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Canton's Gamer Craze moving; hopes to quadruple inventory, add gaming space

Posted 9/1/15

By MATT LINDSEY CANTON -- Gamer Craze will have a new home this fall and plans to use the extra space to quadruple their inventory and create separate areas for retail and gaming. Owner Aaron Reardon …

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Canton's Gamer Craze moving; hopes to quadruple inventory, add gaming space

Posted

By MATT LINDSEY

CANTON -- Gamer Craze will have a new home this fall and plans to use the extra space to quadruple their inventory and create separate areas for retail and gaming.

Owner Aaron Reardon says he finalized the deal to purchase the 21 Miner St. building from Aubuchon Realty on Aug. 28.

“Space was the biggest thing,” Reardon said.

He says his business has grown steadily for the past eight years, outgrowing two locations.

“The growth justifies the move financially,” Reardon said.

Gamer Craze opened in 2007 at 96 Main St. and moved to its 47 Main St. in 2010 to gain more space.

“We need a space for people to hang out and try out things they are interesting in,” he said. “We need to keep that area separate from the retail section.”

Reardon says customers would often come into the store and see around a dozen people sitting around playing games and it made for an odd shopping experience at times for some.

“Keeping them separate will make it more professional,” he said.

Reardon says his store specializes in the Magic: The Gathering card game and describes it as one of the most popular and largest retailers in the state.

“I want to create a home for a community we are already fostering,” he said.

He says there are plans to add “a lot more product,” expanding to a younger crowd by offering Lincoln Logs, Legos and comic books. He may also add outdoor recreational items like radio controlled cars (RC), Air-Soft and paintball.

Reardon says SUNY Canton has an RC club and they are trying to get a track. This would provide a base clientele.

Reardon hopes to move Gamer Craze into its new home by the end of October or early November but realizes things do not always go as planned.

“In business, as much as you plan something…we’ve been planning this three years…you find surprises and there are bumps in the road along the way,” he said.

Gamer Craze will not be the only business in the building. Partridge Café will occupy half of the building taking over where the Spicy Iguana restaurant used to be.

“There is a mess there but I will be working to clean it up,” Reardon said.

The building currently houses the North Country Neighbors Too flea market. Tim Connelly, owner of the flea market, announced the business will close on Sept. 12 and does not plan to reopen. Connelly also owns North Country Neighbors in Potsdam, 6 Market St.

Gamer Craze is staffed by five employees.

Reardon says his first obligation is to “do my best for those employees to have a comfortable living.”

After meeting with Canton Economic Developer Leigh Rodriquez, Reardon says that his business should grow enough in the next couple years to hire two to four employees.

“I just want to thank Leigh Rodriquez for the fantastic job she did helping us and the great job she is doing the village,” he said.