Don't the various Gamestation stores sell all sorts of retro stuff? I know the last time I was back in Scotland the one on Princes Street in Edinburgh had some Speccy stuff, and the one on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow even had a QL in the window!
My local Gamestation does speccy tapes and also sells second hand speccys as well as other machines like Amiga etc. But i was in three weeks ago and got a copy of 'Monty is innocent' for 50p! I went to pay for it and the guy looked at me as if i had three heads or something! He also slammed the tape down when i handed my money over! They treat me different if i buy the latest PC game, i bought Championship manager 2006 the month before - no problem!
My local Gamestation does speccy tapes and also sells second hand speccys as well as other machines like Amiga etc. But i was in three weeks ago and got a copy of 'Monty is innocent' for 50p! I went to pay for it and the guy looked at me as if i had three heads or something! He also slammed the tape down when i handed my money over! They treat me different if i buy the latest PC game, i bought Championship manager 2006 the month before - no problem!
Maybe it was the wrong time of the month for him. Theres just no need for it. Had it have been me buying the game I'd have asked him just what his problem was and point out to him that every sale helps to keep him in a job.
My local Gamestation does speccy tapes and also sells second hand speccys as well as other machines like Amiga etc. But i was in three weeks ago and got a copy of 'Monty is innocent' for 50p! I went to pay for it and the guy looked at me as if i had three heads or something! He also slammed the tape down when i handed my money over! They treat me different if i buy the latest PC game, i bought Championship manager 2006 the month before - no problem!
it's because he wanted it. oh yes... he wanted it :p
I think the retro section in established stores like Gamestation is the way to go, retailwise. Any shop trading in retro goods exclusively has to go toe-to-toe with ebay traders. And a town-centre retail unit with staff, running costs etc. is somewhat more expensive than a Paypal account and an 'About Me' page :)
I too have vague memories of a retro games store in London, though this would be about five years ago now. I remember them selling an unboxed Vectrex for ?120 - I'd just paid ?80 for mine on ebay, including P&P. Quite a big markup just to pay for their oh-so-80s metallic decor and surly staff :)
I used to work in one. It was called RETRO X in Sheperds Bush Road and run by a guy called Graham Howden who had previously worked at CEX RETRO near Euston. Im pretty sure the Computer Exchange shop is still in Notting Hill but if they still do speccy stuff? doubtful but possible. Sorry don't have a phone number but they used to advertise in games mags.
As for RETRO X it did sell boxed computers and consoles at inflated prices, it was at a time (2000) when it was thought retro was taking off big style, sadly it was all talk and people didn't spend the money. All the stock was Grahams and downstairs he had boxloads of tapes all selling for 50p/?1 for all systems. The money spinners were import games for the likes of Sega, Wonderswan etc. obscure Jap stuff basically.
The odd little fellow would come and leave with a bag full of C64 games but no great shakes. Most people came in and saw it as a museum rather than a shop.
Fudgepacker: that may have been the shop I went in, the timeframe is about right. If nobody was buying anything that would explain the ocasional grumpy-looking staff member!
I would contend that the retro scene *did* take off, just not how business owners wanted it to (i.e. with money making opportunities) :)
Seriously though, I've been wondering if/how it would be possible to run a retrogaming themed business outlet. You couldn't compete with price vs ebay and car boots, so you'd have to offer some other "services".
Banks of working retro machines, ready to play for a small webcafe-type fee? Banks of PCs so you can access ebay and emulators? Members Only / Club section with really rare machines, paying members only? Spares & repairs? Programming courses where learners would build a retro game? Hmmm...
I think the guiding model would have to be the Games Workshop chain... In an era where instant gratification, massive battle games can be booted up in a few seconds, they still manage to sell hideously, outrageously priced individual miniatures which owners must spend many hours learning to paint, then actually painting, then building scenery, then painting scenery, then lugging all this round with them to battle other players, moving pieces around one at a time and resolving battles very slowly. (By the way, I have played and enjoyed Warhammer before now, so this isn't lashing out at WH geeks) They manage this, I'm sure, because of the 'community' they offer their customers - the shops are always full of people sitting round, swapping painting tips or getting staff assistance. It's not so much a chain of shops, more a community centre for fans. That's what a retro shop would need to survive - merely piling old stuff up on a shelf and going "Well then?" will never work.
It probably wasn't me that was grumpy, I was always bright and breezy, especially when a young woman was in for the internet. Yes it had internet access and old cabinet games you could play on. The guys from a then young and innocent eBay down the road used to pop in for a chat, thats how I managed to get them to advertise on the back of my speccy fanzine for three issues. I charged them ?60.
The shop in Notting Hill I used to frequent circa early 90's and bought up most of the Speccy tapes - there were hundreds all priced at 10p etc. Oh yes the guys in there were miserable, all University graduates from miserable nowhere market towns all trying to be cool and hip. He wasn't so hip when I bought a QL there and it was buggered. Took it back and threw it at the smug tosser.
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Maybe it was the wrong time of the month for him. Theres just no need for it. Had it have been me buying the game I'd have asked him just what his problem was and point out to him that every sale helps to keep him in a job.
it's because he wanted it. oh yes... he wanted it :p
I too have vague memories of a retro games store in London, though this would be about five years ago now. I remember them selling an unboxed Vectrex for ?120 - I'd just paid ?80 for mine on ebay, including P&P. Quite a big markup just to pay for their oh-so-80s metallic decor and surly staff :)
As for RETRO X it did sell boxed computers and consoles at inflated prices, it was at a time (2000) when it was thought retro was taking off big style, sadly it was all talk and people didn't spend the money. All the stock was Grahams and downstairs he had boxloads of tapes all selling for 50p/?1 for all systems. The money spinners were import games for the likes of Sega, Wonderswan etc. obscure Jap stuff basically.
The odd little fellow would come and leave with a bag full of C64 games but no great shakes. Most people came in and saw it as a museum rather than a shop.
It closed 2001
I would contend that the retro scene *did* take off, just not how business owners wanted it to (i.e. with money making opportunities) :)
Seriously though, I've been wondering if/how it would be possible to run a retrogaming themed business outlet. You couldn't compete with price vs ebay and car boots, so you'd have to offer some other "services".
Banks of working retro machines, ready to play for a small webcafe-type fee? Banks of PCs so you can access ebay and emulators? Members Only / Club section with really rare machines, paying members only? Spares & repairs? Programming courses where learners would build a retro game? Hmmm...
I think the guiding model would have to be the Games Workshop chain... In an era where instant gratification, massive battle games can be booted up in a few seconds, they still manage to sell hideously, outrageously priced individual miniatures which owners must spend many hours learning to paint, then actually painting, then building scenery, then painting scenery, then lugging all this round with them to battle other players, moving pieces around one at a time and resolving battles very slowly. (By the way, I have played and enjoyed Warhammer before now, so this isn't lashing out at WH geeks) They manage this, I'm sure, because of the 'community' they offer their customers - the shops are always full of people sitting round, swapping painting tips or getting staff assistance. It's not so much a chain of shops, more a community centre for fans. That's what a retro shop would need to survive - merely piling old stuff up on a shelf and going "Well then?" will never work.
like guitar shops, where theres loads of people sitting around, and they look at you like you have just walked into thier front room.
in fact i hate most shops, some tit comes over and asks if i need help like i don't understand how a shop works.
although i did ask a bloke in dixons if they sold a special kind of adaptor, which they didn't, but he told me where a shop was, that sold them.
i much prefer large faceless shops.
The shop in Notting Hill I used to frequent circa early 90's and bought up most of the Speccy tapes - there were hundreds all priced at 10p etc. Oh yes the guys in there were miserable, all University graduates from miserable nowhere market towns all trying to be cool and hip. He wasn't so hip when I bought a QL there and it was buggered. Took it back and threw it at the smug tosser.
Shops are great. God I hate the internet!