MVP082: Pete Hoefling on Star City Games

Since the day I started the Manaverse Podcast I’ve wanted to interview certain people in particular. John Coviello and Gordan Johansen were high on my list, as well as Pat Johnson and Kelly Ackerman, KYT, Derium’s, Card Kingdom, and many, many more. Pete Hoefling was always one of my dream interviews and today, we finally got him.

In this episode Pete Hoefling talks about the origin story for Star City Games, how he got started with its humble beginnings and how he got to where he is today, the owner of the most well known and largest Magic: the Gathering store in the world. Pete’s story is a testament to what you can achieve when you have a true passion for what you do combined with knowledge and the ability to execute.

Main questions asked:

• What is the origin story of Star City Games? How and why did you get into the business?
• Star City Games is more than just a retail and online operation, it’s also a media company. What lead you down that path and how has it impacted your business?
• What was the deciding factor to run your own premier SCG events (instead of hosting WoTC events) and are you seeing the same declining attendance?
• Many have tried and failed in this business, what do you think sets the stores that last apart from the ones that don’t?
• What was the best decision you’ve made in the business?
• What was the biggest mistake you’ve made in the business?
• What advice would you have for someone listening to this podcast that wants to try their hand at the game trade, who’s either in the planning stages or just getting started at running their own local game store?
• If you could go back in time and do something different, what would it be?
• What does success look like to you?

To get a hold of Pete Hoefling, you can reach him at president@starcitygames.com. To find out more about Star City Games and the SCG tour, go to starcitygames.com