Gamer’s Oasis offers a variety of plushies along with Funko collectables.

Video game shop an oasis for gamers

Whether they are outside, inside, on a screen or on a board, games can be played by all. There are many places that carry games, such as Gamestop, Best Buy and Redbox, but none offer an experience quite like Gamer’s Oasis.  Harrisonburg native Lauren Davis is the operations manager of Gamer’s Oasis. After working at Gamestop for a few years and noticing that many people would ask for games that were not offered, Davis decided that a gaming store could be done better. 

With the mindset of opening up her own gaming shop, Davis got to work. But opening a business needs a lot of work and time, and with Davis being a music major in college,she had quite a lot to learn.   

“It’s amazing how much paperwork it takes to open a business,”Davis said. “I wasn’t really prepared for that. It took about three months of just paperwork but two years of planning, going to auctions, yard sales and just finding the products. It took us about a year being open until we could get sponsorship from vendors…it was all just a crazy learning experience.”

Owning a small business can come with it’s difficulties.The store opened in 2014 as 8-Bit Oasis but encountered financial issues in late 2017. When it announced that it would be permanently closing late 2017, members of the community were in shock, but they came together and made sure to keep the store open. By 2018 the store had moved downtown to a bigger facility.  

“One of our regular customers, Kris Estpp, put together a last minute meeting at city hall … and the turnout was insane, just within 48 hours.  It was them rallying to keep us open, and we were able to stay open. It was really the town that saved us,” Davis said.

Competition is not much of a problem for Gamer’s Oasis. They carry video games, card games, board games, plush wall, Funko collectables along with hosting tournaments.

“It’s funny, you think it would be a really competitive field but we carry so much that other stores don’t it’s really not that competitive. There is so much variety that we don’t impede on one business alone,” Davis said. “We’re kind of like a cup of tea. There are so many different types of cups and we just happen to have a lot more variety in our tea cups.”

Rather than be targeted towards a certain age group Gamer’s Oasis has something to offer for everyone.

“We have a lot of nostalgia which I think calls in a lot of people that are older that may have forgotten how to be kids, and it kind of makes you become a kid when you come in here. I can’t tell you how many times that door has opened and you hear ‘Oh my god, I remember this from when I was little’ and it’s the best thing in the world. When you see someone coming in with a questioning expression and you see there face change and they become happy.It’s incredible. Mostly what we see since we moved here is a lot more children. We are beside Kline’s and right in front of a church, so we get a lot more kids now. But primarily over the last four and a half years…20s to 40s was our average,” Davis said.

With the majority of the customers being families, affordability is a main goal for Davis, which sets them apart from larger corporations.  

“With the repairs … our average PS4 repair cost is $100, so you save $300 on average. It’s things like that which can allow parents to get things for their kids or for themselves in an economy that is slowly growing back up.It was tough for a long time, not everyone can afford everything.Offering layaway [and] understanding that people have bills. Not many companies are willing to work with you, I don’t know how they don’t see that everyone has bills. It’s the little things like helping people that makes this all worth it,” Davis said.

The store is located at 140 E Wolfe St, Harrisonburg, VA 22802.

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