DawnStar Video Games and Arcade — Local services in Richmond

My friend called me to say he needed to sell a flock of Pokémon cards that rose in value after Sabrina Carpenter declared them her favorite gen. I regarded that sentence with the utmost skepticism. But whatever dude, I’ll say yes to any proposal that will stave off the pervasive dread of being. So eventually, after visiting several establishments which will remain unnamed so as to not hasten their demise, we end up at Dawnstar. Have you seen a Pokémon card negotiation recently? It’s like a jewelry appraisal. Somebody may have been wearing a monocle. The owner, Dakota, is a delightful sweetheart of a man. He paid my troubled friend an irresponsible amount of money (I haven’t seen him since! he’s probably in danger!) but then he was like “you guys wanna hang out in my arcade for free?” So I said “isn’t it closing time?” And he was like “psh whatever bro, go have fun”. Now, I’m a nerd from a forgotten past so I can’t really say how this store fares in terms of Pokémon. I will therefore assess the store based on inscrutably esoteric criteria. 1.) Is there a Japanese version of Tokimeki Memorial on the Saturn that no one will ever buy? Yes, this is the ‘Whipped Cream & Other Delights’ by Herb Alpert of video games. Once widely available for $0.25 at every thrift store and pawn shop in the mid-Atlantic; now $30. Remember that at your grandma’s estate sale. 2.) Anyone who can afford Neo-Geo will be hanged in the Francophone uprising. 3.) He sold me a new copy of Vengeful Guardian Moonrider at MSRP. No markup for being out-of-print. Is that a lack of insecurity or are you just happy to see me? 4.) I don’t care how cheap Frank Thomas’ Big Hurt Baseball is, everyone who wanted it has mysteriously vanished! 5.) Why do I keep spending $10 on like, strategy guides for Wild Arms when the contents are freely available online? I should use this money for therapy. And that’s the five-point scale for judging a game store. Now I’m going to stand outside looking weird and just being a part...

I will start by saying this, I am thankful for my cheap, four-month patronage at this store. I found (and purchased) a bunch of great games for my Atari 2600. I can also say that I would not have fully realized the type of nerd I actually am today if I never did business with Dawnstar. In September of 2024, I decided to take an NES that I purchased on ebay with a refurbished 72-pin connector complete with hookups, a first-party controller, a light gun, a third-party controller that did not break when I used it, and nine games which included titles like Mario Bros. + Duck Hunt, Mario 3, Donkey Kong Classics, Contra, Castlevania, Punch Out, and some others I don't remember. For all of that, Dakota gave me two different offers: $65 cash or $80 store credit. I semi-begrudgingly took the $80 store credit option because I thought I was getting more money and I kind of wanted to get my NES out of the house more than anything. That is not my core issue with Dawnstar, I understand that they need to profit from their purchases so they can make ends meet. My real issue came about on December 11th, 2024. I decided to use my store credit card to buy three Game Boy games: Pac-Man, Frogger 2, and a boxed copy of Pong: The Next Level. With sales tax factored in, these three games came out to about $42. Meg was the clerk when I made this purchase and she had the nerve to tell me that my store credit card was now empty. I didn't feel like arguing with her so I took my games and left and I haven't been back since. After my experience with Dawnstar, the video gaming nerd within me is now forever trapped in 1984 and I think I can...

Excellent selection and chill vibes + decorations for a small boutique store. Full "free play" per person per pay arcade is a nice touch! First game* I bought had one issue running properly BUT the two owners that I met (there are three total), Dakotah and Andrew, were super helpful and considerate to work with and I was able to make a fair swap for it for other games I wanted. They could look into sealing used controllers, cables, etc. that they sell into plastic packaging to preserve them better, but the quality is still very good based on the cable I got. Would definitely return to see this place grow and improve!

(*Tech Details for those who care: Game was Pokemon Crystal. Issue was wear on a GameBoy Color cart plastic near pins made it so that the pins wouldn't align within a GBA SP - wish I got a photo. Swapped it for Pokemon Blue GB and Link's Awakening GB, which I think was worth it.)

Shown in Photo (L to R, top to bottom): "My Hero Academia, Vol. 2" (manga book, English, 5th ed., 2017), MegaMan Battle Network 3: White (GBA, 2002), The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (GB, 1993), Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (GBA, 2003), Pokemon: Blue Version (GB, 1996), and a GBA-to-Gamecube link...