Grass Roots Video Games: How one small shop faces the big dogs

Lee Maverick has a name befitting his profession. Rolling off tongue in a fashion that entices excitement Maverick sits well with the likes of Kent, Wayne, Parker, and Starks. Lee Maverick however unlike the Iron Man and Batman comics he peddles he is in fact real but no less a hero.

Walking into Maverick Comics and Video Games is akin to stepping a realm of sensory overload as your bombarded from left to right with the colorful shades and hues of comic-books, action figures and video game cases. Merchandise cover almost every square inch of wall space drawing the eyes to roam or widen. A store attendent relayed a messages to Maverick that I wanted to interview him. His upon his return his answer was simply no.

Determined to have my voice atleast heard I was directed to the store front where a average height, slightly overweight Asian man was shoveling the sidewalk. This unmiraculous man was none other than Lee Maverick who welcomed my interruption of his tedious work with "what do you want".

"Business has been better. On some days its not even worth opening up" said Maverick who's repeatedly called Mr. Lee by passerby's in front of his shop on Parkside ave. "Most of my customers are from the area. Sometimes they come from the big store like Gamestop and find out they can't get a game so they come here and get it right away and find out here's closer' said Maverick. Though his popularity with the local community is a highlight his business has been plauged with annual rent increases that increasingly cut into any profit he makes.

"I've been at this location for 4 years. I use to be on Church and Flatbush for 10 years, I moved here when the rent got to high, now the same thing is happening again. Things are the same, just different people". Mr. Lee's story is one that's played out in thousands of small mom and pop stores around the city. He has much to brag about becoming a pillar of the community, holding video game tournaments, maintaining the sole arcade machine (playing Marvel Vs. Capcom 2) and creating an alternative for kids and even some adults to hang out, meet, and converse with people who hold an interest in the same hobbies of geekdom they hold so close to heart.