Business
BY DAVE MANNING
Gloomhaven is one of the popular games Robert Parish sells at his shop.
Owner Robert Parish stocks popular gaming products for his customers.
PHOTOS BY DAVE MANNINGCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Tournaments, gaming essentials found at Cy-Tex Gaming Robert Parish, owner of Cy-Tex Gaming, grew up with a love of hobby shops. After a long career in the oil industry, he returned to his boyhood pastime and made it a full-time business.
business as a weekend passion project. “We did the Beanie Baby craze, and my deposits for Beanie Babies were larger than my deposits from my gas station that I ran for Shell,” he said. As the gaming industry grew in popularity, Parish transitioned to more modern products such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon. Who it’s for Parish said the store is busiest in the evenings when gamers come in to play—particularly after gaming companies release their newest products. “After 6 o’clock, that’s when ... we may ll all 48 [seats] that we have in the store,” he said. “And during the regular tournaments, ... you’ll see 30 or 40 people sitting down here playing.”
The latest versions of classic board games are also sold at Cy-Tex Gaming.
The business has expanded since the 1990s when Parish rst bought a 200-square-foot location of Al’s Sports Cards in a Fiesta grocery store. The most recent expansion was in 2022 following a boom in business during COVID-19. “We did $1.4 million [in revenue out of a] little storage room during COVID-19,” Parish said. “When COVID hit, everyone had all that extra money. I was busy mailing [orders] constantly.” Looking back Even when he worked for Shell, Parish kept his
LOUETTA RD.
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12736 Grant Road, Cypress www.facebook.com/cytexgaming
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