#the great escape
Since the 2013 edition has been rated fairly high on Google, I decided to do an updated list of my favorite retro video game stores in Middle Tennessee. Unfortunately, lots of stores have gone out of business, but others have picked up slack, so the ratings have changed and so have some of the locations! I’ve also been to the far reaches in Tennessee both south and north of Nashville in search of the top game stores so a few of these may be noted as a little out of the way if you are visiting Nashville.
10. Goodwill of Middle Tennessee (all over the place!)
Sadly, there aren’t really 10 total game stores in MIDDLE Tennessee, so Goodwill still makes the chart. If you see a Goodwill, there is a 99% chance they won’t have anything good. They sell anything and everything that is any good online, and never post pictures or rate condition. It’s a real shame that they know what they’ve got, and go so poorly about selling it properly.
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9. Game Galaxy Arcade (Rivergate/Smyrna)
Game Galaxy focuses more on arcade gaming than console gaming, but does randomly get in old systems and games traded in. It’s really a hit or miss place for purchases, but if arcade gaming is your thing then this place is a must. There are HUNDREDS of machines between the two locations, and it’s typically only $10 to play all day. This is the ONLYplace in Tennessee to check for arcade games.
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8. Play-N-Trade (Murfreesboro)
Play-N-Trade is a small chain that landed in Murfreesboro about 8 years ago. It’s run by really nice people and specializes in newer console games, but has a nice amount of retro come in from time to time. Being that it’s down the road from one of the absolute finest retro game stores in TN (more on that down the list), it’s hard for it to compete any higher. That being said, it’s still a contender in the top ten, so check them out!
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7. Media Rerun (Murfreesboro)
Media Rerun is an independently owned store that has a reputation for getting in oddball and rare items. What comes in today may be gone tomorrow, and if you don’t see something good today, tomorrow could hold treasures. It’s really impossible to know what they might have. The staff is super nice and is willing to cut deals on the spot, and the prices are always MORE than competitive. They post new arrivals on their social media constantly. This is a staple on every trip to Murfreesboro!
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6. Game Trader (Nashville)
Game Trader is a place of top notch quality. The case in the back of the store is a museum in and of itself. But the price point is also there. The prices are typically right around averages online, but sometimes are higher and sometimes lower. Beware items in shrink wrap, as they will appear to be factory sealed but are actually just re-wrapped by the store itself to keep everything intact and together. They get loads of rare items in, and definitely know their stuff. The employees aren’t always cheerful, so don’t go in looking for a lot of conversation. It’s worth a visit, even if you don’t make a purchase. This is probably the best place for serious collectors to hit in all of the Nashville area.
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5. McKay Used Books (Nashville)
McKay went from a low-priced junk-hole with lots of treasures, to an overpriced joke of a store, but has now finally found their place retro gaming. The staff used to be argumentative and impatient, but is now nothing but smiles and courtesy. The guys working the help desk are awesome, and the selection fluctuates like all buy/sell/trade stores do but they typically keep quality items behind the counter, and price them accordingly. The prices aren’t too inflated though. Sometimes things are higher than online averages, but lots of times are much lower. They recently had a used mint copy of Snatcherfor Sega CD for $380, which isn’t bad for a book store! Check their “very scratched” section for some good bargains on manuals and cases to complete your disc only games!
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4. The Great Escape (Madison)
This location of the Great Escape is just down the road from Game Trader, so typically the best items get taken to the gaming specialty store. Sometimes this store gets in some real treasures and prices them to move. The staff is hit and miss, but the management are extremely nice people. They recently moved into a newer location just down the hill from their old spot (now they are in the old Hollywood Video and later Buybacks - RIP to both!). Expect a great selection of new and old games, action figures, card gaming, movies, and music. They trade all of those items as well, so bring in your old music and swap it for old games! Most of the treasure is in the case up front by the register, or in the case in the very back of the store. There are a few tables with more common items out, but you never know what you might find!
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3. McKay Used Books (Chattanooga)
This store is TECHNICALLY in East Tennessee, but it’s right on the edge of Middle TN and well worth mentioning. I’ve always had great luck at this store. I stop through on trips to Atlanta every chance I get, and nine times out of ten it’s well worth it. Expect the same as Nashville, but with a bigger gaming section with a ton more items, and better organization.
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2. The Great Escape (Nashville)
This is my go to store for retro gaming around town. This is where I buy the most, shop the most, and where I do all my trading. The people are typically a pleasure to deal with, and trade credit is the best value I’ve found. The selection of retro items here is getting better all the time. The prices are very much lower that online, and even other local competitors. There is no telling what you may find here, but chances are you’ll be walking away with it at the prices they have!
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1. Game Trader (Murfreesboro)
This is the finest store for retro gaming that you will find in Middle Tennessee. The store is tiny, but packs a HUGEpunch. They have more conversation pieces than all the other store combined, and the staff is hands down THE nicest and most knowledgeable. I’ve spent hours just conversing with the guys at this store. They are always running specials, and have extremely competitive prices and make sure the quality items are kept safe behind the counter - so expect to have to ask for assistance to see the real goods. It’s a little hard to find, as it faces away from the road and is right behind a Baskin Robins in a Wal Mart parking lot - but DON’T MISS IT!
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Honorable Mentions:
-Blasted Machine Tech Shop (Cleveland)
This store isn’t in Middle Tennessee, but it’s tied for the absolute BEST in all of Tennessee that I have found. If you’re headed down I-24, it’s a short distance off the beaten path but has so many great items packed into a tiny little location. They always have great prices and then pile on terrific sales on top of that. I take extra time on my trips down to Atlanta to shop this store. The guys running it are always very nice and extremely knowledgeable. I’ve found MANY great items here and always get loads of great information from these guys.
-Game Hero Video Games (Jamestown)
This is the other BEST retro gaming store I’ve found in all of Tennessee, but too bad it’s nowhere near Nashville. Jeremiah is a cool dude who started dealing in games around Cookeville, and eventually made a name for himself and was able to open his own store. His prices are more than fair, and he’s full of knowledge and kindness. This is a collectible gaming store run by a game collector FOR game collectors. If every game store was like this one, the world would be a much better place for all good collectors.
A new month means a new episode and this is what you can expect on Fresh Foward in June:
Catch it on the 4Music Network and don’t forget to tag me when you do and as always we photographed up a storm whilst on set lol
The Comet, TheGreat Escape, Queensbury, NY
I’m the king of the great escape. You’re not gonna watch me checking out of this place. You’re not gonna lose me ‘cause the passion and pain are gonna keep us alive someday.
P!nk
The Great Escape | John Sturges | 1963
Don’t worry folks. She’ll jump over the perimeter with a motorbike.
March 24th 1944: The ‘Great Escape’
On this day in 1944, a group of Allied prisoners of war staged a daring escape attempt from the German prisoner of war camp at Stalag Luft III. This camp, located in what is now Poland, held captured Allied pilots mostly from Britain and the United States. In 1943, an Escape Committee under the leadership of Squadron Leader Roger Bushell of the RAF, supervised prisoners surreptitiously digging three 30 foot tunnels out of the camp, which they nicknamed ‘Tom’, ‘Dick’ and ‘Harry’. The tunnels led to woods beyond the camp and were remarkably sophisticated - lined with wood, and equipped with rudimentary ventilation and electric lighting. The successful construction of the tunnels was particularly impressive as the Stalag Luft III camp was designed to make it extremely difficult to tunnel out as the barracks were raised and the area had a sandy subsoil. ‘Tom’ was discovered by the Germans in September 1943, and ‘Dick’ was abandoned to be used as a dirt depository, leaving ‘Harry’ as the prisoners’ only hope. By the time of the escape, American prisoners who had assisted in tunneling had been relocated to a different compound, making the escapeees mostly British and Commonwealth citizens. 200 airmen had planned to make their escape through the ‘Harry’ tunnel, but on the night of March 24th 1944, only 76 managed to escape the camp before they were discovered by the guards. However, only three of the escapees - Norwegians Per Bergsland and Jens Müller and Dutchman Bram van der Stok - found their freedom. The remaining 73 were recaptured, and 50 of them, including Bushell, were executed by the Gestapo on Adolf Hitler’s orders, while the rest were sent to other camps. While the escape was generally a failure, it helped boost morale among prisoners of war, and has become enshrined in popular memory due to its fictionalised depiction in the 1963 film The Great Escape.
“Three bloody deep, bloody long tunnels will be dug – Tom, Dick, and Harry. One will succeed!”
- Roger Bushell
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Steve McQueen of The Great Escape, The Thomas Crown Affair and The Towering Inferno.
In a bathtub.
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Mister Miracle: The Great Escape (2022) / DC Comics
“Desperate to leave Apokolips, an oppressive world ruled by Lord Darkseid, Scott’s great escape will take nothing short of a miracle as no one has ever left the planet on their own free will.
A student at the Goodness Academy, Scott brews up a foolproof plan to escape to planet Earth—all while struggling to understand his identity, PTSD from growing up in the fire pits of Apokolips, and somehow falling in love with his number one enemy, Big Barda, who has made keeping Scott on Apokolips her number one priority.”
StoryVarian Johnson, Art Daniel Isles
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