Gamezenter: A Roseville, Minnesota Game Store

It’s one huge accomplishment to run the largest game store in the United States. It’s an impressive feat taking on the additional role of General Manager of a store in another state. That’s the story of Travis Severance, a returning guest of The Match Slip. Why would a successful game store owner want to run another store he doesn’t own? Travis says he wanted to see if he could do it again. On 8/15/24, he signed the contract to do just that. His relationship with Chris Petersen, the owner of Ghost Galaxy, Gamezenter, and Strange Stars, allows Travis to run Gamezenter through his vision, for the most part. As you achieve more success, the “leash” gets longer. Additionally, Travis says retail wasn’t Chris’ passion. With Travis at the helm, Chris doesn’t have to walk into the store anymore if he doesn’t want to.
Building A Knowledgeable Staff To Increase Sales
According to the Wizards of the Coast Store & Event Locator, Gamezenter, previously called Fantasy Flight Gamezenter, is one of three stores in Roseville. The store is massive in size, and Travis says one of the boons he sees with it is its custom-developed add-on, which integrates directly with Shopify. Having e-commerce already in place was a positive. Selling the custom add-on to stores in the future is a noted possibility. However, while the store has a lot of inventory, there aren’t enough employees. Currently, five employees who all get along are working four 10-hour days which was their choosing. Travis tells us it’s a main area of focus to hire, train, and build from the ground up. Particularly, specialists in Magic: The Gathering, miniatures, etc., and those with gaming knowledge.
Travis notes the need for high-level sales knowledge to elevate the store. Bringing on people with experience in the gaming industry is necessary for product knowledge and custom service. Moreover, Travis has taken over ordering products due to his vast knowledge of industry expertise and his relationships with manufacturers. He believes having good sales outlets for when you “miss” on a game you ordered before it is worth nothing. Additionally, Travis believes in having a system to ramp up sales through a demo table. Typically, he flies out to Minnesota the second or third week of the month and stays on-site for four to five days. When people ask what his favorite game is, he says it’s being a game store owner.
Managing Gamezenter While Already Owning A Store
One may ask how Travis can afford to spend close to a week in Minnesota while Millennium Games is open in New York. With 46 employees and a General Manager in place, Travis says this alleviates previous concerns and thus allows him to work on Gamezenter. Furthermore, he can manage ordering for both stores directly from his phone. Being in the industry and knowing what’s happening is helpful when ordering. When evaluating a product, he looks at historical and legacy data to understand what’s occurring in the present market. However, he says there is an element of going with his gut as risks are more measured with experience. Finally, Travis communicates with the teams in Minnesota and New York regardless of his location. Although, Travis says it becomes a lot to maintain when you have over 20 employees.
The event space, bigger than Millennium Games, has growth potential and not just for gaming. With 22,000 sq. ft., 60% is for gaming. Four private gaming rooms seat 20 people, 4-6 people, and 8-10 people, depending on which room you book. Square footage-wise, Travis tells us it’s the largest space for a game store in the Midwest. They host comedy events and have their liquor license, which draws crowds who may not be into gaming. However, Travis reduced some gaming space for more retail space to facilitate more sales. Additionally, Gamezenter has more dollars on the sales floor than Millennium Games.
A Store With Many Opportunities & Loved By Its Customers
“I have been running events at GameZenter for several years, starting way back in 2018. I have a special love for this store, which has held many important events for my favorite games. It’s spacious, the staff are nice, and they have beer. Come play. It’s a great space for it. And if you’re an event runner yourself, ask about hall rentals. Guarantee you won’t find as much space per dollar in all the Twin Cities!“
Joshua Swaner, customer review on Gamezenter’s Facebook page
Travis sees many opportunities for Gamezenter to improve its operations. Upon initial review, Travis tells us the high level of acuity for sales wasn’t there. He needed to find someone with an experienced eye for inventory and where to sell it, whether online or in-store. He says he needed to elevate staff and their capabilities. Upon taking over, Travis noted foundational changes were necessary due to staff burnout. Travis says he planned to slowly lessen the workload on employees and shift them to different tasks. Compared to his staff at Millennium Games who average 6 years at the company, Gamezenter’s employees only average two years.
The Improvements For Gamezenter Now & In The Future
To further illustrate the store’s size, it used to have a massive kitchen with a chef. Travis says it wasn’t operational upon his arrival. Additionally, they removed the board game library. It was one of Travis’s initial adjustments. Further, he says the pay-to-play model in place was disastrous at Gamezenter. On the flip side, a positive change was opening the store an hour earlier at 10 a.m. which has proven financially beneficial. An additional positive was moving employee shifts from 10 to 8 hours. Travis notes that 10-hour shifts can be brutal.
When looking to the future, Travis envisions collaborating with other businesses in the area and adding a store manager. While he says running a business cost-wise differs from New York, Gamezenter is “nowhere near its final product.”
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