Things To Do In Ridgeland: Van’s Comics and Games

Van’s Comics, Cards & Games is located in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Photo credit: Van’s CCG on Facebook

When it comes to things to do in Ridgeland, if you’re into gaming, then you’ll need to check out Van’s Comics, Cards & Games. According to the Wizards of the Coast Store & Event Locator, it’s the only game store in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Van was the original owner of Van’s Comics, Cards & Games, hence the name. He is a family friend of Travis and owned the store for 20 years before passing the torch. At the time, the focus was on comics, which currently has 80-100,000 unique back issues in stock. Upon passing the reigns, Travis kept the store’s name to acknowledge the legacy Van built. With 8+ years under his belt, Travis’s store is 28 years old and counting.

Originally from Toronto, Canada, Travis has a passion for Warhammer 40,000 and also enjoys Magic: The Gathering. The latter kicked off the transition of the store from comic books. However, Travis never thought he’d own a store. When the opportunity presented itself, he took what he liked and didn’t like from other stores he visited. With 1,500-2,000 sq. ft. of play space, the former supports 10 6×4 full-size wooden tables for players. Overall, the store is 6,000 sq. ft.

The store supports 100 people for card games and can expand the space to 300-400 people for major tournaments. Travis tells us he has storage units containing over 1 million Magic: The Gathering singles. While Magic: The Gathering is the most popular game at the store, Beyblade comes in second, he says. It hosts 20-30 players featuring mostly adults playing and drinking beer. The latter is possible due to the full bar inside the store.

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Things To Do In Ridgeland After A Day of Gaming?

In addition to gaming, Travis and his wife’s family own all the Papa John’s restaurants in the area, so there’s always free pizza for events. Moreover, the store has a full bar so customers can grab a drink between games. Should players have their fill at the game store, Travis also owns a restaurant called Black Axes, where customers can go to grab food and a drink or partake in axe throwing. He views the restaurant as a place for his customers to go after they’ve had their fill of gaming for the day.

A Place Where Unique Ideas Are Born

With 6 employees, excluding the owners, Travis and the team always think of unique ideas for the store. His process for hiring is based on what you know. However, employees can handle all in-store tasks. Moreover, Travis provides employees with the insight needed to do their jobs effectively. Additional responsibilities include product ordering, prizes for events, and managing social media accounts. One of the unique ideas Travis brought to light is a carnival in the store’s parking lot to celebrate the 8th anniversary (2024) of owning the shop. While he never looks to throw the same party twice, he’s always marinating new plans. For example, he’s looking to expand the store to 12,000 sq. ft. One of the ways to do this would be to buy the units next to them, Travis says.

The Benefits of Good Customer Service

Travis credits his training from Papa John’s in providing good customer service. When offering to help a customer, he says you’ll receive “just looking” responses. To further engage the customer, he likes to ask questions like, “What do you like to collect?”, which helps get the conversation going. Everything he’s doing with the store now, Travis says he would be doing had he not purchased the existing store. At day’s end, he says it’s still customer service. For example, understanding cultural trends when selling products that normally may be more difficult to move is important. Travis shares that the Deadpool & Wolverine movie (2024) would represent a cultural trend moment. Should he have figures of those characters in-store, it could bring in customers and draw them to other products and games.

Cooper had a great time at the Van’s CCG – Comics, Cards & Games birthday bash! If you haven’t stopped by there you should, they have so many great game gatherings, a huge selection of items, and their entire staff is always so super nice.

Heather Simmons Barham, Van’s Comics, Cards & Games customer review on Facebook

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