Retro Stores

Bangkok Retro Gaming Stores

I visited Bangkok back in February 2008 and decided to hunt for Retro game stores in the City.  After spending days with my Girl Friend shopping and being dragged around in search of bargain handbags, shoes and clothes etc...........it was now my turn!!

The hunt commenced, we started our search initially by asking locals in game shops and they pointed us in the right direction which was China Town. Once we arrived at China Town we discovered a labyrinth of Market dedicated to Consoles, Gadgets and R/C Cars. After about an hour of searching through the Market, my Girl Friend decided to go down this quite alley , she then noticed a bright coloured shop, she had found it!!!! 

The Owner & I

The shop is small but cute and is a dream for any retro gamer, the shop is called "Love Game Shop." It is owned by a friendly guy who sorted me out a good deal, I forgot his name though. We talked about the good 'old days' of gaming, we became very nostalgic so we had a session on the Famicom. He was surprised to know how big retro gaming is in the west.  I told him it was huge overseas, he explained to me that some locals discard their old systems or trade them in.  As a matter of fact, during our time in the store a guy came in and sold his old games. 

A shelf of goodness

Game & Watch Heaven, Diskun needs a home

Famicom Session on the Disk System

His prices are reasonable depending on what you want. All the games/systems are selifane wrapped and stored with care and are price labeled. The shop has everything from rare sort after items to game guides, and faulty consoles that are in need of repair.  Next door to him is an electronic repair store and he takes his faulty systems for repair, subject to availability of parts.  Otherwise he sells them as 'junk.'

Junk section, repairs

LCD Game Flyers

He has small selection of Gameboy titles.

The layout is neat, I easily identified and found what I wanted. It was a real pleasure shopping there, so relaxing, it seemed like we were in his house as he was very hospitable towards us. I got the impression that he was very pleased to have tourists in his shop, so it made us feel very comfortable. 

Let me see, I found it!!

Bargain Games

Behind the Counter

Lots of titles

The second shop is based in the shopping district of Bangkok on the 6th floor of a mall called 'MBK.' The shop is owned by Luol and is called "O-Corner." He owns a Retro shop in Tokyo and two other new gen shops in Bangkok but his passion is retro gaming. 

I love that sign!!

Peace!!

That must be the biggest ever 'Plush' Mario?

Nice entrance

Anime Models on the top shelf

Luol is a nice guy, he sorted me out a great discount. He told me that recently he had a TV crew arrive from Canada to review and do a feature on his shop. We had a good long chat about the old days, I couldn't resist.

The best display cabinet there

I wanted that Mario Crane but it wasn't for sale :(

Famicom Love

Father & Son

Mint Game & Watch Panorama Screens

Luol has so much gaming goodness available and rare items that I have never seen before.  All his items are neatly presented, price labeled and selifane wrapped.  Luol has everything in his shop, he even has more stock at his house.  He told me he has a considerable amount of games and systems as stock and uses any available space in his house for storage, including his own personal collection.

That top shelf is too high!

Digging away

I found 'Image Fight'

I became poor after the visit

Luol is used to dealing with tourists so it was not a surprise for him to have us there however, we still felt comfortable and welcomed at his shop. I love digging for games, especially when you find an unexpected gem.  I bought many things, in fact, I would say I over indulged!!

This game's got a hefty price tag!

Plenty of systems to choose from, and all mint

All  brand new items and systems

Luol helping me look through a pile of titles

Luol was a great help, he went out of his way to help me.  He is very passionate about his gaming past.  All his items are neatly stacked and presented well on shelves, it's not a chore to search and I.D items.   

It's very rare seeing a new Robot, Stack-up and Gyro together

Luol also sells mint copies of game guides

A parent teaching his kid on how to play KOF '97 :)

Ratings for both shops: 

Selection of items 10 
Quality of items 10 
Shop Deals 9 
Shopping experience 10 
Shop Owners 10 
Stock Layout 10 
Shop Locations 8 
Atmosphere 10 

Final Thoughts: 

Both shops I visited are fantastic, it is common for shop owners in Bangkok to "BUG" tourists and then attempt to rip-them off. These guys would not even think of doing that. For them it's not just a business but an opportunity to meet new people and do the best honest deals for them.

Both owners offered me a mail order service