Don’t you just love the pure nostalgia hidden in a whiff of a classic game box? It might be ever so slightly awkward taking a plastic box with Super Mario Bros and giving it a good sniff. There’s something magical about retro games; consoles and geeky bits that draws us back time and time again.
If that sounds like your perfect day out, then the London Gaming Market is the place to be. Taking place three times a year in a swanky London hotel, the event is a haven of gaming goodies. Searching for that elusive 1991 gem that was only released in Japan? There’s a good chance that the LGM has it, somewhere!
For more on the event, check out the London Gaming Market on Facebook.
Team TeeChu, Assemble!
The April Gaming Market was our third crack at the event. It’s scary to believe that it’s been less than a year since our first pop-up stall! Each time we lug our laundry bags of tees, posters and prints to an event, it’s become a constantly evolving thing.
It’s tricky to make the most out of the space – a table that measures about 6ft x 2ft (or 180cm x 60cm for those aligned to the metric). Do we go all-out and plaster stacks of shirts like a £2 sale at Primark? Is it worth going for something a little less cluttered? There’s no real definitive way of doing things; but what I find most interesting is seeing just how the crowd reacts. What draws in fellow geeks to our stand?
Stripping it all back
The focus for our Gaming Market Debut last year was geared up more like a gallery of sorts. We had a massive pin-board for prints, shirts arranged and propped up; the works. The problem we ended up facing was that it was perhaps a little too much. The stand became something for passers-by to have a quick glance at; but it almost felt like a display. An art gallery with a strange guy (me) lurking round the back.
Learning from that, we decided to rework the stand, simplifying and refining the look. One of the biggest challenges was arranging our shirts to be within easy reach. Previously it was a case of having to crouch down and rummage through a bag for a particular design. Not the best look when there are a handful of folk waiting! Worse still, what if it were out of stock? “I do apologise, Bowser seems to have nabbed the last one!”
So we decided to use portable storage cubes to have each shirt by size; but part of the table’s design – so we can continue to keep chatting about all things gaming, whilst packing new gear!
Onwards and upwards
The storage also allowed the stall to have some vertical height; better use of the space, without over cluttering the look! We still decided to have shirts wrapped up over canvas boards – trying to highlight each design without burying them within piles of tees.
One thing we do miss by doing it this way, though, is the tangible feeling. Rummaging. As humans we seem to have an obsession with rummaging. Whether it be clothes, posters, the best punnet of grapes in Tesco, you do it. I do it. We strive to look for something that best suits us. Our earlier stands didn’t have much for folk to sift through. So this time we introduced a folder and stand full of art prints to shuffle through! I’d always felt that a gallery approach could be better; but it seemed that being able to interact with the collection directly was the winning formula!
Welcome to Team TeeChu!
Stall jiggery out of the way, the event kicked off with a massive roar. The queues had already started creeping outside minutes after doors opened – plenty more eager beavers had lapped up early bird tickets. Hungry. Hungry for retro gems and geeky bits! A big thanks to Suzie (@b.ar.d) for helping get through the manic rush!
It was a pleasure to meet everyone who visited our stand, showed interest in our collection and also bought new gear! It was great to hear your story: the games you love; how you wear your badges and more. There’s nothing quite like the gaming community. We all have such unique tales; but come together to celebrate a shared love of these incredible worlds!
We hope you love your new TeeChu goodies! Be sure to use the hashtag #TeamTeeChu if you share a snap on Instagram!
What’s next?
There’s always something to learn and new to try. We’ll definitely return to the game market with a few new surprises very soon…!
