Local brothers Brady and Cody Junker hope to bring some fun back to downtown Stanley with a new gaming store. Brady Junker, lead singer of the up-and-coming Brady Luke Band, is embarking on this business venture with his brother, Cody, owner of Fireworks Liquidators in Cadott, and described why they decided to open a gaming store in Stanley. “It stemmed from my brother. He’s always envisioned something like this in town. We both really enjoy hosting friends at our houses to play these types of games and we feel like there’s not really an area for the community to come and even learn about the games.” Junker added you would have to travel to Eau Claire or further to get introduced to some of these types of games. “We want a place that people can come and find a new hobby something fun to do with their friends and family. This is something we both really enjoyed on the side, so we figured why not bring something new to town and give people an option to do something different,” Junker remarked.
With a tentative opening of August, the gaming store will be loosely based on the modern arcade and will feature an open play gaming side, and also a storefront for buying, selling, and trading collectibles including sports cards, trading cards, board games, and other hobby related items.
“We do plan to have some old-style arcade games here,” Junker said adding that they haven’t decided on specific games yet but will include a street fighter game like Mortal Kombat.
“There’s a store side and an open play gaming side. We want it to where people can come in maybe with their families, friends, come in play games whether it’s arcade games, video games, board games, trading card games. Basically, have a place for people to go to play all those sorts of games,” said Junker.
He added that they want the gaming store to be available to everyone and whether they have money to purchase items or not, the goal is to have options for everyone.
“We also want it to be something that you can come in and not spend money at if you don’t have it to do so.”
He mentioned that one of their biggest goals is having tournaments or special events, like Fortnite or Magic the Gathering tournaments. “That’s really popular to just be able to come open play and just meet new people that like the same thing you do.”
Some of the trading cards available at the new store include, Magic the Gathering, Pokemon, and a new game from Disney called Lorcana. “It’s trading card collectibles that you can use to build a deck and play with your friends,” Junker explained. He added that they also plan to have table-top games like Dungeons and Dragons.
Brady and Cody are planning a remodel of the former Deano’s Big Ten Pub building before it’s late summer opening date.
“I would say an overhaul would be an understatement,” remarked Junker, who was born and raised in Stanley. “That was one of the things we were most excited about. Being able to come in and take a building that was just sitting here for ten years and maybe make something cool from it.”
For those interested in the new venture, news and updates for the gaming store will be posted on The Hobby Oasis’s Facebook page.
