Battlebox expanding north side gaming business
Even when he was doing time, Bryant Wilcox kept his passion for video gaming.
Now, Wilcox and his family are expanding their video game business on Milwaukee’s north side with a new gamers lounge — and drawing praise from city officials.
“They’ve done a lot of really good things in the neighborhood,” said Dwayne Edwards, a Department of City Development program manager.
Battlebox Studios opened last November at 5431 W. Lisbon Ave., a remodeled former pawn shop.
Battlebox plans to buy two additional connected buildings that also were part of the former Doc’s Jewelry and Pawn Store and convert that space into a restaurant and lounge for gaming enthusiasts.
“We’re making a place for us,” said Wilcox, 42, a longtime video gamer.
The future lounge would serve as “a social refuge” for people who live and breathe gaming, he said.
The world of video games includes “Madden NFL” and other sports titles, fantasy games tied to movie franchises such as “Star Wars” and “The Lord of the Rings,” and war-themed games like the “Call of Duty” series.
Wilcox said Battlebox draws customers from throughout the Milwaukee area, and even from other states, by offering both new games as well as retro titles. Some of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System games
are more than 25 years old, he said.
Along with its thousands of game titles, Battlebox buys, sells and trades action figures and collectibles from such popular franchises as “Batman” and “Star Wars,” as well as comics, cards and game consoles.
The store also offers game repair services. And Wilcox and his son, Bryant Adams, are themselves game developers.
Adams, 22, a Milwaukee firefighter, and Joyce Wilcox, 41, Bryant Wilcox’s wife, are the business’ co-owners, with Adams the primary owner.
Battlebox started as a home-based business in 2003 and later operated at Silver Mill Court, at 6153 N. Teutonia Ave., according to a Department of City Development report. For many years, it had a presence at 7 Mile Fair flea market in Caledonia.
The business a year ago bought the two-story, 2,200-square-foot Lisbon Ave. building for $30,000 from the city, which owned it through a property tax foreclosure.
The two adjacent onestory buildings Battlebox is now seeking to buy total 3,100 square feet at 5419 and 5421-23 W. Lisbon Ave.
The sale price for the two buildings would be $2,000. Battlebox would spend an estimated $128,000 renovating the buildings, according to a city report.
The planned renovations include replacing the roof; updating the plumbing and electrical systems; adding new flooring; painting interior walls; updating the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; and creating new signs, windows, lighting and security system.
Battlebox also might demolish the middle building to create a patio and additional customer parking.
Financing for the project includes money generated by the business, family investors, a possible city grant and a possible loan through Wisconsin Women’s Initiative Business Corp., a nonprofit lender to small businesses, the report said.
Those renovations would take about a year to complete.
The Common Council will review that sale proposal Tuesday. The council’s Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee on Oct. 10 unanimously recommended the sale.
The sale also is supported by Ald. Michael Murphy, whose district includes the site.
“I think that area is really coming back,” Murphy said, “and I have great hopes for further development along that corridor.”
City officials say Battlebox has been a good addition to the neighborhood.
That includes the store’s owners helping with cleanups at the nearby Marcus DeBack Playground at N. 55th and W. Wright streets.
Battlebox has helped collect hats, gloves and scarves for children who need warm outerwear.
The store also gives children $5 tokens for making their school academic honor rolls. If the kids save up to $20 in tokens, Battlebox then doubles the amount to encourage them to save, said Joyce Wilcox.
“It gives the kids something to look forward to,” she said.
For Bryant Wilcox, that community mission is especially personal.
In 1997, at the age of 21, he was convicted of secBut
ond-degree reckless homicide while armed. That charge was tied to the fatal shooting of Wilcox’s best friend during an argument that turned violent. He served six years in prison.
In 2007, Wilcox pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing cocaine with intent to deliver. He served five years in prison.
Wilcox makes no excuses. Since his 2012 release, Wilcox said, he has avoided relatives and former friends who are negative influences.
In both prison stints, Wilcox maintained his interest in gaming.
“It was the one thing that kept me anchored in the real world,” he said.
Wilcox started playing games as a child at the arcade at Landmark Lanes, on Milwaukee’s east side, one of his earliest hangouts. He eventually turned that passion into a business.
Wilcox said he feels blessed to be given another chance.
Battlebox, and the neighborhood work he does, is a way of paying back to the community, Wilcox said.
The store’s policies reflect some of his experiences.
Battlebox encourages its customers to join as members. There is no fee.
membership, with the store’s rules (including no swearing and no “gang stuff”), helps “to sort out the riffraff,” Wilcox said.
Given his criminal record, Wilcox realizes that might sound hypocritical. But he wants to create a safe, supportive atmosphere for hard core gamers.
That approach, along with strong customer service, helps Battlebox compete with GameStop, the global video game retail chain that has several Milwaukee-area stores, Wilcox said.
Also, some customers “feel a little better about supporting the small guy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Wilcox and Adams, who have both taken game development courses at Milwaukee Area Technical College, are designing their own game.
It’s a demanding process that involves creating characters, designing art, mastering technical skills and learning how to market a product. But it’s another aspect that helps set Battlebox apart from its competitors.
“We wanted to take it to the next level,” Adams said.
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