Vintage Game, Comic, Toy Shop Opens In Bay Shore

BAY SHORE, NY — Richard McWilliams spent a long time dreaming of opening a brick-and-mortar store of vintage video games, toys and collectibles. A long-time collector and enthusiast of vintage entertainment, he thought the move to online shopping left something out of the shopping experience.

His store, opened in December at 125 W. Main St., is called Blast From the Past, and contains thousands of comic books, retro video games and toys. The collection is so vast, he told Patch, that he can't just catalogue it online, and that element of hunting for unknown items adds to the experience his customers enjoy.

McWilliams, a Bay Shore native who now lives in Islip with his wife, says he's received an enthusiastic response from the community, and shoppers of all ages have been steadily dropping by. He sees adult customers looking for pristine collectibles to display as well as parents introducing their children to their favorite Nintendo and PlayStation 2 games from the '80s and '90s.

"People this year have more time on their hands," he said. "We've seen a tremendous increase in playing video games, and people collecting toys and comics."

Even kids who are used to contemporary game graphics and sophistication can get into the classics, he said.

"I love to see it. Some of these games are classic for a reason— they are fun."

Adults also get to a certain stage of life when they enjoy reliving the entertainment of their youth, and the huge amount of media produced in those years remain loved by now thirty-somethings, who might hunt through bins of loose toys for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to bring home.

That hunt, McWilliams says, is something that can't be reproduced by shopping online.

"I see the joy that everyone feels walking through the store, getting memories—it's fun and positive and it's more necessary now than ever."

A physical store is somewhere you can let your kids run around and pick something, and have an experience of exploring items firsthand, he reflected.

"We wanted to give our home town of Bay Shore that missing piece."