LAKEWOOD, Ohio — There's a hidden art to gaming that today's kids simply won't understand: Having to blow the dust off a game cartridge before inserting it into your bulky plastic gaming system.
While many of today's video games are online, James Games and More in Lakewood prefers the classics.
"A lot of people come in and they're like, 'Oh, this is my childhood!'" says shop co-owner Corey Gawronski. "They just don't make games like that anymore."
Taking a step into his shop located off Detroit Road is like taking a step back in time.
Throughout the shop you'll find thousands of games from Mario Party, Tecmo Bowl, Zelda, Goldeneye with the classic systems like Atari, Nintendo 64 and Sega to match.
"You can't beat those games," Gawronski says.
Gawronski's family started the shop 15 years ago. He took over the family business when he graduated high school seven years ago.
While a lot has changed in the gaming world in that time, love for the games has remained -- especially as millions have been forced to stay home due to the pandemic. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Nintendo has reported a 37% increase in sales. That increase is due in large part to the popular Nintendo Switch.
Business has also been good to James Games during that time. Gawronski says their business has nearly tripled since the initial lockdowns. People have been flocking his little store to find past favorites they knew and played as kids.
"A lot of stores like this aren't in existence anymore," Gawronski says.
While the industry has moved primarily to online, Gawronski works to still provide that personal touch that many people like customer Angelo Lopez keep coming back for, offering a release from reality today with memories from yesterday.
“Seems like everything is online now, so you don’t see a brick-and-mortar store anymore,” Lopez says. “It’s great to have a place like this around.”
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Editor's note: Video in the player below was originally published Oct. 9, 2019: