Saturday Business Spotlight: Epicenter Gaming
[November 01, 2025] When
people first walk past the sign for Epicenter Gaming, owner Justin Ott
says he never quite knows what to expect.
“As they see the gate, they see the sign, you know, or the name, and
they like, I have people [come here] all the time. They walk in, they
think it's the video poker kind of place, you know, because everything
is gaming, gaming, gaming. They see Epicenter Gaming. You have no idea
how many people walk in and they're like, ‘Where are the machines at?”
Ott said with a laugh.
What they find instead is a space filled with laughter, competition, and
community—a place where friends gather around tables stacked with Magic:
The Gathering, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards rather than slot machines.
Ott, who has
lived in Lincoln for decades, opened Epicenter Gaming just over four
years ago, but his story with collectibles goes much farther back. He
first entered the trading-card world in the 1980s, starting with sports
cards and memorabilia before opening his first Lincoln store in 1999.
That shop, Timeout Sports Cards and Collectibles, lasted for several
years before he took a break from retail. Eventually, though, the pull
of the hobby—and the community that surrounded it—brought him back.
“I opened my first store here in Lincoln in 1999, and it ran for about
five years,” Ott said. “We started off with sports cards, and then it
kind of turned into a lot of gaming stuff. NASCAR was also big.”
Since reopening,
Epicenter Gaming has evolved into a local hub for collectors and players
alike. Ott spends most weekends on the road, traveling thousands of
miles each year to comic and card shows across the Midwest.
“I drive about 60,000 miles a year,” he said. “Omaha one weekend, Cedar
Rapids the next—just constantly buying, selling, trading.”
While Ott sells sports cards and vintage toys, his true focus is the
trading-card game community. He’s helped introduce official Pokémon
League play to Lincoln, giving players—especially beginners—a welcoming
place to learn and grow.
“Every Saturday from about 10:30 to 1:00, we host Learn to Play events.
Right now, it’s more like free play.” he said. “Right now, we're just
doing Pokémon. I've got a lady. Her name is Alyssa, she's running that
league. We just did a magic event last Thursday. I think we had 16
people for it.”
The store recently became an official Pokémon Play location, listed on
the franchise’s global website. Epicenter Gaming is also working toward
official recognition for Magic: The Gathering events and other titles
like Lorcana and Riftbound, a new card game based on League of Legends.
“I’m not trying to do too much at once because if I do there’s just not
enough time.” Ott said. “There's just not enough time, especially with
me being gone almost every weekend, it's just, it's hard.”
He described Epicenter as a place designed more for casual and
community-minded players than for hardcore competitors.
“I really wanted
it to remain just a safe, fun place where anybody can come in and hang
out," Ott explained. “I really wanted to remain, more than anything,
fun…and they're just not coming in there and playing with people that
have every card under the sun.”
That mindset shapes every part of the store’s atmosphere. Tables are
free to use, and anyone can walk in to play as long as there’s space
available. Ott even keeps extra decks and play mats on hand for
newcomers.
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“We’ve given
decks away, given them deck boxes, so they have something to keep their
cards in,” he said. “A lot of these people that want to play, they have
cards. They just have never played. They don't know what it takes to put
a deck together. So, once they have one, and they play, then it's just
finding out what they like.”
Epicenter’s
philosophy is simple: make the barrier to entry as low as possible. The
store has become a regular hangout spot for kids, families, and local
gaming groups who might otherwise only play at home. Ott has even
donated supplies to local schools and clubs.
“I gave a bunch of Magic packs and card sleeves to a school so the kids
could play after class,” he said. “I’ve gone to libraries to talk about
Pokémon and show kids how to play. Kids have crazy, crazy questions, but
it’s so much fun seeing them excited about it.”
While card games are at the heart of Epicenter, Ott’s ambitions extend
beyond the tabletop. He plans to move the store to a new, larger
location at 414 Pulaski Street by sometime between now and next year,
once renovations are finished.
“It’s going to be nice being uptown,” he said. “I’ve wanted that for a
long time—somewhere with more visibility and room. Right now we have
four tables, and I’d like at least one more, plus more space for
products like anime figures, posters, and plushies. I want people to
know there’s a place they can go for that kind of stuff here in
Lincoln.”
As mentioned earlier, people may not know what to expect when first
stepping foot into the store, but they always leave with the knowledge
of how important it can be for some.
“I had a lady come in once when the store wasn’t technically open,” Ott
said. “She asked what was going on in here because she saw people inside
late at night. I told her, ‘We’re playing games.’ And she said, ‘Where
are the video games?’ When I explained it was tabletop games, she was
shocked—and by the end of it, she said, ‘This is really cool.’”
Moments like that keep him going. “I just want it to be a safe, fun
place where anybody can hang out,” he repeated.
Epicenter has become exactly that: a social hub where unlikely
friendships form over booster packs and dice rolls. Ott says his
favorite part of running the store is watching those connections
develop.
“You’ll see someone come in for the first time, just kind of looking
around,” he said. “Then someone invites them to sit down and play, and
the next thing you know, they’re there every week. It’s awesome to meet
new people and see them become part of the group.”
He often sees
players who seem like total opposites sitting together, trading cards,
and laughing. “Next thing you know, they’re grabbing food together after
the store closes,” he said. “I think gaming and that kind of stuff in
general does that very, very well.”
From weekend road trips to comic conventions to the tables of his
Lincoln storefront, Justin Ott has built Epicenter Gaming into more than
just a shop. It’s a community home for anyone who loves games,
storytelling, and connection—a reminder that in the right hands, even a
simple deck of cards can deal out friendship, belonging, and joy.
Epicenter Gaming is located at 501 Woodlawn
in Lincoln. If you'd like to find out about current events you can find
them on Facebook.
[Sophia Larimore]
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