MVP059: Guardian Games Portland and Fostering a Magic Community with Gene Joo

by | Apr 18, 2017 | Community, Podcasts, Tournaments

guardian games portland
Guardian Games Portland, the Grandest Game Store in Portland is the subject of this episode of the Manaverse Podcast. Gene Joo is the special guest today, he's the Magic Department Manager of Guardian Games in Portland, and he shares the strategies that he's used to build up and foster a thriving Magic community.

A strategy that has been critical to Guardian Games continued success. We get into what it takes to start a community from scratch, but also how to keep a Magic community healthy. We all know how a few bad influences can cause a lot of problems for a game business, we rely on the community for word of mouth marketing among other things. Find out how Gene keeps the community at Guardian Games a fresh, welcoming, and encouraging place to play.

About Guardian Games Portland:

Back in 2005, basking in the glow of the Carribean sun, sipping a margarita, and fed up with a game store visit to purchase vacation entertainment, Angel made up her mind to open a game store to meet her needs. And her needs were varied, damnit! Blame it on OCD, ADHD, or some other disorder; no store ever offered all the gaming that interested her in one stop. So Angel set out to create a gaming store for her generation. A generation that plays video games, and D&D, and board games, and World of Warcraft, and Magic the Gathering, and Warhammer 40K, and….. A generation unwilling to let go of the past, but more than willing to embrace the future of gaming. A game store to socialize and mingle with like minded gamers.

Guardian Games Portland has survived 3 location moves and a natural disaster. They currently have 16 employees, 0 pets, 2 restrooms, a knight in shining armor, & thousands of items in stock every day. Beer, wine, & coffee are there too!

With over 10,000 sq. ft. of gaming space, they host games of all types and sell all the swag to go with them.

  • Magic the Gathering
  • YuGiOh
  • Pokemon
  • Warmachine
  • Heroclix
  • Warhammer
  • Board Games
  • War Games
  • D&D Minis
  • Star Wars Games
  • D&D Books
  • Dice
  • RPGs
  • Gaming Accessories
  • My Little Pony
  • Vintage Video Games
  • Modern Video Games
  • Gundam Models
  • Lego Sets
  • Lego By the Bag
  • NES
  • SNES
  • Paints & Brushes
  • Consignment Items

Main questions asked:

  • Do you have a method for attracting new players to the shop?
  • What does the Guardian Games Portland event schedule look like?
  • What kind of correlation is there between tournament attendance and sales?
  • What is Guardian Games Portland known for?

Resources mentioned:

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