Vancouver's mom-and-pop video game shops offer variety to local gamers

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Between Nintendo’s headquarters located outside of Seattle and one of the world’s biggest retro gaming expos found in Portland, the Pacific Northwest’s largest cities may get all of the credit for the region’s flourishing gaming industry. But despite its smaller population, the City of Vancouver also has its own variety of shops for local gamers.

This includes Double Jump Video Games on Southeast Chkalov Drive and Video Game Adventures found in the Vancouver Mall.

Customers who frequent both shops will notice some overlap in the products offered: nostalgia-inducing games, CDs, music, plushies and other collectibles.

There’s also a partial overlap in the patrons who support each business, yet the stores don’t see this as a threat. Instead, the owners often refer customers to other stores when customers are looking to trade or purchase a particular item.

“It's less of a competition and more of a community,” Double Jump Video Games Co-owner Abbey Cockreham told KOIN 6. “There is enough room in Portland and Vancouver for game stores to exist without hurting one another.”

The same applies to major companies versus mom-and-pop shops. Texas-founded retailer GameStop has four locations throughout Vancouver, some of which are a brief drive away from either store — including the location on the same level of Video Game Adventures in the mall.

But according to Double Jump Co-owner Cooper Bates, many “hardcore gamers and collectors” prefer non-GameStop stores.

“One of the advantages of having a locally-owned store is that you can build a relationship with not just the employees, but also the owners of the store,” Bates said. “We've met so many good friends that were once customers and are now either our employees or our friends…”

He noted that GameStop sells new products, while several local video game stores focus mostly on retro items.

Both shops are expected to have vendor booths at Portland’s Retro Gaming Expo scheduled from Sept. 27 through Sept. 29.

For the fanatics who can’t wait that long, another event is slated for this weekend. Video Game Adventures Co-owner Caitlin Orrell is holding an anniversary sale in honor of one year since the previous store — Hidden Treasure Video Games — was renamed and relocated.

“We're very fortunate to be able to celebrate a year in the mall, in our new store, so we just wanted to kind of celebrate that,” Orrell said.

Through Sunday, Aug. 25, her store will offer a 15% discount on all items and a buy-two-get-one-free sale on Funko Pops, movies, CDs and Hot Wheels.