Retro Games Plus

Meet Kris Krohn

Kris was kind enough to take some time and share with Game-Route a bit of history on how he and Retro Games Plus got here and what keeps him going.

(Game-Route, G-R) How did you come to own a video game store? 

(Kris Krohn, KK) I opened my first store in 2011 after leaving my corporate job in commercial real estate. I started with just a dream and a little bit of savings that I had.

(G-R) What are some unique challenges of operating multiple stores?  

(KK) As I have grown and own multiple stores, one of the main challenges is managing people as well as keeping everything working and in sync between all of the stores.

(G-R) Retro Games Plus is, as far as I can tell, quite unique in operating stores on opposite coasts.  How did that come to be?  

(KK)I am originally from Connecticut and opened stores there and then I moved to California because my wife mother was sick and had to figure out how to either sell or manage the stores in CT. I went the route of managing them remote and opened more stores in CA. It has worked out well and I credit having an awesome team in CT to oversee the stores.

(G-R) How has your vision evolved over time?  

(KK)I went from originally focused mainly on selling NES & SNES games and over time we have diversified into action figures, comics, anime, VHS, vintage clothes, TCG cards and more. I also was originally very online oriented but am now much more retail focused. 

(G-R) What are some significant challenges facing video game store owners today? 

(KK) The main challenge is being good to customers and the community. That is our primary focus. As we sell used goods that can have issues and discs and cartridges that don’t work it can be challenging to keep people happy. We overcome this with focusing heavily on offering a really good and friendly experience for people who come in the store. 

(G-R) How do you differentiate yourself from your competition, particularly online competitors? 

(KK) We pride ourselves on great customer service and a neat and organized store. Price wise we price ourselves right at the market and do our best to offer the best trade in prices we can. The customer service experience is what sets us apart from online. Online lacks in the face-to-face interactions that retail can offer.

(G-R) What changes to your business have you seen or experienced over the years? 

(KK) Over the years we have gotten more involved in community events and offer trade events, Gameboy creation classes, TCG card events, Pokémon Distribution Events as well as running two expos on both coasts so we have continued to really focus on the community

(G-R) What do you believe are the key factors to your business’s success? 

(KK) I would say one of the key factors has been amazing employees. Many of our employees have been with us over 5+ years some as long as 10. Also, we start a lot of people as high school interns, and they grow with us and become paid associates for years. The employees all communicate between stores and develop tight bonds with each other and the community

(G-R) If you could do anything differently, would you?   If so, what?

(KK) I am currently looking at opening a new store location (#6) and instead of leasing a spot and I am purchasing a building. We have been at some of our locations over 10 years and have built no equity from all the rent we have paid. I think I may have looked to purchase more buildings instead of renting spaces.

(G-R) What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to open their own store? 

(KK) Start with a business plan! I always suggest to people that they put their ideas down on paper first and run the numbers, where will you get inventory, what are your costs going to be, what are your projections, who is you competition. Then go from there. 

(G-R) What is your hope for the future of your store?

(KK) I would like to continue to open new locations in the LA area and purchase additional buildings.

(G-R) What is your hope for the future of the video game industry?

(KK) I would love to continue to see physical remain a thing. The Switch library is a testament that physical works and hope that continues. I think physical will continue to remain a thing. There is a collectability aspect to physical that I think the video game developers still understand at least I believe Nintendo does.