A new video game and trading card store intends to bring the thrill of the hunt to local collectors and gamers.

Nerd Nation opened its doors for a soft opening on March 23 and is scheduled to have a grand opening May 9. It offers video games, trading cards, plushies, gaming consoles and trade-in offers.

Owner Michael Kennedy said the business sells games that came out before he was born and offer more variety than retail giants.

“One of the biggest things is you can’t walk into a Walmart and trade in your old trading cards,” Kennedy said. “You can’t trade in your old video games for something different.”

Kennedy said the soft opening allowed him to train staff and resolve any potential issues.

“We’re still working out some kinks, so there may be some issues with trade ins or things like that,” he said. “The good thing is, we have a second store already and we’ve already been able to work out a lot of the kinks.”

Kennedy owns another Nerd Nation in Shawnee, Kansas. He said customers attending the Manhattan location’s opening will see products they’ve never seen before.

“A lot of cool new stuff, we’re going to have lots of sealed Pokemon, lots of cards, and then lots of video games,” he said. “We’ll be giving away a Nintendo Switch 2 and other cool stuff as well.”

Despite the rise of online shopping, Kennedy said gamers still crave the physical experience. While anyone can click add to cart, people still prefer the hunt.

“Ultimately, they like the chase,” he said. “They don’t want to just get that instant gratification of ordering it, like it’s more about the chase and is kind of like treasure hunting.”

Kennedy attended Kansas State University and said Manhattan is a good area to open a location, as it gives him an excuse to cheer on the Cats.

“I’m a K-stater at heart, I bleed purple, and I felt like this area just needed something else,” he said. “I think currently there are a few other card stores, but there’s just not much when it comes to video games.”

Nerd Nation occupies the space at 900 Hayes Drive. The grand opening is May 9 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.