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Part IV – Shopping the Geek Life in Portland

This article was supposed to join the digital ether early yesterday, alas, the cold soul of technology stood in the way of Geeky shopping. However, issues have been resolved and I can now bring you the best of Geek stores from Portland’s neighboring towns. Again coming from the East side and West side we have a well-established store and one just getting started.

Gamers Guild - 801 SW Highland Drive, Gresham, OR - 503.669.2640

Tipped off by the fun folks at Dark Side Troopers, Gamers Guild recently celebrated their grand opening in Gresham on July 23 2005. Gamers Guild looks to be the destination location for Geeks in Gresham who want to get their LAN fragging on! With a large amount of Alienware gaming machines, Gamers Guild is not messing around with their PC games. At 3 bucks for an hour (or $25 for a ten-hour frag card), the cost for sniping your best friend in the digital world is less then most gaming centers. For those that are lacking in the right button mouse strafing; Gamers Guild has a nice collection of old school stand-up arcades with your friendly neighborhood Geek spending far too much time on Gauntlet II. (Remember, don’t shoot food.). Not only a digital gaming store, Gamers Guild appeals to the analog gamers with a strong stock of collectable card and miniature games, with such games like Yu-Gi-Oh, Warhammer, Star Wars, and more. While they stock comics, it does seem that Gamers Guild primary focus is gaming and if they can keep themselves on the gaming edge, I see them sticking around a good long time. Check them out.

Ancient Wonders (Map) - 19060 SW Boones Ferry Road, Tualatin, OR. – 503.692.0753

There was this dark time when I lived in the area of Lake Oswego. I have nothing against the town, but as a hardcore Geek, the place has little to offer. (Apart from a sweet bridge that I want to film a zombie scene under). Thankfully, the proprietors at Ancient Wonders in nearby Tualatin are there to help the L.O. bound Geek. Like the previously mentioned Things From Another World, Ancient Wonders mixes many sections of Geekdom as they stock comics, collectable card games, and table-top role playing games. Ancient Wonders should take pride in the fact that it is one of the few stores that has found a strong balance between the various Geek cultures with comics and games given equal space. Last time I checked, Ancient Wonders hosts various game tournaments and encourages first time gamers to stop by and learn from veteran dice tossers and card bashers; a service seriously lacking in the gaming Geek community. For me, the greatest discovery at Ancient Wonders is their massive stock of out of print role playing games. Being an “older” gamer it makes me smile to know there is still a store that stocks the FASA Starfleet Battles, 1st edition AD&D, and the gem that was WEG Star Wars! While a good-sized jaunt from the Portland, area you really should set aside some time and make a stop at Ancient Wonders.