Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Pierce.
Hi Dylan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In the winter of Jan 2021, I was over a year into my role as an operations manager for a gelato shop in downtown Wilmington. Covid had struck as soon as we got started up, and it was an uphill battle, obviously. Being head of in shop operations, it became very taxing, and honestly leading me to my rock bottom. That holiday break was a turning point. An idea that I believe had been resting in my mind subconsciously, rose to the surface; I wanted to recreate the feeling of my childhood: playing video games at my friends house, in their living room or basement, enjoying each others company, and occasionally scarfing down some junk food.
On a casual walk with my wife, we stumbled upon a vacant building in the middle of the up and coming Soda Pop district. And after no business plan and half baked idea, I decided to naively sign a 3 year lease for the a small section of this building. After some tough and swift work, we opened Retroscape Vintage Video Game Lounge March 27, 2021.
Since the small space with only 4 couches and TVs, a cafe table, we have grown to a full fledged retro experience. Each year we continued to grow in demand and in size, expanding our rentable space at the turn of almost every fiscal year. Along with visitors for general daily admission, we became an amazing place for parties/events, tournaments, pokemon, and now even handmade soda, hence the rebrand: Retroscape Gaming & Soda Lounge.
My wife, Ann Marie, has been a huge help getting us to this point with her eye for design and style. Every corner of the place was designed by her.
After nearly 5 years in business, we have continued to grow exponentially, making friends and memories along the way.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When we first opened up, I was quite naive. I believed my idea would easily attract a line out the door, but that was furthest from the truth. My first couple years were tough, and some days would go by without even a single customer. There were many days when I doubted what I was doing. We continued to improve and focus on the strengths of the business, and narrowed down exactly what we brought to the community.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My name is Dylan Pierce. I have lived in Wilmington NC since July of 2016. I graduated from Kalamazoo College in Michigan in June of 2016 with a BA in psychology. My wife Ann Marie and I moved down after graduation. I held multiple types of service jobs, insurance sales, eventually leading me to helping my friend open a gelato shop. With a smart home purchase for us in 2017, we quickly became Airbnb Superhosts, and it has been our main job since February 2018. Now personally, I help my wife with the airbnbs, and make sure my gaming lounge is running smoothly, as we try to juggle 3 kids, aged 1,4, and 6.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Luckily for my brick and mortar, I started small with our space, and had more space to rent as a grew. So I was able to expand conservatively as far as space/rent. The business continued to pay for itself until now it has become a nice “side hustle”, and have 2 near full time employees.
I would advise heavy marketing in more ways than one. Gift cards, videos, flyers, etc. Allocate a large up front amount to getting the word out there, and then continue to use small amounts for social media and google.
Don’t spend money you can’t afford.
Pricing:
- All day play $10 weekdays and $12 weekends
- $30 per month memberships
- $160 Gamer Pass, 20 preloaded visits shareable with friends and family
- 2 hour parties are $250/$300
Contact Info:
- Website: www.retrowilmington.com
- Instagram: retroscapewilmington
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/retroscapewilmington
