Retro gaming group bringing community together bit-by-bit

While the rain put a damper on the size of the Raleigh Retro Gamers' Spring Kickoff Market, the group adapted for a fun-filled event for gamers and collectors alike.

Posted 10:00 a.m. Apr 4, 2023 — Updated 5:07 p.m. Apr 4, 2023

Joseph Ochoa

, WRAL multiplatform producer

RALEIGH, N.C. — While you're not supposed to mix rain with wired electronics, these gamers didn't get the memo.

The Raleigh Retro Gamers hosted their Spring Popup Market Saturday at Heyday Brewing in Raleigh, with gamers of all ages coming to see what they could buy, sell and trade.

It was a WRAL Weather Alert Day on Saturday, but that didn't stop founding member Jeff Thomas and others from hosting the event.

Thomas started the group with others in 2018

"We were hoping for the weather to break," Thomas said. "But, unfortunately, we had to make the decision to draw back the large outdoor event and host the event inside."

Despite the downsized event, booths of all kinds were set up, from game collectors and console modders, to charities and store fronts.

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Thomas said the group was following what Dreamville Festival organizers were doing with their weather schedules, and added that the presence of the monster music festival was a great opportunity for the group to grow even further.

"We do work with VisitRaleigh, and we love bringing people into Raleigh," Thomas said. "Dreamville was a great opportunity for us this weekend to reach a bigger audience."

Thomas explained the group has grown beyond the Triangle, with vendors reaching out from Tennessee, Georgia and points further west.

One duo at the market, Adele Edwards and Alec Featherstone, recently moved from Texas, where they ran a retro video game shop, Magpie and Crow. The pair hope to open a physical storefront in the Triangle by the end of the year.

Featherstone, left, and Edwards, right, run Magpie and Crow. Magpie and Crow is a game store, which they operated out of from Texas before moving to North Carolina.

The chance to pair with RRG, which has over 2,000 members on Facebook, was a perfect fit.

"I think we were searching for gaming groups," Edwards said. "They ended up being the biggest ones, and we ended up reaching out."

Raleigh Retro Gamers started primarily on Facebook with just a few dozen members in 2018, but saw the community grow during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was a level of growth Thomas was not expecting.

"The interesting thing that happened after that was Covid brought so many people back into the community," Thomas said. "We had no idea that the general public or casual gaming community were going to get behind our events, so we're really stoked that that happened."

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The group has had vendors from across the southeast and from other ends of the country taking interest and reaching out to sell product through physical and virtual markets. The growth also garnered the interest of Extra Life, a charity part of the Children's Miracle Network.

"I'm in a Slack channel with them, a few people who are connected in the greater Raleigh area for esports and gaming," said Marcus Summers, a volunteer with ExtraLife. "So we reached out to them to be part of their convention in Raleigh in 2022, and we've been in contact with them ever since."

Marcus Summers, left, and Josh Web, right, help volunteer with Extra Life, a charity that helps raise money for children's hospitals through gaming.

Saturday's market was just a demo of what the group is capable of organizing, as they will be hosting a Summer Expo at Moore Square Park June 17. That event will have 75 vendors, including Edwards and Featherstone.

While Thomas wouldn't give up everything they have planned that day, he did say it will be even bigger than last year's, which brought in over 1,000 people.

"It will be very gaming related, very retro heavy, but there will be a ton of modern stuff as well," Thomas explained. "Pokemon, Funko Pops, Magic the Gathering or just geeky fun stuff, that will be there. There's going to be live music and food trucks, so there's going to be a lot to do for everyone."

For those who don't want to wait till then and want to get the next generation involved, the Raleigh Retro Gamers will be at Marbles Kids Museum for the release of the Super Mario Bros. Movie on Saturday, April 8, along with Oak City Indie Games.

The group is also working on plans for a second pop-up market.

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