Warp Zone is a vintage video game and collectibles store where patrons are able to buy, sell, trade, and play items that you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.
Owner’s Carey Williams and Amy Williams opened the original location on Green Street in 2012 after the demand for more than just an online presence became too much to ignore. Since then, Warp Zone has almost tripled in size, which is why they moved the entire operation to 1302 Poplar Street.
Even with the Poplar Street location being three times the size of the original, Owner Carey Williams still plans to fill the place to the brim with unique, nostalgic items that would make even the most nonchalant hobbyist as excited as a kid on Christmas morning.
Games and Collectibles
After leaving his job in video production to pursue his passion full time, Warp Zone Owner/Founder Carey Williams has amassed a collection of hundreds of toys and collectibles, as well as thousands of video games.
Far from your average enthusiast, Carey is an expert in every sense of the word. He has dealt with extremely rare and expensive items and is constantly looking to expand his business.
Some of the coolest items to pass through Carey and Warp Zone’s hands include a copy of Pokemon Yellow that sold for $12,500. The 9.4 WATA graded game also had an A+ seal.
Additionally, In order to fund the move to the new location, he sold a copy of the Super Nintendo game ‘Earthbound’ (you may know the main protagonist of the game, Ness, from Super Smash Bro’s) for $10,500. The game was graded 85/100 by VGA and was never opened.
However, not everything in the store has a super high price tag. Smaller figures can go anywhere from 5-20 dollars and include themes like Mario, Fortnite, Street Fighter, and Bioshock. Perfect for younger people that are looking to start/expand their own collection.
Aside from the collecting aspect, Carey is truly passionate about what he does. “If the internet ever goes out, or the power, I’ll still be able to play all of these games on all of these systems”, he said regarding the reason he values the physical form of games so much.
Mini Arcade
In addition to the shelves, displays, and the 9.5 feet of merchandise covering almost every inch of the walls of the store, Warp Zone plans to re-open with the Addition of a ‘Mini Arcade’.
More than 20 officially licensed ‘Arcade One-Ups’ will be available to play inside of the store. These games are reminiscent of the old, box-style arcade games of the ’80s. At Warp Zone, you can find everything from Street Fighter (all of them), to X-Men, to Frogger.
These One-Up systems have brighter screens and don’t take quarters, so you don’t have to worry about being rusty, dying over and over, and losing all your change!
Constantly Evolving
Warp Zone will be re-opening its doors at its new location of 1302 Poplar Street on April 8th, 2022. While not everything will be completely finished and put in place, “people are not unaccustomed to the place being in a transitional state”, says Carey.
As the store evolves with every new item and collection that is brought in, Carey likes to showcase different things with different displays, making it so you never know what you’ll come across when you walk into the doors of Warp Zone.
Keep up with everything happening at Warp Zone by following them on Facebook.
