Monday, July 25, 2011

My wallet, marriage and I survived my maiden voyage to Seattle's Pink Gorilla store

After a long, hard day of yard work, the hubs and I treated ourselves to dinner on Saturday night. We didn't go anywhere classy, mind you--just the Chipotle that's located in Seattle's aptly-named University District.

Anyway, as we neared said Chipotle, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a pepto-pink awning that said "Pink Gorilla." I'm pretty sure I've talked about it before, but just in case I haven't: Pink Gorilla is a small game shop here in Seattle. Actually, there are now two Pink Gorilla stores in the so-called Emerald City--one in the International District and one in the University District.

I had completely forgotten about the latter location until we passed it on our way to Chipotle. Thankfully, David (aka the hubs) was willing to let me check it out before we stuffed our faces.

So, what did I think of my maiden voyage to Pink Gorilla? I thought it was awesome! I was a bit disappointed at first, as I thought the glass case near the front of the store--which housed a good number of complete-in-box imports--represented all of the Japanese games this particular Pink Gorilla location had to offer, but I discovered that was far from the case when I began surveying the rest of the store.

In a way, Pink Gorilla's University District store reminds me of a small Japanese game shop, with all sorts of Dreamcast, Famicom, Mega Drive, Nintendo 64, PC Engine, PlayStation, Saturn and Super Famicom imports hanging from the walls in clear plastic bags.

Among the games that caught my eye: Complete-in-box copies of Galaxian and Hoshi no Kirby (Kirby's Adventure) for the Famicom and a pristine copy of Twinkle Star Sprites for the Dreamcast. A trio of PC Engine titles I've been meaning to add to my collection--Detana!! TwinBee, The New Zealand Story and Parodius--for some time also captured my attention.

I didn't buy any of the above-mentioned games because, well, I'm a bit broke at the moment. As soon as I have some dough, though, you can bet your butt I'll buy at least a few of them, as the prices at Pink Gorilla were on par with what I've seen on eBay.

You can also bet that I'll do my best to snap some photos next time I'm in one of the Pink Gorilla stores--assuming they allow such things, of course.

8 comments:

LottieTwintails said...

Chipotle and import game shopping? Talk about the perfect evening out... at least as far as I'm concerned!

Sounds like a nice store, I'd definitely like to see pics next time if they allow it! How torturous it must've been to browse around without any money to spend, though... oh well, there's always next time.

Very kind of your hubby to go along with your geeky request, too. Then again, I'm sure you do the same kinds of things for him, right? ;D

Bryan Ochalla said...

Ha ha! Another Chipotle fan, I see! I have a not-so-secret love of Chipotle, Kamiwoo -- esp. when I order a burrito bowl (all the fixings minus the tortilla) with a side of chips :)

As for it being tortuous to browse such a store without any money to spend -- yes, that definitely was the case. In reality, though, I likely would have picked up the PCE games and nothing else, and I'm sure they'll still be there next time I go in. (If not, there's always eBay).

Also, yes, David definitely was sweet to go along with my request. I'm sure his eyes glazed over at one point but, like you said, I take one for the team now and then, too -- esp. when it involves his similarly geeky love of weather :)

Unknown said...

Oooh my goodness, what I wouldn't give to have a store like that near me! That brings me back to when I was living in Osaka-they had tons of used game shops with old games super-cheap, it was heaven.

Glad to hear your marriage is still intact after that trip, Bryan! ;)

Bryan Ochalla said...

Hey there, Anne! I wouldn't say the games at Pink Gorilla are super cheap. They were about what I'd expect, really -- not too high, not too low. It did seem as though you could haggle a bit, though, which is cool. I'll have to see for sure next time I visit.

Speaking of the next time I visit -- I'll likely go by myself, as I doubt my husband could handle seeing me spend $100 or more on games :)

Viewtiful_Justin said...

Is it wrong to salivate about a store? If so...I don't want to be right!

Bryan Ochalla said...

No, it's definitely not wrong, Justin! I'm actually amazed this store exists in this day and age -- what with eBay and online stores and whatnot. Hopefully they make enough money to keep going for a long, long time :)

Sean said...

Awesome! I also really want to see some pics next time you go there (if they allow it)! Sounds like a great shop!

I kind of laugh reading about how David handled the trip. I put my wife through that sometimes too, and she is usually very sweet and patient but when I see her eyes getting that glazed over look I know its time to go!

Bryan Ochalla said...

I'll definitely try (to take photos), Sean! My only worry is that it was a bit dark in there, and my camera sucks in low-light conditions. Still, I'll try :)

I really liked how the owners had things set up like some of the Japanese shops you've talked about on your blog, with loose games encased in plastic bags with descriptive tags on them.

As for David putting up with the trip -- yeah, I think he thought the whole thing was a bit crazy. I was all, "Look! Torneko's Adventure! And Parodius!" To which he would reply, "Uh huh."

Oh, well, like someone else said earlier, that's part of a relationship, right -- putting up with your mate's quirks and obsessions :)