The Deck Box With Owners Brenton & Nugget

In this episode, we talk with Brenton and Nugget, two of The Deck Box's three owners in Fletcher, North Carolina.

Early on, there were plans to run a comic book store, having started as a backpack trader. When the switch to having a game store began 16 years ago, it originated in a flea market with 1,100 sq. ft. The store slowly grew with its community for 6 months before a prime opportunity arose to buy a dedicated shop.

The Deck Box has a large selection of games totaling 12 - 13. However, there are plans to add more in the future. The most popular game at the store is Magic: The Gathering. However, Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokémon had to be moved to two separate days. Both games experience large attendance numbers. From a financial perspective, One Piece is best for the store due to scarcity and collectibility.

In addition to the three owners, the store employs seven full-timers and one part-timer. They have a front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house operation for retail and gaming, respectively. All employees are cross-trained in multiple aspects of the store, but back-of-the-house employees tend to stick to handling online orders and pulling cards.

Marketing the store consists of billboards, print, and attending conventions. The goal when attending conventions is to draw people back to their store rather than sales. This has been a successful venture, but both owners say acquiring high-end products their customers want can be difficult as those sell off quickly.

Looking to the future, the hope is for a second store. However, the biggest takeaway is they love their job and running the store. It's fun for them and their community building is the store's strength.