Dark Side — Local services in Sarasota

I came into the store to sell some old Pokemon and Yugioh cards that I had. Xavier helped me with the process. He looked through the cards I had and pulled out the ones the store would like to buy from me. To my surprise they wanted a good selection of cards and some I wasn't ready to part with. He had no issue whatsoever letting me hold on to the ones I wanted to keep for various reasons. After spotting some cards in the case that I had wanted to use my store credit on, Xavier showed me the stack of cards that weren't yet in the system and I found so many that I have been looking everywhere for! I was ecstatic to find them and for a great price. Afterwards I went through my binder once more and found a small stack that I thought he may have skimmed over and some Pokemon cards that he did not look at the first run through being as I was only planning on selling some of my yugioh. He did not hesistate to help me again and really took his time to make sure I and future customers were satisfied. Once again, now that I had store credit to spend there was more I wanted to buy. I was not able to find a card on the online system that I saw in the case, Xavier went out of his way to find out why that was happening, it ended up being a computer error due to the person who put the card in the system originally. I got all the cards I wanted and walked out a very happy customer. Will recommend this place to everyone and anyone that needs a place for comics and games! You...

Let’s really talk about this store… I’ve been going here off and on for as long as I can remember it being in the Sarasota commons. It actually pains me to leave this review because I’ve been hoping for years they would turn their customer service around. But today I went in as I like to do on my day off now and again to buy a comic or figure. As I went to check out at the counter to a younger blonde haired male store associate. I asked if they sold top loaders for magazines or bags and boards. To which he shook his head slowly and said no in a manner that suggested I’d ask him a foreign question in Klingon. The answer was quite a unique no as he then blamed Covid and said they haven’t sent us any since then. As I thought to myself, “Bruh.. it’s January of 2023.. I can order them from Amazon and they’ll be here in a day.” Seems like a simple complaint doesn’t it? Me thinking as a comic book shop they should sell these things? But this is a reoccurring theme over the last few years of lack of interest in business, lack of motivation to serve your customer base, and no sense of initiative or urgency. I feel like they don’t understand that customers shouldn’t have to ask themselves if it worth traveling to your store. They do have an ginormous selection of books. Nothing I can’t buy online though. For that they...

This place is huge and has just about anything you could want for tabletop gaming of any kind - board games, card games, CCGs, TCGs, TRPGs, minis, etc. - as well as comics (and what seems to be a new section with vintage video games!). There’s plenty of tables in the back for folks to game at, and the staff is super friendly and helpful... I’m into TRPGs and minis, but my son has decided he likes comics and graphic novels (he’s a reluctant reader at times so anything helps!). I asked for some pointers on picking out books for him and was shown around the “kids racks” and given several suggestions for my son and my daughter. I wish I had caught the guy’s name how helped me, because he was great! And my kids, of course, loved the graphic novels that he recommended and I selected. There are closer shops to me, but none compare in terms of inventory and sheer variety of products. Prices are comparable to other gaming shops (the do have a huge selection of Reaper Bones minis at the best brick and mortar prices I’ve seen). It’s hard to say who has the best staff because gaming shop employees tend to be really into their jobs, but I can always tell that the guys and gals at Dark Side are having a good time at work, and that goes a long way towards having a good vibe in the shop! Keep up the...