Skip to main content

Original text


Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
Gaming Dream Keeps Growing For Wizas

Published February 11, 2020

When Jeff Wiza was in college, he didn’t have enough money for tuition, but he did have a huge deck of Pokémon cards. He also had experience selling on eBay.

"I started selling out of necessity when I was in college in the fall of 2004 and needed to pay for it," Wiza said. "I had bought and sold cards on eBay before that. Initially, it was about funding my hobby, but now it was about paying for school."

Without originally intending to make it a business, Wiza, who owns The Game Capital in De Pere with his wife, Hilary, found out that he had a skill for buying and selling cards and collectibles.

He stayed in school (he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with degrees in finance and math) and kept selling.

"First, it was from my dorm room, then an apartment, then when I moved home from college, from my parent's house, and then from my house," he said.

Wiza worked briefly at other jobs but found that he made more money in his growing business. As a top gaming competitor – he went to nationals in the game of Pokémon – he was connected with the right audience and followed gaming trends. He first became The Toy and Game Emporium before settling on the current name.

"This was a dream I always had and everything seemed to follow in a natural progression," he said. "Every two years, the business doubled in the amount of space it occupied."

The Game Capital opened its first bricks-and-mortar location in 2017 – a 1,750-square-foot space in De Pere. A few months ago, it moved to a new location in De Pere, increasing its space to 10,800 square feet. As the business grew at the first location, warehouse space was added. With the move, the warehouse space is at the same location making it easier to fill online sales.

It also allows them to have more and bigger events and additional space that can be used for parties, classes, or rentals. The staff, including six management people, helps determine what’s most popular for events, and Hilary is responsible for marketing and promotion.

"We have an event or two every night with more on the weekends," she said. "Totally, about 15 to 20 weekly. Marketing has been kind of a new thing for me and sometimes, it is a learn-as-I-go situation. These guys are throwing all sorts of ideas at me."

She had planned to work part-time, but says that she logs full-time hours between working at the store and working at home. Jeff’s hours are greater. 

"The hardest thing is the lack of free time; I’m always on call," Jeff said. "If I get home at a reasonable hour, I still get calls. It’s hard to go off the grid for more than two minutes at a time. I never clock in or out, but if I’m awake, I’m either working or eating."

Although long hours and dedication play a big part in the growth, Wiza credits his staff for much of it. He has a team of people who are experts and top competitors in their fields of expertise so they are equipped to train players. For those so inclined, it requires time, effort, and play testing to build a deck and know how to play. 

But that is only part of the target audience.

"We are reaching customers in a variety of categories," Jeff Wiza said. "There are games and toys geared to younger children, Pokémon and other trading card games, retail products that have a lot of different themes. All of this is expanding our reach."

While the early focus might have been on younger, male gamers, Wiza said they are doing board game events and targeting families. The negative notion that gamers are nerds has been redefined.

"Nerd culture is becoming more acceptable. Everyone has some nerd in them, and it’s kind of a cool thing now," he added.

It is also a fun thing, and although it might seem like a store full of customers would equal success, Wiza is quick to talk about the need for careful budgeting and setting goals. He puts every aspect of the business – online and storefront – into categories and sets sales goals for the month and year. These goals are shared with management and adjustments are made as needed. As a new source of income, memberships are being offered.

The new space will mean other changes, as well, in order to fill it. Wiza said he and Hilary plan additional marketing and will add to their retail line.

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.

SHARE THIS HEADLINE

Source

Green Bay Press-Gazette

key topics

CONNECT
2701 Larsen Road
}
Green Bay, WI 54303
1-800-634-0245

Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

Chat generously provided by:LiveChat

In partnership with
Jump back to top