Kelowna man bringing back retro games and movies in the era of streaming

A Kelowna man’s love for classic games and DVDs has developed into a store that is giving people a chance to relive an era where they actually owned things.

Sean Sterling opened Retro Realm last year. The shop sells CDs, old video games, VHS tapes, vinyls and anything else that fits the theme. He said buying old games on Facebook Marketplace made him realize there was a need for a retro shop.

“Eventually I had a shelf full of games, and then a room full of games, and then a house full of games. And now I have a store full of games,” he said. “There’s also new things like Nintendo Switch games and PlayStation 5 games. But the spirit is retro, anything and everything.”

Sterling said it wasn’t meant as a response to subscriptions and streaming services, but people who come in tell him they like getting away from digital domination and going back to owning physical copies.

“It really was, I just love video games. I love CDs. I love movies,” he said. “But once it’s opened and people are coming in and saying that, ‘this is great. I hate all the AI, and I don’t like the algorithms, and I don’t like not owning, and if they take it away from me, there’s nothing I can do.’”

Streaming services can increase their prices or online games could lose the support needed to run them. Sterling said people are getting tired of that uncertainty.

“People want that authenticity. They want to have the cartridge in their hands. They want to have the movie on their shelf. They want the CD for their car. They want to own it. They want to know it’s not going to go away,” he said.

Most people know that vinyl records have made a comeback, but Sterling said CDs and DVDs are back as well.

“It’s young people, too. It’s 15- and 16-year-olds that go through the CDs. Young couples that come and pick up movies for movie nights,” Sterling said. “CDs are absolutely back. Blu-ray and DVD are absolutely back. These are culturally relevant. People are purchasing them regularly.”

He said people are happy to see a family-friendly retro shop in town. There’s even a Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, for people to come in and try out.

“I love talking with the people that come in, and they seem to like me and seem to like what I’m doing,” Sterling said.

Check out the Retro Realm website.