MONROE — Two recent Mall of Monroe business owners have already opened second mall stores.
About two years ago, Dennis Barger Jr. started Wonderworld Comics at the mall, 2121 N. Monroe St.
He just opened a second store, Disctopia. The two are adjacent.
“I call it geek corner,” said Barger, an Ypsilanti native who now lives in Monroe.
“We had comics and a few games (in Wonderworld Comics). It was nostalgia and it proved the concept worked. I had a little bit of video, vinyl, anime, manga in the first store,” Barger said.
Disctopia expands on the nostalgia concept and offers vintage music in several formats, retro snacks and video games. Some of his inventory literally came from his childhood.
“Remember when your mom threw away all your toys? Well, my mom didn’t,” Barger said.
His mom kept everything in the basement while Barger was in college. Then, she made him clean it out.
“They were downsizing because I was out,” Barger said.
Some of his friends found themselves in similar situations, and he bought their old games.
Barger said Disctopia appeals to three generations. He said today's kids learn about retro gaming systems like Atari on YouTube.
“Three generations come in. The grandpa had (the item). The dad says to the grandpa, ‘Remember when you bought me that?’ The grandson likes it because grandpa had it,” he said. “All three generations geek out about the same item.”
Barger said his past makes him an expert on the games.
“I know them all. I’m an ‘80s kids. I had all of this as a kid,” he said.
Like Barger, Jacob James of Milan opened his first store, Leviathan, at the Mall of Monroe a couple years ago.
“Leviathan offers special effects for movies and movie props,” said Timothy Matune, senior vice president of asset redevelopment for Cafaro, the company that operates the mall.
On Jan. 8, James and his business partner, Jeff Zachos of Canton, opened Ragnarok Supply and Motorworks in the former JCPenney and Pat Catan’s spaces. It employs eight.
Zachos said Ragnarok “tricks out trucks.” It also offers Linex truck accessories, rustproofing, tires and outdoor gear.
Zachos said the mall offers everything the business needs: parking, shop space and retail and office space.
Subscribe Now: For all the latest local developments, breaking news and high school sports content.
Much work was needed to turn the JCPenney and Pat Catan's stores into a truck business. Work included cutting the walls to add bay doors.
“One is tall enough for a school bus,” said Rhonda Howard, the Mall of Monroe’s property manager.
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Two tenants recently opened second stores at Mall of Monroe