New Kensington's Feisty Goblin gaming store taking in Retrograde video game shop

A New Kensington gaming store is getting plugged in — at least a little bit.

When table-top gaming shop The Feisty Goblin opens in its new and larger storefront in January, it will include Retrograde Gaming and Collectibles, a video game and collectibles store previously in Monroeville.

Retrograde will add an electronic gaming element to the Goblin, which is intentionally unplugged. While The Feisty Goblin specializes in tabletop and card games such as Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Pokémon and Magic the Gathering, Retrograde buys, sells and trades retro to modern video games and accessories.

Alex Kinnamon, who started Retrograde in 2016, says he’d like to build the same kind of shop that Christine and Jim Radeshak have with The Feisty Goblin.

“We have such similar philosophies and missions about what we’re doing,” Kinnamon said. “They’re doing everything I wanted to do, and they have the support of their community. Their landlord seems to care about building the community. Given that I do something similar and adjacent but different enough not to cannibalize their customer base, it’s a match made in heaven.”

The Radeshaks opened The Feisty Goblin in April 2023 at 938 Fifth Ave. After two expansions there, they are moving to the first floor of the former PNC Bank nearby on Fifth Avenue at Ninth Street. Both locations are owned by Olde Towne Overhaul.

Michelle Thom, operations manager for Olde Towne Overhaul, said it’s smart for small businesses to partner with each other to achieve their goals and provide added benefits or services to customers.

“Most of our tenants have created a symbiotic relationship of some kind with other small businesses, whether that is a temporary pop-up at a shop for an event or a more permanent feature — such as Ashley’s Kitchen selling desserts from Kimi’s Konfections,” Thom said. “The arrangement between Retrograde and The Feisty Goblin helps Retrograde gain the new store that they desire, and it helps The Feisty Goblin by reaching potential new customers while being able to share some of their rental costs.”

Kinnamon will have a small area within the Radeshaks’ store and will use more of their space for video game events, Christine Radeshak said.

The Feisty Goblin will close at its current location Dec. 29 and fully open at its new location by Jan. 10, she said. Retrograde is expected to be operating by the end of January.

“We’re excited to have him join us. We’re looking forward to him assisting our existing customers with their video gaming needs and also give his customers a place to come again and shop,” Christine Radeshak said. “We’re excited for him to have a new home. We are looking forward to collaborating on some events, too.”

This will be the third time that Kinnamon, 36, has moved his business. It started out in Castle Shannon and moved to a storefront in Garden City Plaza in Monroeville.

He is one of the founders and showrunners of the Pittsburgh Gaming Expo, most recently held at the Monroeville Convention Center in October.

Kinnamon said he has known and worked with the Radeshaks through local conventions for five or six years. They were one of the first vendors to apply for the gaming expo.

Since leaving his Monroeville storefront in May, Kinnamon has been relying on e-commerce to keep his business afloat while also doing trade shows and conventions.

“There’s part of me that wants to throw in the towel a little bit,” he said. “They (the Radeshaks) are very unplugged about gaming, but it is an underserved area electronic gaming-wise. There’s a natural synergy and overlap of customer bases. This felt like them saying, “Hey, we see you’re in a bind; let’s all work together.’ It feels like a fantastic collaboration.”

Kinnamon grew up in Leechburg, so he’s familiar with New Kensington. He has seen the efforts at revitalizing and modernizing the city.

“I’m very optimistic about growing my business in that area,” he said.

Kinnamon found that, for many of his regular customers, New Kensington will be closer to them than Monroeville.

“I’m just excited to come back a little closer to home and start working in a new community,” he said.