The Definitive Guide to Gaming Stores in Louisville: Part Two

by Andy B; photographs and map illustrations by Andy B.

The directors of Nerd Louisville conceived the idea of a “Guide to Louisville Gaming Shops.” The original intent was for this guide to be a single feature article.  As I set out to research the guide, I realized that this project is too big for a single article. There are at least a dozen gaming shops – maybe more. Instead, I will write multiple installments with a final summary at the end.

The purpose of this guide is to help nerds living in, or visiting, Louisville to find the shops that fit their interests – not just in terms of products, but also their preferred age group, playing style, and atmosphere. The intent is to promote all gaming shops in the city, not to rate them or criticize.

The information in this guide was researched in late 2015. This guide will not provide opening and closing times, since they sometimes change. We wouldn’t want you to plan your visit based on this guide if a store changes its hours. For store hours, check each store’s website or Facebook page (links provided).

As noted, this is Part Two of a multi-part series. Check out Part One if you missed it.

For this installment, we stretched the definition of Louisville by exploring two shops way out in Bullitt County, or as we Louisvillians refer to it: Bumf*ck, Egypt. I was a little aggrieved that my duties don’t reimburse mileage, as I drove halfway to Fort Knox, but my grievance was overshadowed by the awesomeness of the two gaming shops I found.

Nerdy Planet

Mike sent me an announcement about the grand opening of a new gaming shop called Nerdy Planet. “Of course, Nerd Louisville has to check out the Nerdy Planet!” I replied foolishly. I checked Google maps to discover I would have to leave the county to do it, but by that point it was too late. I was committed.

The grand opening of Nerdy Planet was on a Saturday, when I was still celebrating my first marathon the previous weekend, so I was pretty hungover. Nevertheless, I’m pretty sure that all of this actually happened.

• Address: 6470 Preston Highway Ste 3
• Website: http://thenerdyplanet.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenerdyplanet
• History: Founded today
• Gaming Area: 2 tables in a back room about 20 x 20’ that also has a widescreen TV in front of a couch and multiple video game terminals
• Crowd: This was the grand opening, so there were at least a dozen people in the front, including Captain America and other superhero cos-players; the cash register clerk was Black Widow, approximately as attractive as Scarlett Johansson; there was a squad-sized element of teenagers playing video games in the back room
• Parking: Strip mall parking, plus this is Bullitt County, so you could probably just park in the grass or anywhere
• Nearest drink: Bullitt County – a nightlife desert; there is not a bar for miles

Myra, the owner of Nerdy Planet, was quite accommodating of my questions considering the madhouse of the grand opening – a Marvel-themed bouncy castle, superhero cos-players, and Lexington fantasy author, Stephen Zimmer, autographing his novels. Nerdy Planet has a little bit of almost everything; comics, posters, toys, videos, and novels.  I didn’t see any inventory of wargames or roleplaying games, but it’s their first day, so maybe that’s in the works. Myra showed me the semi-finished adjacent unit, where she plans to install a podcast studio and a theater/classroom for movies, cos-play tutorials, and other events.

One of the smartest features of Nerdy Planet is a full concession stand. Myra has jumped through all of the Health Department hoops to allow her to serve not only candy and sodas, but also hot dogs, popcorn, and other hot food. Gamers like to eat and I have wondered why other shops don’t capitalize on their customers’ appetites. Nerdy Planet even has a T-shirt press so that you can order a tee of your own design.

Pet Shop Comics

As I was driving to Nerdy Planet, I was surprised to pass another game shop, under the sign “PSC.” The two shops are in adjacent shopping centers. So close that both shopping centers share the same entrance from Preston Highway.

As long as I had already driven all the way out to this wilderness I figured I should check this place out as well. It was busy, more than busy. It was packed with gamers engaged in multiple tournaments. I found Nerd Louisville regular, Glenn, as well as James, a dude I know through a mutual friend’s D&D game, both competing in a Star Wars: Armada tournament. I talked to Rick, the owner. As I gathered info, he mentioned that he has been the only gaming shop in the Hillview area for 16 years.

“I remember there used to be another gaming shop in this area called ‘Pet Shop Comics’ where I used to bring my kids to play Yu-Gi-O” I said, like an idiot.

“Um, yeah. That’s this place. We moved.”

PSC = Pet Shop Comics. I finally connected the dots. I was hungover.

• Address: 6234 N Preston Hwy Ste F
• Website: http://www.petshopcomics.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/77314668546/
• History: Founded 1999; the shop has moved three times
• Gaming Area: Large; at least 35’ x 40’ with 8 tables, but they are big wargame-size tables.
• Crowd: More than twenty gamers, some of them competing in a Star Wars: Armada tournament and some attending a monthly Heroscape tournament, which is pretty amazing because Heroscape has been out of print for at least 6 years
• Parking: See above
• Nearest drink: Sigh; see above

PSC is the quintessential wargaming shop. It has a huge, densely packed inventory of wargames, roleplaying games, card games, comic books, and more. The tables are big enough to handle elaborate wargames. There are containers of scale buildings and terrain models for mini wargamers to use.

When I asked Rick what he considered the shop’s specialty to be, he said “board games, miniature games, war games, pretty much everything but collectible card games – but we sell those too.”

This surprised me, because years ago I carted by kids out here to the boonies to engage in massive Yu-Gi-O events at PSC’s previous location. Times change, I guess. PSC doesn’t sell hot food like the previously visited shop, but it has sodas, candy, and chips to keep the customers energized. PSC offers a membership that costs $25 a year and provides discounts for up to 35% off on gaming supplies.

Folks, we are just getting started. Goddamn, this town has a lot of gaming shops. Just when I think I have a handle on it, I find out about a shop I didn’t know or a new shop opens. This is going to take a while.

The Definitive Guide to Gaming Stores in Louisville will be a multi-part series of Nerd Louisville articles until all the gaming stores in Louisville are included. If you’d like your store to be featured next, please contact us! Please send corrections to andy@nerdlouisville.org.