A variety of games fill shelves at Geek World, located on Troup Highway. The gaming store recently celebrated serving a decade in the Tyler community.

Family-owned gaming store Geek World recently celebrated a decade of serving the Tyler community. Opened in the fall of 2012 by owner Mark Franzen, the shop offers a unique variety of merchandise.

Customers can’t help but have fun once they’ve walked through the doors, Franzen said.

“We are a fun store that deals in board games, card games, miniature war games, gifts, toys, plush and more. We also offer in store play and events,” he said. “We are a single-location retail store that goes out of its way to source interesting items you don’t see elsewhere.”

Due to an increase in store popularity and clientele, Franzen moved the business to a larger space in 2019.

“We are much larger in our new location and much more retail focused,” Franzen said.

In fact, Franzen is so passionate about the quality of his products and offering unique items, he began a partnership with a manufacturer of premium gaming dice, HYMGHO Dice, in 2020.

“I was so impressed by the product and how much nicer it was then what was currently available to stores, that I mentioned they should try to get into other stores as well,” he said. “After establishing a relationship they decided they wanted me to essentially head up the North American part of the brand.”

One of Franzen’s main jobs is looking over rough samples and product ideas and changing them to be most appropriate for western clientele.

“I have successfully run four Kickstarters (crowdfunding campaigns) for them and taken over their direct to consumer business in North America,” Franzen said “Since I started working with the brand we now have displays of product in over 200 stores.”

Franzen said he has been amazed at the community’s reception over the last ten years.

“My late father wanted to open a business when he retired from the Navy,” he said. “We were both always interested in the game, particularly, Magic the Gathering.”

“I am constantly impressed by the kindness and acceptance of my customer base,” Franzen added. “We hope to always foster a cool community for Tylerites to connect through.”

Franzen said the shop is a great place for adults, children and out of town visitors. Pokemon and Magic the Gathering cards are some of the most popular items sold.

Geek World is located at 1859 Troup Highway and can be reached at (903) 363-9751. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday.

For more information, visit the Geek World Facebook page.