Any memories of the old shops we used to visit?
- Thread starter GGizmo
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I've got many happy memories of going down a dark alley in my town back in my teens, there was a little shop at the end of it called Console Mania that did all the consoles, part exchange, accessories and imports 
We bought so many games from there, and I was quite sad to see it go in the late 90's, they had things like Action Replays, all the multi region adaptors, the floppy disk add on for the snes that let you pirate stuff, and a very early Japanese import of Street Fighter (turbo edition i think?) for ~£95 pretty much the week it launched, as well as things like early saturns/dreamcasts, a neogeo etc.
I've still got the big fully metal fighting stick I got from there somewhere in the loft.
There was another shop on IIRC the outskirts of Hemel that I used to go to and they did older PC games and hardware, we bought so many games for the 386 and 486 there.
There was also a little shop at Shenley Church End in MK that we'd go to on a regular basis in the 486/pentium days, I remember walking in one day and seeing Warcraft II running on the demo PC and promptly buying a copy of it.
We bought so many games from there, and I was quite sad to see it go in the late 90's, they had things like Action Replays, all the multi region adaptors, the floppy disk add on for the snes that let you pirate stuff, and a very early Japanese import of Street Fighter (turbo edition i think?) for ~£95 pretty much the week it launched, as well as things like early saturns/dreamcasts, a neogeo etc.
I've still got the big fully metal fighting stick I got from there somewhere in the loft.
There was another shop on IIRC the outskirts of Hemel that I used to go to and they did older PC games and hardware, we bought so many games for the 386 and 486 there.
There was also a little shop at Shenley Church End in MK that we'd go to on a regular basis in the 486/pentium days, I remember walking in one day and seeing Warcraft II running on the demo PC and promptly buying a copy of it.
I still have quite a vivid memory of going with my dad to Debenhams in Hull to pick up an Atari 2600. This will have been not long after they finished the Humber Bridge so was probably the first time I went across that. I can close my eyes and see us approaching the electronics area of the store. Also, when we got it we didn't go straight home but he dropped me off at an Uncles house and I don't know how but my uncles neighbours kids ended up coming round and we set it up on my uncles TV first and played Combat all day. Have quote a vivid memory of that as well.
Yes Just Micro was a legendary shop. Going in every Saturday and perusing the games on cassette tape playing a few of the latest ones in store. Gremlin Graphics had the offices upstairs. The entrance was further up Carver Street. My mate got a job their and worked on Potty Pidgeon and a few others. ACE Magazine ran readers lotteries to go to Games Publishers and you got shown round and met the Devs etc. I ended up going to the Gremlin Graphics one and came away with a few games.
Does anyone remember Software Warehouse(?)? They were a bit like PC World back in the 90s and I'm sure I bought a modem or something from them.
I thought they were pretty big at the time but can't find any trace of them now!
I thought they were pretty big at the time but can't find any trace of them now!
Associate
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Growing up in Chelmsford, I was always hassling my Dad to drive me into town so I could go to Special Reserve - they had bricks and mortar stores in Sawbridgeworth and Chelmsford. I spent so much of my pocket money there on things like Syndicate, all the old Microprose flight sims (1942 Pacific Air War was a favourite) and Carmageddon 2. They had their own prebuilt PCs which would be running the Quake demo at a framerate our 486/66 could only dream of. My Dad would sneak games home and hope I wouldn't notice them - I remember spotting a Sim City 2000 box appearing on the shelf one day then harangueing him until I was allowed a go. I remember in 1996/97 my brother and I had saved up just enough to get a second-hand 3DO - my Dad realised this was a terrible idea and took us both to Special Reserve after school one day and paid the extra so we could have a Playstation.
Good times - I think it's a hairdresser's now...
Good times - I think it's a hairdresser's now...
Popped into my local Game yesterday with my daughter, it had a big ‘Closing Down Sale’ sign. I asked where they were moving to and the chap said nowhere 
Game has been in my local shopping centre for years and years and it was elsewhere in town for years before that. I bought my copy of Batman Returns for the SNES there when I was 15 years old. It was an Electronics Boutique store before that. Once it closes, the only remaining physical shop selling console games will be CEX.
Sign of the times I guess, but only 1/3 of the shop appeared dedicated to PC/Console games, the rest was filled with toys/guff. Thanks Sports Direct, you’ve ruined yet another business.
Game has been in my local shopping centre for years and years and it was elsewhere in town for years before that. I bought my copy of Batman Returns for the SNES there when I was 15 years old. It was an Electronics Boutique store before that. Once it closes, the only remaining physical shop selling console games will be CEX.
Sign of the times I guess, but only 1/3 of the shop appeared dedicated to PC/Console games, the rest was filled with toys/guff. Thanks Sports Direct, you’ve ruined yet another business.
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Looking through the singles chart in Woolies and Smiths.
Soldato
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Special Reserve in Chelmsford, Essex - I remember that shop well!
The demise of Game began when they decided to concentrate on second hand games rather than brand new, because second hand was more profitable, and stocked fewer new copies. They sold second hand games only £5 less than brand new, and pushed them to customers over the new copies, which the game publishers and distributors were not happy about at all.
Also the supermarkets and online retailers were out-competing them on price, and Game couldn't offer a better service to make up for that, plus CEX became way more competitive for used games.
They killed off PC games at retail because they wouldn't stock them as PC games couldn't be re-sold due to CD Keys and DRM. Steam came along and showed that PC games were popular and profitable.
The thing is I'm not against gaming shops selling game related merchandise as well - there's a good market for that, but Game under Sports Direct has become too focused on merchandise that has nothing to do with gaming.
I used there postal service in the early to mind 90's for NES/SNES & PS1 games. I did go to the shop once. I also got my first PC from them in 1998.
While the game/PC shop is gone, the related internet business is still going with Freeola and get dotted. I recently moved my domains to them from 123-reg as 123-regs extra charges from service they use to do for free started to take the pee.
Same for me, well I never visited the store but I always looked forward to their catalogue arrivingI used there postal service in the early to mind 90's for NES/SNES & PS1 games. I did go to the shop once. I also got my first PC from them in 1998.
While the game/PC shop is gone, the related internet business is still going with Freeola and get dotted. I recently moved my domains to them from 123-reg as 123-regs extra charges from service they use to do for free started to take the pee.
Bought some of my first 'upgrades' from them...an upgrade in quantity & to EDO SIMMs 
I only just saw this post. I have probably mentioned it here before but I worked in the Bristol branch in the years leading up to their demise.
The company was great to work for and we had a great store team. Although myself and a few other of the guys must have spent a fair wack of our wages on PC stuff.
The online arm was spun off into Jungle.com by the owner, who went big on the dot.com bubble, even after saying he would always support the bricks and mortar retail stores.
The retail arm was bought out by a group of senior execs but sadly it didn't last too long after. I still remember turning up to find the shutters down and the administrators there to do a final booking keeping and stock check. No warning and only statutory redundancy. For the life of me I can't remember what the trading name was after the buyout.
Jungle.com got bought out by the then owners of Argos and eventually just got absorbed, although at one point the Argos catalogue did have a Jungle section.
Last I remember was seeing of the owner was him selling his new jewellery compamy wares on QVC, that almost have been at least 15 years ago.
Which Software+ branch did you frequent? It was mostly Essex as I recall. I worked in the original shop at Moulsham Street and occasionally in the bigger store on the high street when it opened up.
Soldato
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Stevenage for me. There were a couple dotted around.
Soldato
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That's where I bought way of the exploding fist!
I opened a shop in Horley in 1992 called N.A.S.A Games (Nintendo, Atari, Sega, Amiga) i have pictures of it somewhere i'll try to upload them ahh happy days
Edited to add pics... that's me as a youngling 20 years old! man where does the time go?
Edited to add pics... that's me as a youngling 20 years old! man where does the time go?
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There was a shop in the local town that sold games, dodgy imports and trading cards. Used to go there every Saturday to spend my pocket money. I can remember one weekend picking up a bootleg version of Pokemon Silver for the Gameboy. I've still got it somewhere.
Early-Mid 2000's, we would go to the local Game during our lunchbreak at college. They had a demo 360 with one of the CoD games and we would try and beat our completion times on one of the missions.
Those were the days....
Early-Mid 2000's, we would go to the local Game during our lunchbreak at college. They had a demo 360 with one of the CoD games and we would try and beat our completion times on one of the missions.
Those were the days....
Soldato
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I have a feeling they became jungle.com and then promptly went pop. They had a big mail order setup, and used to have massive (30+ page) adverts in magazines like personal computer world.
EDIT: Yeah, stores were closed down and the mail order became Jungle.com, https://www.theregister.com/2000/08/08/software_warehouses_old_retail_chain/
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