In Business: Baxter’s Play N Trade Offers Video Games and Pop Culture Products

Tucked away in the city of Baxter sits Play N Trade Video Games, a store once dedicated to selling games that now serves as a treasure trove for collectors of all facets of pop culture, from Super Mario to Superman.

“Comics, collectibles, new and vintage toys, pretty much a broad range,” said Play-N-Trade owner Jesse Huber.

When Huber bought the business in 2018, Play N Trade’s main export was video games, but with Huber being an avid collector himself, he expanded to a myriad of collector’s items shortly after the purchase.

“Definitely doesn’t help with my collection problem because I get to play with toys and video games all day,” joked Huber, “I have some really awesome loyal customers and it’s been great that I’ve been able to expand it and keep it going.”

Since Huber bought the business, it has seen significant traction, which is now leading him to move to a new location to offer even more.

“We are going to be moving to another location by next winter, it’s going to be in the downtown Brainerd area. I got a lot more room so I can do a lot more stuff with that,” explained Huber. “We’re going to have a little arcade in there and we’ll do more events and stuff. Eventually I’d like to do some drive-in movie things with food carts, maybe some live music, there’s just a lot of possibilities.”

These expansion efforts are being made in the hopes that someday Play N Trade might become a hub for the community. After all, part of the fun of the store is being able to share its collection with everyone.

“Getting to see all this, all the stuff that I grew up with, and seeing other people come in here and just be like, ‘Wow! I used to have this when I was a kid.’ There’s a lot of nostalgia factors,” said Huber.

More information on the shop can be found on their Facebook page.