ALTON - A local hangout and retail space for new and used games of all sorts is moving.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Slackers is moving from 317 Homer Adams Parkway to the first floor of the Alton Square Mall. The move is currently taking place, and is due to new ownership of the strip mall in which Slackers is currently located. While store manager Luis Meneses described the former owners as friendly to local business (Slackers is a regionally-operated franchise). He said the store was unable to come to a mutually beneficial rent agreement with the current owners who took the property sometime last year. He said the managers at the Alton Square Mall had been working to court them for some time, adding the “planets had aligned” for what Meneses said was a “surprisingly better” rent agreement.
“The former Christian book store is a great location for us,” Meneses said in a Facebook message. “It's right at the center of the entrance, and seems to be big enough to hold most of our stuff.”
Some stuff not making the leap across the highway will be what Meneses described as “dead technology,” such as players' manuals (Google is much cheaper and more effective), and VHS tapes. During the move, players' manuals are 50 percent cheaper, and VHS tapes are four for a dollar, except Disney movies. Those retain more value.
The store is also selling some glass showcase shelving for a hundred bucks each and a TV for a Jackson.
By March 5, the entire store should be operating within the Alton Square Mall.
“Our selection is dependent upon trade in product and current trends,” he said. “We did get upgrades on our CD bins and fixtures. We also cut some of the dead product to expand on more popular categories like comic books and trading cards.”
Meneses said the Alton Square Mall was receptive to the move as well. Besides representatives attempting to court the business previously and the location being functional, Meneses said a store such as theirs in the Alton Square Mall will bring back some of the mall's glory days of toy and music stores.
“It's been a long time since there's been a music store, or a toy store in the mall,” he said. :We kind of fill a few voids. I think it could be a win-win for everyone involved. We have been talking to the mall about hosting gaming events and we are hopeful that we will be able to continue our Record Store Day traditions and similar events – just in the mall.”
More like this:
Related Video:
