Game Together MKE owner is hoping to do a lot more than sell video games at his new store

Video games aren't the only thing you can get at the new Game Together MKE video gaming store in Greenfield.

Owner Steve Barron is hoping to bring back the nostalgic feeling of video gaming from the past with the grand opening of his new store.

“We don’t want to be just another used game store,” said Barron. “We want to bring people together and build a community."

The new video gaming store opened its doors for the first time on Nov. 18.

"I didn't sleep for a month, but we signed the lease and we got the keys and then opened a month later," said Barron.

Located at 4635 S 108th St. in Greenfield, guests at Game Together MKE can buy and sell a wide variety of new and old video games, consoles, accessories, collectibles, memorabilia and vintage clothing.

In addition to shopping, gamers can play arcade games such as Donkey Kong and Boomerang Junior in the arcade area and play games on different systems in the gaming lounge.

How Steve Barron worked full-time as an eBay seller

Before opening Game Together, Barron was a full-time eBay seller for about five and a half years. He specialized in finding collectibles in thrift stores and then selling them online.

"I was working at a place that would buy and sell from the public," he said. "I was just some employee there, and I'm like, I could do this."

Barron then began watching YouTube videos of people who were selling items online. Thrifters would go to stores like Goodwill and pick up old items like cassette recorders for a cheap price and then resell them online for a higher price.

One of the items he said he's sold hundreds of, "maybe thousands," over the past five years is VCRs.

"I'll go into Goodwill ― it's harder to do it now because Goodwill is on to us ― so I would get this (VCR) for five bucks and I would put it up on eBay and it would sell for a hundred bucks. That’s what I was doing."

The married father of two also built connections with junk removal companies and would salvage through their offerings as well to find old items that could still fetch a nice profit online.

"These companies, they get all this e-waste, and I would go through and I'd pick out all the stuff that I could resell and I would buy it off them and flip it on eBay," he said.

Selling on eBay was not always an easy task for Barron. eBay has fees when you sell merchandise online. For example, if you were to sell something for $100, they're taking $20 worth of fees, according to Barron.

Barron wanted to get away from online selling to focus more on face-to-face customer interactions. It's a mode he says is preferred not only by him, but by collectors because of the nostalgic atmosphere people feel compared to when they shop online.

"This was my dream to do this. And I was just selling other things online, like other kind of collectibles. And one of the biggest things that was a good seller were computers and vintage computers," he said. "You wouldn't believe, like old computers in the '90s ... people are really into that kind of stuff."

Barron did not sell every item he found online. Some things he held onto in his basement despite taking a loss on profit.

Barron said online selling is a tough job, but he taught himself the business on his own."I’m not educated, I don't have any special degrees, you know what I mean? I'm just someone who just was like, I want to learn how to do this."

How Steve Barron marketed Game Together MKE

So how did Barron market Game Together MKE with a limited advertising budget? The answer is simple: social media.

Thanks to social media, Barron was able to advertise his new store to members in the community.

Baron is an avid user on TikTok, he documented the journey of opening Game Together MKE on the popular social media website.

Barron's most popular video has over 566,000 views.

Barron also credited using Facebook community groups with helping spread the word about his new store.

In fact, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel learned about Game Together MKE by Barron's posting in the Greenfield Community Group page on Facebook.

"Man, I got a big response for that one," he said. "I got tons of people. I'm like yes, I'm so glad I made that post."

Game-playing also offered at Game Together MKE

Barron isn't just interested in simply selling video games, he wants people to come play them inside the store too.

His goal is to bring back that nostalgic era with video gaming that he experienced during his childhood.

Barron noted this feeling during the store's grand opening.

"It almost felt like kind of like a bar. People were just mingling and talking and over here, playing games together. And it was like a community," he said. "People love nostalgia. They go crazy."

Barron wanted to stop selling online to have genuine in-person interactions with guests.

"I want to see people playing games together, that’s our name because we don't have arcades like we used to anymore," Barron said. "Video game lounges, they open and they get closed down because it's really hard to make money off people playing video games. So I just want a place where I know I can make money on this stuff and I want to give this to the community."

Barron said usually Generation Z doesn't understand the nostalgic feeling of going to the arcade with friends after school to hang out simply because those type of business aren't around like they used to be. He noted that these businesses often close because it's hard for gaming lounges to make a profit.

Trying to separate Game Together from other gaming businesses

Barron believes this is what will separate Game Together MKE from other gaming businesses such as GameStop or Mega Media Xchange.

"They've been around forever, you know, they're great. They'll get good stuff in, but they're just getting you in to buy a game and out the door," he said. "We want you to come in, we want to talk to you. I want to hear about your collection. I want you to tell me about your games. I want you and your friends to play games."

Mega Media Xchange suffered a series of closings, including the one in Greenfield at 7828 W. Layton Ave. There are currently only three Mega Media Xchanges left in Wisconsin. They are located in Franklin, Brookfield and Madison.

Barron said his store also hosts gaming parties and events for guests. He said he would love to have Super Smash Bros. tournaments, EA sports gaming and more in the store.

Super Smash Bros. is a popular crossover fighting game series published by Nintendo. The game features characters from various Nintendo games and offers a unique gameplay objective that is different from traditional fighting games.

Game Together MKE sells vintage clothing, too

In addition to video games and gaming accessories, Barron also sells vintage clothing at his store.

Barron used his new thrifting skills to find vintage pieces of clothing. He noted that this can still be a tough process as it takes a while sometimes to find rare pieces of clothing.

Barron said he found a vintage Nirvana shirt from his childhood sitting in a box during one of these thrift dives. He didn't pay much for the shirt and stated that the same shirt sells on eBay for $400-$500.

Barron rotates his vintage clothing selections due to space limitations at the store. He noted that he still has a huge backstock of vintage clothes in his basement that he's collected over the last five years. He said that hunting and watching trends was the key to finding the majority of these items.

What's being planned in the future for Game Together MKE?

Barron said it's hard to see what's in store for the future of his business, but said he doesn't want to sell inventory online.

"Once we start bringing in more inventory, we're going to run out of space because we get trades in and we only have so much room in here. I don't want to take this stuff online. I want to keep it in the community because there's a lot of game collectors that won't buy things online because it's super boring when you order online. People want the thrill of the hunt."

Expansion is something Barron is open to. He said expanding would make room for more inventory and gaming.

There's a possibility that the store will be offering guests the opportunity to rent out the back of the store, Barron said.

Currently, Barron is the only person who runs the store, but he's hopeful to hire employees in the future.

When he's not in work mode, Barron spends time with his wife and two kids. He has a 14-year-old and a 3-year-old.

The stores hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The store is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

For more information about the store, its offerings, and updates on exciting events, visit the Game Together MKE website. Stay connected with them on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to keep up with the latest updates and promotions.

Contact Adrienne Davis at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Game Together MKE in Greenfield sells games, vintage clothing and more