Steel Collectibles — Attraction in Kennesaw

EDITED REVIEW: I was contacted by the wife, and she offered a sincere apology—which I genuinely appreciate. It takes humility to reach out, and that gesture goes a long way. We all have our off days, and it’s understandable. When the day-to-day becomes routine, it’s easy to lose a bit of perspective.

Many of us start to see our workplace as a second home, surrounded by familiar faces we begin to treat like family. There’s nothing wrong with that—it often creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. But with that comfort, it’s easy to forget that our actions are being observed—not just by other adults, but by kids as well. And children pick up on more than we think. It’s a reminder for all of us to stay mindful, especially in family-friendly environments.

Business is hard. Building it is hard. Maintaining it is even harder. And sometimes, the stress seeps out unexpectedly—landing on someone who has no idea why they're being confronted. That’s just human. But it’s also why customer service matters so much. Every interaction shapes a customer's experience and impacts the reputation of the business. Respect, professionalism, and consistency are what keep people coming back.

I’ll likely go back and give it another try. I do like the store. I enjoy browsing, and I’m always on the lookout for those occasional hidden gems that come in. I’m a retro player and collector, and Steel Collectibles has had some great finds. Even when prices were a little higher, I still made purchases—because I genuinely value brick-and-mortar stores and supporting local businesses.

I want the store to succeed, and I know how important it is to get things right, especially with customers who care enough to return.

OLDER REVIEW FROM JUNE 29TH 2025 I will not be returning.

Let me start by saying this: I used to come to this location to buy used and retro games—never to sell. I have a sizable collection of games and systems, and would visit occasionally when my schedule allowed.

Today, Sunday, June 29th, I stopped by to ask if they had a power adapter that would work for my recently purchased Atari Lynx and TurboExpress. I was also interested in purchasing a Japanese Nintendo system I had inquired about before.

What I got instead was an unpleasant and unnecessary display of attitude from the two owners (I believe they're a couple)—the woman with brightly colored hair and the man with long hair. Their behavior toward both employees and customers was completely uncalled for.

Having run multiple multi-million-dollar businesses and spent 30 years working with egos in Hollywood, I’ve learned one thing: you always treat customers with respect, regardless of what kind of day you're having. Whatever personal issues or frustrations you’re dealing with—keep them to yourself.

The man slammed his sandwich down like Thor’s hammer and stormed out the door. The woman spoke to her staff as if they were incompetent, forgetting that as the employer, it’s her responsibility to help and support them. When I asked about a power adapter, she spoke to me like I was trespassing. Instead of offering to follow up or check with someone else, she simply walked away—no explanation, no assistance.

At that point, I walked out. I was so frustrated that if I had stayed, I would’ve said something I’d regret. If they had treated my daughter or her friends the way I was treated, I would’ve put an end to it immediately.

As I was walking through the parking lot, they shouted from a distance that they didn’t have the adapter. I yelled back that if they were having a bad day, they needed to chill out. One of them mumbled something in return.

That’s it for me. I won’t be going back—not now, not ever. There are plenty of other game shops to choose from. I used to enjoy coming here....

This review has been a long time coming. I don’t think to do reviews too often but I figured for the awesome crew at Steel Collectibles, it’d be criminal for me not to.

I first found the store a few years ago while on a search for board games. While they didn’t have any, I was blown away by their retro game collection, and the owner, Tyler, was super friendly. It was a neat place, but at the time I wasn’t in the market for what they had, so I didn’t go back for a while.

Fast forward a year after that and I had gotten into modding retro handhelds and collecting games for them, which led me back to Steel since they had a bunch of PS2 games, GameCube games, GameBoy and GameBoy Advance games, and other stuff I was super interested in collecting at the time. Tyler was just as friendly then, and that time I really started talking to him and getting to know him. From there, it’s pretty much history.

Steel Collectibles has an incredible selection of games for all consoles, both new and retro, and they keep a good stock of cheap games and more expensive ones, and they’re always priced fairly. I’m pretty sure the majority of my collection has come from their store at this point. They also have action figures, Transformers, Funkos, Anime figures, comics and other miscellaneous things that people are always looking for.

They do trade ins and offer both cash and store credit, and they have good rates on top of being honest about what they’ll take and what they won’t. I’ve made friends with everyone who works there, and they’re always welcoming and friendly and create a great atmosphere to hang out in. I’ve met some awesome people in my time frequenting Steel, and I’m sure I’ll meet plenty more. If you’re looking to add to your retro game collection or comic collection here in Atlanta, Steel Collectibles is one of the best...

Lets start with the fact that upon entry, it looks like a massive toy box. So, out the gate you get the sense that "yes, I'll find it here" whatever "it" is(so long as it pertains to games, toys or comics). Before I even made it to the counter, I heard talk between the cashier and a guest, of SPECIFICALLY what I came in looking for-in abundance.

I took 3 steps into the place and got welcomed just as many times-if not directly offered help finding whatever I needed. It tickles me that the place is in fact shaped like a Gamestop, but thats as far as the similarities go when it comes to aesthetics.

Given how organized and plentiful the gaming products were I couldn't help but ask if they were officially recognized, meaning could I buy new consoles there. It's complicated, but the answer was still yes. Which, good. I'd rather spend my money for games and such at a place like this where the love of the hobby is permeated from staffer to staffer.

All the things I was looking for were fairly priced and there were at least 2-3 of each thing, which implies a healthy cycle/ecosystem.

Finally, everyone there was friendly, everyone there knew their stuff. I believe genuinely that anythint gaming I need taken care of-can/will be taken care of by the family that runs this place. I had a good laugh and good conversation whilst there, to the point I felt terrible not saying goodbye to everyone on my way out. But a business is a business, and they all had work to do.

All in all, a tick out the way for me, but worth it.

I found my gamestore of choice.

P.s dont waste your time/gas at VGT, it ain't worth...