In the ever-evolving world of video gaming, Pat Everett knows he must adapt to avoid becoming extinct.
“The industry trend is headed toward downloadable content,” Everett said. “I’m sure there will be a time when there are no physical copies of video games.”
Everett hopes to be ready for when that time comes at JW Games & Movies, which opened its doors at 1 N. State St. in Iola on Aug. 1.
Everett, the store’s general manager, offers a wide variety of used video games and accessories — “going as far back as the NES and Atari systems,” he said — as well as a wide assortment of DVDs.
Everett also buys merchandise from customers whose gaming systems have sat in storage for years.
The Iola outlet is the third JW Games and Movies franchise to open in recent years.
“We’re more of a ‘mom and pop’ kind of store than you see with national franchises, such as Game Stop or Vintage Stock,” Everett said.
The store’s origins date to 1997, when Everett sold and traded video games, comic books, action figures and other collectibles. He eventually moved away from memorabilia to focus on the games and movies.
The best part?
“Our stock is constantly changing,” he said. “We deal with a lot of volume, and with three stores, if we don’t have something here, we may be able to get it elsewhere.”
The state’s economic slump has hit videogaming, but not in ways most would expect, Everett said.
“People don’t want to spend $50 or more for a new game, so they go to shops like ours,” he said. “That’s why our sales stack up well versus places like Walmart.”
JW GAmes and Movies opened its doors in Ottawa in 2009 and in Gardner earlier this year.
The Iola store is the third of as many as eight, Everett said.
“Eventually, we’d like to go all across eastern Kansas and into Missouri and Nebraska,” he said.
The store is open from 2 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, except Thursday, and from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday. The Iola shop is closed on Sunday and Thursday.
