop, Brandon Costner took over the store in March and has been running the shop with his wife, Amber, while working full-time for the county.
“This has been a lifelong dream for me,” Costner said. “My original plan was to have the game shop be … something I could sink some of my passion for gaming into and evolve over time.”
Originally wanting to open a store in Lower Lake, Costner had given up on his dream when The Game Hub opened in the city — that is, until Tim Barnes decided to sell Cheese’s Game Shop a little more than a year after he purchased the store from Sarah and Lance Kraft. Costner said he was interested in purchasing the shop when Barnes did, but wasn’t “in a position to pursue it ... lacking both the time and resources.”
“It has turned into quite the beast,” Costner said. “We are striving to make changes slowly while keeping the doors open.”
Some plans for the store include midnight launch parties for new releases, video game tournaments, membership and loyalty programs, as well as video game rentals.
“With Blockbuster being shut down, there aren’t many options for rentals in the county unless you want to deal with troublesome robots like the Redbox droids you see meandering about shopping centers,” Costner explained. “We’re hoping to offer some friendly humanoid faces for our customers to interface with while renting games.”
As for inventory, Costner plans to carry both used and new titles for current and past generation consoles, as well as pre-orders for upcoming releases. He also plans to expand the store’s board game inventory, as well as continue selling trading card games such as Magic: The Gathering.
“Board games are a bit of a new addition … so we don’t have many people coming in specifically for board games yet,” Costner said. “I’d say the majority of our customers coming are both Magic players and video gamers.”
Costner intends to continue the comic books section, stocking the latest each week. He even has plans to develop loyalty programs or a comic book club, if time permits.
“It is a lot of work,” he said. “It is mostly the time required that is challenging for me, since I am keeping a full-time job to support my family and trying to keep the shop supporting itself.”
The grand opening event was held in conjunction with Free Comic Book Day, which has been held on the first Saturday of May since 2002. The shop is located at 301 N. Main St. in Lakeport and is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Contact J. W. Burch, IV at 900-2022.
www.record-bee.com/arts-and-entertainment/20150505/kingdom-games-and-comics-holds-grand-opening
Kingdom Games and Comics holds grand opening
By J.W. Burch IV, jburch@record-bee.com, @jwburchiv on Twitter
LAKEPORT >> Hundreds of people flocked to Kingdom Games and Comics’ grand opening on Saturday.
Superheroes such as Spiderman, Deadpool and Thor made appearances for photo opportuities, while face painting, snacks and drinks, as well as balloon animals from Fill-up the Clown, were provided free-of-charge to visitors.
Formerly Cheese’s Game Shop, Brandon Costner took over the store in March and has been running the shop with his wife, Amber, while working full-time for the county.
“This has been a lifelong dream for me,” Costner said. “My original plan was to have the game shop be … something I could sink some of my passion for gaming into and evolve over time.”
Originally wanting to open a store in Lower Lake, Costner had given up on his dream when The Game Hub opened in the city — that is, until Tim Barnes decided to sell Cheese’s Game Shop a little more than a year after he purchased the store from Sarah and Lance Kraft. Costner said he was interested in purchasing the shop when Barnes did, but wasn’t “in a position to pursue it ... lacking both the time and resources.”
“It has turned into quite the beast,” Costner said. “We are striving to make changes slowly while keeping the doors open.”
Some plans for the store include midnight launch parties for new releases, video game tournaments, membership and loyalty programs, as well as video game rentals.
“With Blockbuster being shut down, there aren’t many options for rentals in the county unless you want to deal with troublesome robots like the Redbox droids you see meandering about shopping centers,” Costner explained. “We’re hoping to offer some friendly humanoid faces for our customers to interface with while renting games.”
As for inventory, Costner plans to carry both used and new titles for current and past generation consoles, as well as pre-orders for upcoming releases. He also plans to expand the store’s board game inventory, as well as continue selling trading card games such as Magic: The Gathering.
“Board games are a bit of a new addition … so we don’t have many people coming in specifically for board games yet,” Costner said. “I’d say the majority of our customers coming are both Magic players and video gamers.”
Costner intends to continue the comic books section, stocking the latest each week. He even has plans to develop loyalty programs or a comic book club, if time permits.
“It is a lot of work,” he said. “It is mostly the time required that is challenging for me, since I am keeping a full-time job to support my family and trying to keep the shop supporting itself.”
The grand opening event was held in conjunction with Free Comic Book Day, which has been held on the first Saturday of May since 2002. The shop is located at 301 N. Main St. in Lakeport and is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Contact J. W. Burch, IV at 900-2022.