For the past couple months, I've visited 14 different shops that sell retro gaming and other retro products. Initially, I was just on the hunt for some gaming items. Then it turned into a personal challenge to visit as many shops as possible to compare them all, and I started purchasing more than just gaming products.
Along the way, I rediscovered my love for comics and visited some comic book stores also. I'll include those at the end.
I've compiled a list of each store I've visited and put them in order of personal preference based on several factors: 1. Cleanliness and organization, 2. Product variety, 3. Pricing, and 4. Friendliness of employees or owners.
Please keep in mind that this reflects my personal preferences and experiences at these shops. Others may be looking for different products and may have had different experiences. I'm happy to explain why I rated them in this order. Just ask about a specific place.
These are the shops I've been to so far:
Retro Teyoh's, Upland
The Shop, Pomona
Cleo's TCG, San Bernardino
Lost Levels, Claremont
Origins Game Shop, Grand Terrace
Bookoff, Riverside
Gameplay, Pomona
Into the Retroverse, Colton
Game Dude, N Hollywood
Game-ER, Chino
Ratnest, Chino
Pixel Vault, Chino
Gameplay, Ontario
M&M, Upland
This is a list of stores I still want to visit (not in order):
Bookoff, Lakewood, Garden Grove and Costa Mesa
Frank and Sons, City of Industry
Gamegeeks, Garden Grove
Video Game Geeks, Anaheim
American Retro, Los Alamitos
Retro Games Plus, Long Beach and Huntington Beach
Hidden Gem, Fountain Valley and Tustin
Retro Hex Collex, Bell and Downey
Retrobutta Toys and Games, LA
Game and Video, LA
LA Video Games, LA
World-8, LA
A&J Games, LA
Retro Respawn, Van Nuys
I Got Games, Yucaipa
David's Game Lounge, Perris
Ready Set Game, Sun City
Secret Level Outpost, Cathedral City
These are the comic book shops I've been to, ranked by personal preference:
Funny Business Comic Shop, Pomona
Comic Hero University, Montclair
Comic Madness, Chino
Affordable Cards and Comics, Norco
4 Color Fantasies, Rancho Cucamonga
A.G. Collectibles, Rancho Cucamonga
What retro gaming stores are your favorite in the IE and surrounding areas?