Retro game collectors have known for a while that often times, the best deal in retro isn't at a dedicated gaming store. Many scour yard sales and thrift stores hoping for that one lucky windfall, or gaming curiosity, to add to their collections. At the headquarters of Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont in North Carolina, this behavior was recognized and consolidated into a new type of Goodwill store, one that focuses on games, accessories, and computer equipment. The store is called The Grid Powered by Goodwill, and it's located in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Less Searches, More Finds

“ When a customer walks into The Grid, everything is right there on the floor.

Not Just Retro

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The Future

Originally a ComputerWorks store, which is also operated by Goodwill, the idea for The Grid came about due largely to a "perfect storm" of timing and opportunity, according to Barbara Maida-Stolle, executive vice president of business enterprises for Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont."We had an opportunity to relocate the store and we took that opportunity to see what the product mix was," at the ComputerWorks location. Maida-Stolle said the ComputerWorks name didn't best describe what their store was. "We wanted to move into the next generation," she said. After a trip to CES in Las Vegas where her team learned what was new on the market, The Grid Powered by Goodwill was born and opened near the University of North Carolina's Charlotte location.Don't think you're going to walk out with a copy of Stadium Events for fifty cents, thought. Goodwill district manager Jeff Bise oversees The Grid and explains some of how the store operates regarding pricing."Prices are aggressively researched to make sure [they] are competitive," Bise said. Each item is researched and priced individually, and the single most expensive game Bise has seen in the store was priced at $200, although he couldn't recall offhand what that was.Since the store is still part of the Goodwill ecosystem, all of the retro products featured in the store come strictly from donations. "We are very fortunate," Maida-Stolle said.Don't worry about your local store losing out on the goods, though. Since the store is independently operated, its donations come only from the geographical area it serves. "You will be able to walk into your store and still find games and gaming systems," Maida-Stolle added reassuringly.Old school games and hardware aren't the only items available at the location. One of the often tricky parts of finding an old game system at a thrift store is then finding all the associated cables and power cords to hook it up. The Grid has approached the problem head-on. In addition to A/V cables and controllers acquired through donations, Bise said that the store also has worked out partnerships with vendors to get new, third-party cables for almost every system they sell. "For the Nintendo, for the Sega," Bise gave as examples, "we have a vendor we reached out to that supplies those to us."The store also has a partnership with a vendor of the Raspberry Pi, the tiny, inexpensive Linux based computer that plugs directly into a television. They also have partnerships with vendors to supply audio components, earbuds, and cellphone components."We also sell brand-new controllers," along side the originals, Bise said. One of the "coolest things" the store carries is the Retro-bit Super Retro Trio, the 3-in-1 system that plays original NES, Super NES, and Genesis cartridges.The Grid is operated by Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, the regional, independent Goodwill operator for the Charlotte, NC metro area. As such, The Grid is currently limited only to that specific geographic region. But Maida-Stolle says that they all hope that some of the other 176 independently operated Goodwill stores takes their lead and opens up their own versions of The Grid in their geographic territories."All of the money made goes into our training and education programs for our clients," Maida-Stolle added. In fact, ninety cents out of every dollar earned goes back into their training programs. "It's absolutely doing good across our territory and across the country."When asked if the store plans to remain strictly brick and mortar, or if there are any plans to seek potential customers online, Bise said "We are currently developing a strategy for that." His voice sounded both hopeful and full of pride.The 6,000 sq. ft. store is located at 9605 North Tryon Street in the Terraces at University Place shopping center in Charlotte, NC. To donate to your local Goodwill, follow the instructions on their website.

Seth Macy is a freelance writer who does a podcast about Mystery Science Theater 3000. Follow him on Twitter @sethmacy , and MyIGN at sethgmacy