E4 Cards & More: A Bend, Oregon Game Store

E4 Cards & More is at the Bend River Promenade in Bend, Oregon. Its name originates from the Pokémon Elite Four Trainers, which features a Pokémon mural in the front of the store. According to the Wizards of the Coast Store & Events Locator, it’s one of two stores within a 10-mile radius of Bend. The store has been open for 2.5 years and counting, but before the store existed, we had to return to North Dakota.

Steve Johnson, the owner of E4 Cards & More, grew up in a town of ~900 people in the middle of North Dakota. Magic: The Gathering has consistently been Steve’s game of choice. In fact, after graduating high school in 1998, he continued playing the game while in college, earning a master’s degree in Computer Science. To this day, he engages in Magic: The Gathering, playing casual Commander, which he tells us is intentional. However, he used to play competitively, and while trying to play Standard again, he says he plays a ton of MTG Arena.

A Career Change Leads To Oregon & The Birth of E4 Cards & More

After college, Steve says the money working as an engineer was phenomenal, but he was miserable. He decided to start a business to help people quit smoking, which he ran for 15-20 years. Moreover, he delved into consulting work while living in Phoenix. However, after ending the consulting chapter of his life, he left for Oregon.

While in Oregon, he started selling bulk Magic: The Gathering cards out of his garage on TCGPlayer. Selling on the platform allowed this new business to grow. Becoming a level four seller would soon follow, and then a “Direct by TCGPlayer” seller. Furthermore, this newfound success would require a warehouse, as he ran out of space in his garage. At the time, Steve said warehouse space was 10% less than the cost of retail space and that square footage is exorbitantly expensive in Bend, Oregon.

While noted as expensive, it’s the town where E4 Cards & More would be born, specifically in the Bend River Promenade. Although Magic: The Gathering was Steve’s favorite game, Pokémon led to the itch to open the store. Moreover, he said he and his daughter bonded over Pokémon.

The Store’s Primary Focus: Tradeable Card Games Only

The store started very well capitalized, Steve says, and a focus on trading card games consisting of Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Lorcana. E4 Cards & More does not partake in board games or miniatures, although they did try Warhammer 40,000 for three to four weeks, which Steve says has a “different vibe and different flow.” He feels tradeable card games (TCGs) fit their preferred operational structure for the store. It further follows Steve’s philosophy, where they do one thing well instead of doing everything in the hobby space. He notes that he has a couple of 100,000 cards in inventory, something he says took years to build.

Steve shares E4 Cards & More’s focus is on play, which they run six days a week in 1,300 sq. ft. of play space. Retail assumes 800 of the remaining 3,200 sq. ft. During the week, they close on Mondays. Excluding weekends, they don’t open until 2 p.m. during the week. He says it took a year to find the right hours. That said, Wednesdays are open-play Commander nights. Moreover, fundraiser events occur once per month on Wednesdays.

“Amazing cards and amazing people!”

-Parker Hageman, customer feedback on E4 Cards & More Facebook page

A Community Hub Supported By A Retail Store

Casual events are the focus at E4 Cards & Games, further emphasized by the two dozen donuts Steve brings in for his customers on Sundays. Saturdays are their tournament day, featuring Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh, for example. To facilitate this structure, Steve has one employee who works eight hours, four days a week, and one who works two hours, two mornings a week. Other than that, Steve and his wife run the store.

Steve views his store as a “community hub that the retail store supports.” To support that statement, he offers customers a free play space and only charges for prized tournaments (i.e., $5), a concept perceived positively by the community. E4 Cards & More seats 40 players, but they’re expanding to 56 seats from a remodeling effort. Currently, there are white Melamine eight-foot tables with four seats each. Moreover, the store sports two TVs, one for advertisements and the other for Magic: The Gathering or Pokémon gameplay.

The goal is to create a place where people feel like they’re a part of something. He wants people to want to go to his store and not feel like it is a basement, further supported by their “come out and play” days, where they find local organizations that help the community. Incorporated are days to teach games to new players interested in learning something new. Additionally, they support local schools via PTA auctions and after-school clubs to teach Pokémon.

A Family Affair And Learning From Mistakes At E4 Cards & More

While Magic: The Gathering is most popular at the store, such as 20 committed Modern players, new player acquisition is important for E4 Cards & More. People are still finding out about the store. For example, Steve tells us they keep Magic: The Gathering starter Commander decks behind the counter to lend to players. The store is very much a family affair, therefore, when it comes to Pokémon, they focus on family play. The reason for this, Steve says, is the nature of players since it’s more of a collectors market and has the perception of a kids’ game. He suspects Pokémon doesn’t have the same incentive on gameplay like Magic: The Gathering does when compared to collectors.

When running a game store, Steve tells us the notion that you need more products is a mistake. For example, he says he invested in sets that didn’t work out. Steve says that failing, and the more you fail, helps you not make the same mistake twice.

By focusing on TCGs, Magic: The Gathering, the store’s most popular game, accounts for 3/4 of E4 Cards & More’s revenue.

As he reflects on the store’s success, Steve wants to continue to grow and do more for the community, like serving food. That said, buying and selling pinball machines is another desire. At this point, he has an old tattoo art machine in the store repurposed for customers to acquire full art bulk cards. Steve says he can’t believe the feedback from customers regarding the effort put forward to care for the store.

Follow E4 Cards & More on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or their website.

Would you like your store featured? If so, reach out to us via our contact page.