The Match Slip

In episode 13 of The Match Slip podcast, we're talking with Josh Goodsell, Owner of The Gathering Place located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This live episode was recorded in person with Josh at SCG Con in Columbus, Ohio. Located in a college town, The Gathering Place has its core returning customers but also has the luxury of new incoming players every four years when new students enter th...

In episode 12 of The Match Slip podcast, we talk with store owner, Pete Hoefling, of Star City Games in Roanoke, Virginia. Having entered the industry with a love of comic books, Pete's journey in the business started 30 years ago and has been based in the same town since its inception. As someone who enjoyed attending one-day comic conventions as a kid, Pete would soon find himself vending at...

In episode 11 of The Match Slip podcast, we're talking with store owner, Travis, of Millennium Games in Rochester, NY. It's the birthplace of the Rochester Draft format for Magic: The Gathering and is the "largest game store in the country", as dubbed by Travis himself with no disputes to the sentiment thus far. Travis, who originally went to college to become a teacher, has owne...

In episode 10 of The Match Slip podcast, we're talking with store owner, Mark of Cardboard Shuffle located in Kingsport, Tennessee. Based in a factory town, the store originally started at Mark's house where he was only selling singles. As time went on the amount of single cards he was collecting to sell exceeded the space in his house. At that moment, Mark realized a retail location would...

In episode 9 of The Match Slip podcast, we're talking with Don and Jen, owners of Treasure Coast Magic in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Originally customers at the store's first location, Don and Jen purchased the store from the original owner in 2018. They stayed at the previous place for two years before moving and now aspire to move to a larger space. However, they plan to remain in Port St....

In episode 8 of The Match Slip podcast, we're interviewing Aaron C. of Gamers Guild AZ located in Tempe, Arizona. Gamers Guild AZ opened on June 1st, 2021. Aaron, Justin, and Erik founded it. Ryan, the initial investor in the company would later be brought on as the fourth owner of the store. Aaron is the one owner in this venture who is not unfamiliar with owning a game store as he previously...

In episode 7 of The Match Slip podcast, we're talking with Adam Bowles of Owl Central Games located in Millersville, Pennsylvania. Adam is the former General Manager of the store who now focuses on the technical aspects like managing the store's website. The website is very engaging and very easy to navigate and find whatever you may be looking for. Another interesting aspect of Adam's...

In episode 6 of The Match Slip , we're speaking with Pat Fuge, Store Owner and Head Gnome of Gnome Games in Wisconsin. With four locations throughout Wisconsin and each store having its own unique feel - a traditional retail space at one spot and a board game café at another - Pat has built a successful business that puts his employees in positions to succeed. Pat makes sure parents are comfor...

In episode 5 of The Match Slip , we're interviewing the General Manager of Blade Gaming , Mike Hall. Blade Gaming is located in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. In addition to offering players the opportunity to play various tradeable card games and Dungeons & Dragons, they also offer Disc Golf to their players - a unique selling point to the store. With various blades adorned on the walls of t...

In the fourth episode of The Match Slip , we talk with Joey from Atlas Games located in City of Industry, California based at Frank and Sons . Owner, Rick Chong, described Joey to me as his right-hand man who handles most of the business. Joey has been with Rick from the beginning and handles the Magic: The Gathering card buys and sales. He also builds a lot of Commander decks for customers. While...

In the third installment of The Match Slip , we had the pleasure of speaking with the Owner of Zulus Games , Matt Zaremba, and the Food and Beverage Director, Tony Jutt. From store theming to a full-fledged restaurant, Zulus Games has a unique selling proposition for the customer base in Bothell, Washington. In the spirit of The Hobbit, Matt knew what the store's theme had to be the moment he...

In the second episode of The Match Slip podcast we're speaking with Co-Owner, Chris Gordon, of The Comic Dimension located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Chris' passion for starting a local game store began with his love of comics. From that point forward, after a discussion with his good friend and Co-Owner Neil, they both decided to open the store. With a focus on the community and putti...

Editor's Note: The Meta Gaming & Esports closed during the summer of 2023 with plans to open a bigger location. However, we are not aware of any new location having been opened at this time. If new information is available, we will provide an update. In the inaugural (relaunch) episode of The Match Slip podcast, we talk with Christopher Fitzpatrick, Co-Owner of The Meta Gaming and Esports...