Retro Game Shops on the West Coast (LA & SF)

[Cauterize]

I was hoping to compile a list of decent shops stocking retro games within the West Coast region of the USA. My parents are taking a trip out to visit the area for a month shortly, stopping off at San Francisco and Los Angeles during.

If anyone is willing to share the knowledge of some good retro game shops in this area then it would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

[pixelsnpolygons]

Well there was Star Games in San Francisco, but that closed I guess. There's a place I've heard is pretty decent called Phoenix Games - but it's not in San Fran, it's in the suburbs about 30-40 minutes away. It's not really in some crazy, hard to get to area and they could probably do it before getting back on the freeway to head to LA without much fuss.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/phoenix-games-concord

[Bojay1997]

Game Dude is by far the largest in the Los Angeles area. There is also Games 4 Less in Fullerton, but that's a good 30 miles south of downtown LA in what is generally very nasty traffic along the 5 Freeway. Other than that, the few mom and pop places I have visited over the years have been very disappointing.

[j_factor]

Well there was Star Games in San Francisco, but that closed I guess. There's a place I've heard is pretty decent called Phoenix Games - but it's not in San Fran, it's in the suburbs about 30-40 minutes away. It's not really in some crazy, hard to get to area and they could probably do it before getting back on the freeway to head to LA without much fuss.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/phoenix-games-concord

That's probably the best in the Bay Area. There's also 4Jays, but they're further east. I haven't been there recently, but when I used to go, the quality of their selection fluctuated a lot.

[skaar]

Isn't dp west opening soon?

With a museum, I hear!

[tofu]

4Jays and Phoenix games aren't too far away from each other so you can hit both if you're going to be using Highway 5. If you like scenic routes, take Old Bailey Road to go between the two. 4Jays has some really odd hours, so I'd recommend calling them before you go.

Somewhere in the San Francisco/Bay Area there's a mini chain of stores called Space Cat. Never been there myself but it's supposed to be decent.

Los Angeles has a bunch of stores but most are picked clean regularly. A&J Games hasn't been mentioned yet and it has a good stock of classic stuff.

[j_factor]

4Jays and Phoenix games aren't too far away from each other so you can hit both if you're going to be using Highway 5. If you like scenic routes, take Old Bailey Road to go between the two. 4Jays has some really odd hours, so I'd recommend calling them before you go.

Space Cat is a comic store. They also sell CCG's and stuff like that, but I don't think they sell any videogames.

[Kevincal]

be sure to check out the Goodwill stores in the area, almost always get lucky with video games at them. :)

[InsaneDavid]

Somewhere in the San Francisco/Bay Area there's a mini chain of stores called Space Cat. Never been there myself but it's supposed to be decent.


Space Cat is a comic store. They also sell CCG's and stuff like that, but I don't think they sell any videogames.

These days Space Cat has a pretty decent inventory of games, especially for a store that doesn't specialize in them. However they charge freaking highway robbery for every little piece of video gaming they have. Nothing like being asked to pay above eBay prices for common as dirt games. That and I don't care much for the Burbank neighborhood of San Jose.

There really aren't that many places for indie video gaming in the Bay Area, crazy as that may seem.

I've never had a ton of luck with thrifts here. As for the big flea markets in the area, you really need to do quite a bit of prospecting before you hit gold, but the finds are rarely spectacular. Granted I have found some killer things at smaller flea markets ($200 Pop'n Music arcade controller for $5 comes to mind) but that too is far from consistent. Even when I'm visiting family in the central valley, where I used to come away with piles of stuff for change every week, things have dropped off considerably.

There was a guy that would go to both the flea market I would frequent in the central valley as well as the big Berryessa flea market in San Jose that I would score great finds from for something like ten years. Let's put it this way, I lived in two different locations in two different parts of the state and did business with him at two different flea markets during that time. Last year we both finally came to the realization that I pretty much had bought him out of anything he would have that I'd be interested in. Last time I went out to the flea market his door was closed the entire day - wonder if he finally closed shop.

[Jasonbar]

FYI, I just tried visiting Play N Trade & Game Swap in San Mateo, a found on Google Maps.

Both are closed. :/

Thanks,
Jason