Interview with Jon Young, owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: I’ve been working retail for 11 years. I moved between a few companies before I ended up as a manager at Game Crazy. I totally fell in love with the video game industry, and when Game Crazy went out of business, a few of my buddies and I decided to put our collections together and open our own store.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: The biggest difference between us and stores like us is our staff. Everyone who works at Level 7 Games cares about our store and our customers. We have more than 40 years of customer service experience combined and, although a lot of stores are passionate about gaming, we are equally passionate about our customers’ satisfaction. In addition to that, we provide services (computer/system repair) and products like retro and collectible games that other stores do not carry.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: I get to be surrounded by people who share my same interests. Talking to my customers is like talking to my friends. Basically, I get to hang out in my teenage bedroom with friends, surrounded by my favorite games, toys and music. It’s hard to nail down one favorite thing about this place.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: The biggest challenge we face as a business is acquiring new inventory on retro games like Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64. The retro game market has absolutely exploded in the last five years and the demand for classic and collectible games is higher than ever. We are selling games faster than we can get them.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: Before finding my passion for this industry, I dropped out of college three times and had nine different jobs in a six-year span. I truly feel like these stores are my calling. We’ve been in business for six and a half years, have opened three stores and I feel like I could do this forever.
Profile
Business: Level 7 Games
Address: 10815 W. Jewell Ave., Lakewood
Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Founded: 2009
Contact: 720-476-7106,
Employees: 10
