New business receives people’s choice community impact award

by Ruby Arsenault

Games West PEI is the recent winner of People’s Choice Community Impact Award given by the West Prince Chamber of Commerce. The business, located in Alberton, sells and buys video games and other items, and is thriving through the pandemic.

Tanner Handrahan, Owner and a gamer himself, always wanted to open his own business. He and his wife Amber are both very pleased with how business is going during these times of uncertainty.

“Gaming has hit an all-time high,” says Tanner. “I was laid off due to the lock-down and decided it was a perfect time to launch the business. We launched our website in May 2020 during the shutdown and it instantly became a hit. In September, our store opened and we just hired our first employee.

“When people around the world had to stay home, gaming and sales of comic books and collectable cards sky-rocketed. I was lucky to jump on this when I did.”

They have video games, consoles, anime, manga, board games, collectables, comics, and graphic novels. “We carry stock for all age groups, we feel we have what our customers are looking for. Anything retro is a hot commodity. We purchase good used items locally for re-sale.

“I pride myself in continuously updating our Facebook business page so customers are well informed of what we have in stock. Another service that has become very popular is our “event night” and trading collectable cards. And there are always some video games set up in-house for people to play anytime.”