The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Fun addition to downtown
Video Game Nirvana features wide selection ranging from ‘retro’ to modern-day favorites.
Video Game Nirvana features wide selection ranging from ‘retro’ to modern-day favorites
A casual conversation inspired R.J. Lukacs to get serious about opening a new business focusing on one of his favorite hobbies — video games.
Lukacs said he was talking around November or December with his girlfriend, Kelly DiBiase, who owns the Simplicity Studio hair salon at 2 W. Main St. in Madison Village. She noted that the storefront next door at 4 W. Main was vacant, and perhaps Lukacs could put it to good use.
“We kind of joked that maybe I should take my video game collection and start a store with it,” Lukacs said. “After about six weeks of hard work later, that joke became reality.”
Lukacs joined the ranks of small-business owners on Feb. 1 when he opened Video Game Nirvana.
The store is comprised of a vast selection of video games, ranging from retro brands such as Atari and Colecovision to modern favorites like PlayStation 4 and XBox One. Customers have the opportunity to buy, sell and trade video games at the business.
“So far I’ve gotten a lot of people who have done some good trade-ins,” Lukacs said.
Eighty percent of the store’s inventory consists of games from Lukacs’ personal collection while the remaining 20 percent were acquired from distributors.
“I’ve been collecting 25 years, myself,” he said.
Along with featuring video games, the store also sells equipment and accessories such as video-game remote controllers, hookups, AC power supplies and consoles.
Once Lukacs decided to open Video Game Nirvana, he worked about four to five weeks, day and night, to transform the vacant retail space into the store he envisioned.
Preparations included tearing down wallpaper, painting, building shelves, bringing in display cases, and getting products stocked and priced.
As he launches his new business venture, Lukacs can look back on some of what he learned while spending time at the Video Game Connection store on Memphis Avenue in Cleveland that’s owned by his friend, Mike Gedeon.
“I would help him out around the shop,” Lukacs said.
At Video Game Nirvana, Lukacs is the owner as well as the store’s only employee. The shop is a full-time venture for him, after he spent more than a dozen years working as a customer service and supply chain specialist at two companies in Cleveland.
So far, Lukacs said he is enjoying his experience as a business owner.
“It’s nice to be my own boss, not to have to worry about going to meetings and being stressed out by other people,” said Lukacs, who lives in Madison Township.
He also likes the business environment in downtown Madison Village.
“It’s been really good, really positive,” Lukacs said. “Everybody’s been very welcoming and accommodating.”
As for the top-selling items at the store, Lukacs said that “anything Nintendo sells pretty well.” He added that people “are really into retro stuff” when it comes to video games.
One thing that Lukacs also said he can provide customers at Video Game Nirvana is extensive product knowledge.
“I’ve been a gamer my whole life,” he said. “It’s different, going into a place and dealing with a person who’s owns this stuff and has extensive experience with it, versus someone who’s just an employee and working there.”
As of March 21, Lukacs said Video Game Nirvana’s hours are noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; and noon to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The store is closed Wednesday.
In a March 17 post on the store’s Facebook page, Lukacs said he’s taking extensive measures to protect himself, his products and customers in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“My already stringent cleaning and sanitizing protocol has been ramped up in accordance to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines,” Lukacs wrote. “All door handles and hard surfaces are disinfected and wiped down regularly throughout the day. As has always been the case, anything traded in is thoroughly cleaned with rubbing alcohol.”
Lukacs also said customers who are looking for specific video game titles or accessories can call him at 440-307-9097 or message him through Facebook.
“I can send pictures of anything we currently have in stock,” he wrote. “I also accept payment online or over the phone and can set products aside for you, or in some cases ship directly to you.”