My Fellow Ohio Americans...

[GodMedia]

hehehe

Greetz to all!

As a citizen of the great state of Ohio, and of the Columbus area in particular, I am putting out my clarion call to all who likewise reside in this grand region of these United States:

Where in the heck are the good places to go for some retro-game finds?

I've been to the Southland and Westland flea markets and they are ok, though the prices leave something to be desired. Any places that you guys know of that are cool or that I missed when I went out?

I'm looking to put my hands on just about anything interesting, but an Atari Jaguar and Tempest 2000 would be a killer find. Plus, Neo Geo Pocket and old GameBoy stuff would be nice. I'm even really thinking about an NES to play Final Fantasy on.

What about someplace funky just to go see some old hardware like Macs and C64s and such?

I know that that's asking a lot of Ohio, but I figure you never learn unless you ask the question.

Thanks to all.

-GM

[spoon]

I live in Toledo. A decent area to find stuff. I have never been down your way, so , sadly I am of no help. There are other who live out that way. If you are ever in the area, let me know. I'll show you some of the spots.

[o2william]

As an ex-Ohioan who now lives in California, lemme tell you that you don't know how good you have it. Housing is affordable, and retro games grow on trees compared to here. All you have to put up with the humidity. ;)

Unfortunately Columbus is not the best area for retro finds. Hit the Ohio Thrift in Whitehall often -- I've picked up some good stuff there. My only other "hot spot" in Columbus used to be in the rundown mall on Brice Road in Reynoldsburg, but it's closed now.

In Cincinnati, the Goodwills in Loveland, Beechmont, and Springdale were good. Turtle Creek flea market (north of Cinci) used to have a booth that specialized in retro games, but still had decent prices. Ceasar's Creek flea market outside of Wilmington has a game booth that has plenty of retro goodies.

If you can make it south, head down toward Portsmouth and stop at the Southbound Route 23 Flea Market, on Route 23 (duh). There used to be two video game vendors there that turned some good stuff (don't know if they're still there though). If you make it all the way to Portsmouth (my home town), hit the Goodwill on Robinson Ave. I turned AMAZING stuff there over the years... an Astrocade and games, Arcadia 2001 stuff, 5200 Death Star Battle, ColecoVisions, you name it.

If you want to make your visit down south a road trip, head to Ashland, KY to the Hillbilly Flea Market. There also used to be a really rundown flea market in Chesapeake called... the Chesapeake Flea Market! Usually the poorer, more rundown areas turn the better finds because people hang onto their old stuff longer.

Now, go get some Buffalo Wild Wings for me. That chain doesn't exist in Cali. :(

[GodMedia]

o2William, I feel your pain. I am a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, CA who now lives in Columbus, OH. I got a job about a year ago at World Harvest Church as a television producer (more demand for my field here and better pay to go with it).

I so miss California, though I never did the retro game thing before I came here. I was more into anime for the most part.

[videogameking26]

Well not from Ohio but close enough south is a city called Huntington West Virginia and there is a pretty good flea market here in the west of town and chesapeake ohio and milton also have some good flea markets.

I found a couple of my nintendo and super nintendo games there..wish you well :)

[Rogmeister]

I also am from West Virginia so we're neighbors of a sort...I live across the river from Steubenville, Ohio (my town is Weirton). About ten miles south of me is what used to be a department store called The Big Wheel which was kind of like K-Mart...now they use that building for a Sunday flea market. I picked up a ColecoVision there once in very nice condition and a couple more recent games including Final Doom for the PS1. I haven't been there in awhile, though, so maybe if I have any money, I'll go check it out tomorrow?

[Achika]

The inner booths of Turtle Creek & Trader's World are asking arms & legs for games. You may be able to find some good deals outside, but be forewarned the people that are inside also take things outside. Newer stuff has decent prices, but SNES and before and anything obscure is EXPENSIVE.

[Querjek]

I live in Athens and try to get to the Columbus fleas and thrifts whenever I can (which is rare). You're not going to find much down here, sadly, but you should try going to any "Ohio Thrift" stores (I'm almost positive that's the name of them). They are found in more run-down places but do have some nice things occasionally.

[VinnyT]

I tskr it you've gone down to that HUGE flea about an hour south of Columbus. I can't remember the name, but I do remember it being friggen huge. You may find a brochure for it if you go to the right amish store.

[Sinteres]

I live in Toledo. A decent area to find stuff. I have never been down your way, so , sadly I am of no help. There are other who live out that way. If you are ever in the area, let me know. I'll show you some of the spots.

I'm a Toledo guy too. I now have someone to blame when my forays into the area come up lacking in finds. Is there much north of here, not up to Detroit but like Monroe and such?

[GodMedia]

WOW!!!

Thanks for all of the great input! Now I just need a map!

Great to hear from all of the local fellas!

Say, maybe guys from other states can put together lists of their fave places to go digging for retro gold? There could be some kind of list of fleas and other stuff for each state!

Anyways, keep the places coming, and I'll go broke in gas.

[Killerlampshade]

GodMedia, I live on the west-side of Columbus. Did you talk to the "Fat-Stinky Guy" at the Westland flea market? The one who has just about every game known to man, but is not too friendly? If you really want something, he can get it for you.

Also, try garage sales.Every weekend I go to garage sales and I always come home with something. Heck, that's where I got my Atari Jaguar, brand new for $10. So I'd advise you to never leave garage sales out of the equation.

All in all, though, I understand your plight. If you are looking for something specific, it's tough to find anything in this city. But if you aren't looking for anything in particular, you can always find something (If that makes sense).

[WiseSalesman]

I live in the Cleveland area. There's not a damn THING here, so I'm afraid I can't help you.

[spoon]

@ Sinteres. I sent you a pm. Yeah, sorry about kiling all the retro stuff. If you have looked within the last few weeks, good luck. A few guys (Perkar and Hezeuschrist) went hunting a few weeks back. Give it a week or two, it will come around again. We even skipped a few places.

@Wise Salesman- I went to The Clev. area a few months back. I came home with a ton of good stuff. A friend and I must have visited about 12 different stores. We did not get to hit the flea though.

[o2william]

Forgot to mention Swap Days, a big ol' annual flea market type event held in Lucasville. It used to be held each October. Considering the size of the thing, I had surprisingly little luck there, although I did find a Tengen Tetris there once. But if you don't find any games, there's always plenty of livestock to buy! LOL

[lucavi]

I live in the Cleveland area. There's not a damn THING here, so I'm afraid I can't help you.

O_O i just moved from clevo to new orleans and i always thought there was plenty to find in clevland. Record Exchange/CD game exchange stores were always my fave to check out. some of the stores still having a lot CIB classic games and at decent prices. Memphis flea market always had stuff and i even think Buyatari from this site sold stuff there, but i could be completely wrong that it's him. and there's a huge flea market in Canton/Akron area that always has a TON of classic gaming stuff. i think there's plenty in cleveland.

[scooterb23]

My only other "hot spot" in Columbus used to be in the rundown mall on Brice Road in Reynoldsburg, but it's closed now.

Nope, it's still there. There are like 4 stores and a $1 theater there. There is a video game store (mostly new stuff, and high priced). But they do have a case with some older stuff (back off, there are a couple of 5200 games I got dibs on!!) ;)

Also one of the best comic book stores is town is there as well, British Papermill. Back off, the goth chick there is mine!!! ;)

There aren't a lot of great stores in Columbus, look out for Video Game Express stores, Trading Zone, and Crazy Burt's on Bethel...those are your best chances. Although none of them have Jag stuff AFAIK.

Welcome to Cowtown...I live 30 miles south of it. Although I practically live there it seems...

[GodMedia]

In no particular order:

Went to Ohio Thrift (been there before) and as usual found nothing of note except maybe that there was this one Tengen Pacman cart.

I haven't met "Fat Stinky Guy" at Westland, does he run that big booth on one corner in the middle of the building with like three spaces worth of games? I've seen that booth.

Garage sales turned me up some good deals on some computer equipment like a Zip drive and 10 Zip disks for $8 bucks one weekend.

I've also been to that shop in the Brice mall (what a wasteland) but didn't see anything interesting except some 5200 games (hehehe) and as for British Press, I think they kind of suck because, like all Ohio comic book shops, you cannot find any kind of imported stuff. California comic shops always seem to carry anime and manga and related items.

I'd like a bit more info about Turtle Creek & Trader's World.

Thanks again to everyone for all of the great info. Keep it coming! I'm hoping that this thread will help other Ohioans discover new sites for their digs, too.

(BTW, I'm married so I don't need the goth chick. Feel free to fight for her amongst yourselves.)

[Ruffie]

I live in Dublin, a suburb of Columbus.

I built my retrogame collection here, from 1990 - 1998. I scoured this city from thrift store to flea market and found almost endless treasures in those days. All pre-NES stuff. It seemed back then that I was the only one in town doing this. I would leave stuff behind and pick it up weeks, sometimes months later (hoping to haggle the prices downward).

I also had tremendous luck at those Flea Markets south of Dayton (Turtle Creek and the other one). One guy had a working Vectrex hidden among some black and white TVs for $45!

When Ultima Online came out, I got sucked in and forgot about retrogaming and collecting pretty much. Last fall I broke my UO addiction and found this site, and it got me pumped to go out hunting again. I composed a revised list of flea markets and thrift stores, and went out each day for a few weeks.

And I found jack squat, except for some of the goodies at that Westland Flea Market. Now, this was just a one-time sweep of about 16 locations in the Columbus area, and it was back in January. So perhaps things picked up in the spring.

I personally think EBay has killed the hunting market of yesteryear. The few people who were out there doing this to build up their own collections are now in competition with many more EBay collectors and profiteers.

A word about Trading Zone on Bethel Road - they do have a lot of NES, Genesis, and SNES stuff, but they are aware of their value to retrogamers. I asked the guy there a few months ago about the boxed NES titles, and why there are no prices on them. He said something about how they are priced differently, almost hinting that if they sense someone is a collector, they will jack up the price. Plus the service there was terrible and it was understaffed. When I finally decided to ask the prices on 5 of those NES games, he ignored me for over twenty minutes so I left in disgust.

So, good hunting in the Columbus area. I have no doubt there are still treasures to find these days, but they will be few and far between.

Ruffie

[atari_overlord]

The inner booths of Turtle Creek & Trader's World are asking arms & legs for games. You may be able to find some good deals outside, but be forewarned the people that are inside also take things outside. Newer stuff has decent prices, but SNES and before and anything obscure is EXPENSIVE.

The last time I was at the Turtle Creek, someone had a boxed super famicom for $450!! This is an extreme case but that kind of stuff has been happening there more often. Also saw a copy of Third World War for sega CD with a $160 price tag @_@ I have decided to take a short break from that place.

[GodMedia]

I agree that EBay seems to have really changed the digging scene. My wife and I frequent flea markets out of curiosity (nothing like these in the Los Angeles area) and we always overhear people talking about what they can get for something on EBay.

And, like many of you, I too am irate that flea market vendors have the audacity to think that because some fool will pay ridiculous amounts of money for an item on EBay, that everyone else in the world will be equally stupid and pay them some over-inflatuated price for what wouldn't have gotten them $5 had it not been for EBay.

---

As for bad service, that seems to be an Ohio trend. I can't stand to go to fast food restaurants, at least in Columbus, they hire some of the worst servicce people.

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These are just a couple of rants about Ohio that I thought I'd express as they were brought up indirectly here in the thread.

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On the other hand, one of the best places with some of the best service in contemporary video gaming is Video Game Express. Good prices on used items, though the selection can be a bit dry. Nice friendly helpful people who give you the honest lowdown on their merchandise. I encourage all of you who can to check them out and support good businesses like these.

---

BTW, what has happened to all of the GameStops around here. I know they aren't all that great, but it seems like they've all fallen off the face of the Earth. Weird.

[VinnyT]

All the GameStops migrated to NE Ohio, thus almost making any other sources of older games alost dead. Except for Blockbuster's and Hollywood video's stores.

Thank god for Video Replay.

[Blendo75]

I live in the Cleveland area. There's not a damn THING here, so I'm afraid I can't help you.


Hey there's all those sealed Activision games for $20 a piece. Boo ya!

[scooterb23]

I've also been to that shop in the Brice mall (what a wasteland) but didn't see anything interesting except some 5200 games (hehehe) and as for British Press, I think they kind of suck because, like all Ohio comic book shops, you cannot find any kind of imported stuff. California comic shops always seem to carry anime and manga and related items.

1. I picked up the 5200 carts I needed...thank you :)

2. I'm not in tune with amine / mangastuff...have you tried Comic Town on Morse Road? It's a big store, I seem to remember a fair amount of that stuff there. You missed out on S.H.O.C.C. Comics...they had half their store dedicated to that stuff...

As for the flea markets...

Turtle Creek has no less than 6 dedicated game stall inside, at least 4 owned by the same folks...decent selection...semi-high prices. Outside vendors generally believe thier stuff is golden.

Trader's World has only 3-4 VG places...which is odd for a place at least double the size of Turtle Creek. Most of the places I'd call average at best.

There's also Ceasar's Creek (down I-71 about an hour and a half or so...) It's ok, one very good, very cramped booth in Building 1...he never keeps the good stuff out, you have to ask.

Other comments...

As for Gamestops...off the top of my head I can think of 5 of them in Columbus.

There are approx. 7 EB Games...possibly more...

I also know of 5 Ohio Thrift Stoires...all of them have yielded VG stuff in the past 2 years to me :D

Last time I was at Tradine Zone on Bethel - It was a bloody mess. Their store in Marysville (a.k.a. my secret stash) had just shut down, and they were apparently storing the stuff at the Bethel store. Boxes everywhere. They said they even had more in a storage facility, so I have hopes for that store. But you are correct...service is horrible...especially if you aren't looking at the new stuff.

I think the market in Columbus is stuffed. There are far too many stores IMO.

[bargora]

While I haven't been out to the Memphis flea lately, I'm finding the Clevo scene to be a bit thin. Yea, Record Exchange whateva. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

(And I really do wish that it was a collecting paradise and we were just snowing you to keep you out of our playground, but that's not the case, just in case you were wondering, so it's time to end this sentence.)

[VinnyT]

Oh yeah, I forgot about Memphis. I found a complete Ranger X for about 3 bucks there last year.

Damn, I gotta get back there one day.

[The Manimal]

I live in the Cleveland area. There's not a damn THING here, so I'm afraid I can't help you.


Hey there's all those sealed Activision games for $20 a piece. Boo ya!

haha

I'm in the Cleveland area, too.

[Blendo75]

Yea, Record Exchange whateva.

It's worth checking out at least once a month. I just picked up the Intellivision collection for the PS2 there for $7.

[The Manimal]

Yea, Record Exchange whateva.

It's worth checking out at least once a month. I just picked up the Intellivision collection for the PS2 there for $7.

I've picked up good stuff at times. Like Chrono Trigger w/ manual for $2.50, or Mega Man X2 with box for $15 way back probably 6 years ago when each was netting like $50/60 on eBay.


At the Record Exchanges, I've snagged THREE top loader NES's for $15 each...over the years. Not bad. Sold two of them for around $100 each. Kept one.


There was one year where I went to the RE's every other day for at least a whole 3 or 4 months. They seemed to be getting tons of cool shit in every day. I spent sooo much money. In the past 1 or 2 years though, things have really slowed. I went from going once a week to now going once a month. And even now, I don't purchase much. It seems like things got bad when they started remodeling the stores. Did they change their trade-in policy or something, to bring in less?