The Best Hobby Shops in Saint Paul

The Battleground Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (5)

"I plan to visit The Battleground Cafe in the future. It was my first time visiting for their Magic the Gathering - prerelease of Duskmourn event. I started playing MTG this month and decided to go to this event alone... well, I was suppose to meet my husband's best friend, but he had a family emergency. It was intimidating at first when majority of the customers were guys. My only experience with MTG was playing against my husband. (My husband was unable to go to this event.) The staff members were friendly, professional, and patient. When I first arrived, I was looking at the Duskmourn bundles, commander deck, etc that were sitting behind the counter. The place was busy as staff members were checking in customers for the event, but I was approached and offered assistance quick. I also appreciate one of the staff members who took the time to help me assembled my deck and gave me advice - I had no idea what I was doing. The staff members seemed very knowledgeable of the new expansion(?), as well as how to play the game. I interacted with some of the guys attending the event who seemed nice and friendly. My opponent was also friendly and patient - he even offered friendly advice and gave me a chances to reconsider my moves. The staff members checked in after the first round. The staff members were very understanding and accommodating when I needed to leave the event early. They even said "bye" as I was leaving. Overall, it was a good experience. I wish I was a better MTG player, but time will get there. I also find it cool that they serve food there. There was lots of space to sit. They offer a variety of card sleeves, deck boxes, dices, and a ton of single MTG cards. It is also where the Lady Planeswalker Society (women who plays MTG) meets. I would definitely come back and try to make more MTG friends."

All Systems Go

★★★★★ 4.8 (5)

"I SO wish All Systems Go was closer to my place! A fellow game fanatic friend told me about this place and their new location. If you love board games - or want to get into them more - this is the best spot in the Cities!The game selection here is MASSIVE - they've got new in box games, great condition used games, and rentals. We had a blast looking through all the options!My partner and I were looking for more two-player games, and the staff at ASG delivered. They were so kind and knowledgeable about all the different games, and never made us feel like goobers for asking questions. They had several recommendations and gave us helpful descriptions of what each game is like.You can even take used games out of their box and check the board / pieces / rules out before buying. I love that! If I lived closer, I would for SURE be on the rental train. The first time you rent it's a bit steeper, but every time after you rent any game, it's really cheap. Get it for a week at a time. Or, do their monthly membership-style program to get new games(s) every month! The best part?! If you decide to buy a game you rented, they take what you already paid off the total. Now that is a customer friendly policy!We ended up going home with Skull and Splendor this time. Will be back for more :)"

Kremer's Toy and Hobby

★★★★☆ 3.5 (4)

"Lots of cool toys. Very much like an old fashioned toy store. Some RC stuff and an expert that repairs RC stuff. Good selection of parts. Balsa wood stock and paints on hand. There is a home brewing section that has started sets and refill stuff. They have a decent selection of beer brewing mixes and various bottles. Not much for model railroads, but a little bit of stuff and they have various scratch building supplies."

1Up Video Games

★★★★★ 5 (2)

"Great staff. Can find almost any old school video game imaginable. Free arcade games to play. Love this place."

Dreamers Vault Games

★★★★☆ 3.6 (9) • $$

"So this review is coming strictly from a comic book collector. I just moved here and was looking for a new comic shop close by and saw the reviews for this place so I decided to check it out. I would say about 85% of the shop is for board game style items. They have a large room for people to play and for tournaments. Now for my comic book review of this place. They have a very small selection of comics with no back issues, but they do have a ton of the new books that come out weekly. Also which was a surprise is that they carry some of the ratio variants which is great. Plus they can order whatever you want if you give them some advance to order it. They also give you 10% off your books when you open a pullbox which is normal for comic shops. I definitely recommend this place to get your weekly issues"

Ax-Man Surplus Stores

★★★★★ 4.7 (89) • $

"In terms of surplus stores Ax-Man is about as good as they come. Everytime we are in the Twin Cities we make a point to stop here just to take it all in and see what kind of oddities and treasures we may find to take home with us. Some key takeaways: 1. Street parking only, but that's never been an issue for us2. The staff here is very kind and helpful3. No public restrooms so if you're travelling with a child plan accordingly 4. Plan a good 30 minutes minimum to take it all in. If you know what you want this might go faster, but if you come here to just enjoy it and see what surprises you may find, you'll want a little chunk of time to explore. Overall it's hard to describe - I think of it like Archie Mcfee in the PNW mixed with a local hardware store. It's a gem of a find and I hope it never changes."

Games by James

★★★☆☆ 2.7 (15) • $$

"Happy birthday Games by James! 40 years in business when your customer base may be largely introverted and skeptical is a huge accomplishment! Some of your employees have an air or awkwardness too. I love board games...I hope I'm not too awkward.So after an overeager salesperson told me to buy a game I wasn't sure about, I naturally checked out the reviews online and the price online was actually about 15% higher! That never happens! And GbJ gives large portions of their profits to local groups that I also support. They understand the power of games to connect people, and how many games can be used in therapy settings of all kinds. That's cool."

Hot Comics and Collectibles

★★★★★ 5 (1)

"Hot comics is one of my very favorite comic stores in the twin cities. They have amazing staff, a great selection of toys, cards, and comics (of course!)!"

Scale Model Supplies

★★★★☆ 4 (26) • $$$

"Thirty years.Thirty. Years.I've been annoying the old farts at this place for at least that long, and by gum they've welcomed my lurking and staring and other "probably-single middle-aged man" behavior with the surliness and frowns one would expect from a fine establishment like this.I'm reminded of the words of Howard Carter upon looking into King Tut's tomb for the first time: "Can you see anything?""Yes. WONDERFUL THINGS."Let's get real. These old hobby shops are dying out faster than flying squid. This is going to be a relic of the past very soon, if it isn't already. The scowl of the "owner." The stacks of plastic kits. The know-it-all pontificating about the diesel locomotives on the such and such line......all soon will pass away. The abuse they dispense is traditional for hobby shops from an age when men were men and boys were little men. You came in, took your abuse and cradled your treasures lovingly as you stuffed your hurt feelings away where nobody would ever find them.Ah, yes. The good old days. Relive them now, at Scale Model Supplies. The carpeting on the staircase is still rotting under your feet, just as you remember, beckoning you to descend to a treasure cave. The hobby items are reasonably priced, but the memories, the amazement, the smell of Asian cookery on it's way to St. Paul's glorious wastewater treatment plant-- that's on the house."

A Rising Star

★★★★★ 4.5 (2)

"A nice place to have near me for the card collecting hobby. I don't collect all that many cards anymore, preferring memorabilia at this point. They don't have much memorabilia generally, wish they had more of that overall.If you love Magic the Gathering, this place is perfect for you with their card selection and games they host. Not my thing, but can appreciate how people like it.My kids love to go here. The customer service has improved over time. I felt like the guy didn't overly enjoy looking up prices of Pokémon the first time or two when my kids asked about individual cards, but now he is more patient with them. Maybe realized that we do buy some of the cards we asked about, not just ask about tons of cards and never buy anything. Their sports card selection seems to vary from a lot of individual cards at a given time, to not too many. Same goes for the boxes available to purchase. Feast or famine in the last couple of years, depending on timing of your visit"

Hub Hobby Center

★★★★☆ 3.9 (20) • $$

"My husband had a project he was doing for his engineering class and needed to find a little motor for a toy car. After walking around for about ten minutes we came to learn the vastness of hobby potential!! I was never into model cars, trains, or airplanes growing up but could totally see myself getting into it now that I know where to get all the goods!! Prices were reasonable but the best part for sure was how incredibly friendly absolutely every single one of the employees were!!"

Three Stars Sportscards

★★★★☆ 4.3 (12) • $$

"Every Single Day, All Day...........I get asked 5 times a day "Will you buy my Baseball Cards?" I have to respond; "I am Sorry we do not deal in Sports merchandise (Mr. Zero's)However We recommend "Three Stars Sports" they deal in sports merchandise.How I found them was, I went in search of a good if not great Sports cards shop and found these guys. My friend Genie told me about it, because she sold an autographed football helmet to them about a month earlier So since there are not many Sports Cards places left, We recommend THIS ONE !!!! (not Mr. Zero's they do not deal in Sports stuff)Three Stars Sports 2801 Hamline Ave. N.Roseville/ St. Paul, MN. 55113651.633.6041Defiantly tell em Mr. Zero's Sent Ya !"

Games by James

★★★☆☆ 2.7 (6) • $$

"I love game stores, but I freely admit that I am a bit of snob and want to make sure that they have the right creds. You can generally tell pretty quickly by browsing their stock and performing a checklist: Do they have Fluxx? Do they have Munchkin? Do they have the standard set of German games (Ticket to Ride, Catan)? Do they have a bunch of game that I haven't seen before? This place passes all the tests and the prices are reasonable. Definitely worth a browse if you are around."

Hub Hobby Center

★★★★☆ 4 (41) • $$

"I wish I came here before I finished my Christmas shopping! This place is great, there are so many cool games, crafts and other creative items you can honestly walk around for hours. It's way bigger that you would expect, if you have an interest in a geeky hobby like Board Games, Models, RC Cars, Trains and Figurines to name a few then you will love this place. I felt motivated to start a new hobby while I was here, so many different things can appeal to so many interests that it's impossible not to find something you will like. If you do catch a bug for starting something Hub can set you up with everything you need to do it, for a way more reasonable price than you would expect too.If you have kids or are going to a kids birthday or something like that, check out Hub first. Tons of toys and gifts for little ones all within an affordable price range. If you are going to an Adult party or looking for a funny gag gift they got you covered there too, I can't wait to go back!"

Twin Cities Sports Cards

★★★★★ 4.6 (10) • $

"Go to Twin Cities Sports Cards and enjoy yourself! Unlike many other vendors who get paranoid every time a customer wants to take a look something, the owners here embrace having fun and actually encourage kids to look through their cards. The co-owner who helped us goes by "Papa" and he was extraordinarily kind and patient with my twin boys. You should feel free to ask him anything you want.The card and autograph selection is great, especially if you're a Twins fan. They also have plenty of high-profile rookie cards from the 50s and 60s. Browse all you want to. I really get the feeling they don't care all that much whether or not you buy anything as long as you're having fun."

Mind's Eye Comics

★★★★☆ 4.3 (6) • $$

"We were happy to have Free Comic Book Day return this year. Mind's Eye was the only place we wanted to go and so we did. They are in a new location since our last visit (used to be in Eagan).Per usual, everyone was friendly and helpful. I found a Harriet Tubman comic that I didn't even know existed. I bought the two copies they had. Everything was well organized and easy to peruse both the free and paid comics they have. This space is much smaller than their previous location. Fortunately, everyone was masked, which made us feel more at ease. One of the things I really love about this place, in addition to the fact that it's POC owned, is that I can be an all-out geek and nerd without getting any side eye. Chatting with the staff is fun and I always learn something new. I don't follow the comic world closely, so getting an update and to see the excitement of the person talking is quite infectious. It's probably why I've yet to spend less than $40 when we go there. Whether it's FCBD or not, this is the play for comics, graphic novels, and all kinds of things that you'll not find anywhere else. Stop in!"

Gamezenter

★★★★★ 4.7 (41) • $$

"If you are a fan of board games this place is for you. My wife and I have come here for cheap date nights or we have brought friends and family to just get away from the house and try out a new game.We have some big board game fans in our family so it is always fun to look through their large board game library and try something new (especially if we are eyeing to buy it). Their game library usually is also sold at their store so if you love the game you are playing, you can usually pick it up the same day. Prices are comparative to a Games By James or Barnes and Nobles. There is a small cafe that serves food and drink (alcohol included) onsite which is nice, especially when you start to crave something unhealthy and deep fried or need a beer because you are getting stomped by your wife in yet another Settlers of Catan game. I have never eaten here, but it seems about what you would find at a sporting event or similar gaming venue. There seems to be always something happening at this venue, be it a tournament or gaming event. Too bad that we do not live closer as I would love to dust off my old Pokémon cards and enter a tourney! Do not worry if you are not a huge nerd or board game fanatic, this place is welcoming and open to all interests and you are more than bound to find some game that will be enjoyable."

Level Up St Paul

★★★★★ 5 (1)

"Very friendly staff who are charming and patient with young children. Wide selection of comics, pop culture items, classic video games, Warhammer 40k/Star Wars/D&D miniature products, paints, and RPG supplies. They have a great space in the back for game-playing. A great neighborhood place for gaming and gaming goods."

Dreamers Vault Games - Burnsville

★★★★☆ 4 (4) • $$

"This is such a great gaming shop. They may not have as massive of a stock as some of the other larger shops around the cities, but they've got all the basics, and then some. Plus, the workers are extremely friendly, sociable, and helpful! My cousin and I visited this store a couple times before they moved to Burnsville and changed their name, and were excited to see that they were still around (after we thought they had closed.) Our first time in the Burnsville location we had good long talks with numerous of the employees/frequent guests, and they invited us to three different free events. I love how nice and welcoming they are to all! We will definitely be returning, possibly on a regular basis. I always enjoy supporting local tabletop gaming shops before going to Games by James or the internet."

Tower Games

★★★★☆ 4.3 (18) • $$

"Board gaming was foreign to me before I met my boyfriend. I was only familiar with games such as Monopoly, Sorry and Risk. However now I've been slowly introduced to deck builders, work replacement and other types of (Euro) games. They seem to have a nice assortment on display although I don't follow games closely enough to know how they compare pricewise to Amazon or eBay for example. There's also warhammer miniatures for sale. Bathrooms are down in the basement. There's more playing space with long tables down there and a pretty cool knight armour display but it was pretty cold. Turnout for game night looked pretty good. It was evident there were a mix of regulars and casual drop ins. There seems to be a parking lot in back although we parked on the street right in front of the store. Store employee wasn't dressed in a uniform but he immediately helped me when I looked like I was interested in buying a soda and warmly offered to help me with anything else I needed. Ended up playing a work replacement game for about an hour and ran into an old friend from college. Only thing I noted was there were definitely more males. Maybe it's proportional to gamers or dorks in general but I'm used to gender inequality since I work in IT anyway :p"

HobbyTown

★★★★☆ 3.8 (6) • $

"My hubby loves this place. He comes here for all his little hobbies or projects. They are super knowledgeable and pleasant. Check it out"

Level Up Games Minneapolis

★★★★★ 4.9 (19)

"This is one of the nicest game store, actually one of the nicest specialty stores I have ever been in. The staff was super friendly, the sections were clean and organized, and it had decent gaming table (2) areas. This is a small local chain and they are doing it up right. I visited about 5 comic, gaming, and figure shops over the weekend having fun with my nephew. This was the best overall, only one in coon rapids was friendlier. But both were fantastic in different ways. Wish I had a gamer store this nice in Boston. You should check it out."

Brickmania GHQ

★★★★☆ 4.2 (13) • $$$

"Brickmania is a specialty shop which designs WW2 models out of LEGO bricks. They are also an authorized dealer of BrickArms accessories. Not sure what that means? I'll explain. Brickmania began when Dan, the owner of the company, realized there was a need for WW2 models in LEGO. He'd built his own for most of his life, and was often asked if he would be willing to sell the models, or the plans to build his accurate designs. It took some time to convince himself that there were enough people out there who might buy such a thing, but the company now exists, and their customer base grows every day. Until now, Brickmania's products were only available online or during open house events at their warehouse/workshop space in Minneapolis. This is the first retail location, and I'm sure it will expose a much larger group of people to the amazing things that are possible when one builds with LEGO bricks. Just a quick glance in the windows will allow you to see a full wall mural (12'x12') of the flag being raised on Iwo Jima. This mural contains over 200,000 studs, and was created during a weekend gathering of Brickmania fans. Many of their other large models will also soon be on display, including a 25' model of the USS Missouri, which is still in the building process. Until then, the Brandenburg Gate is impressive enough. The store also sells accessories from a variety of other specialty dealers and a series of books which show the many things that can be created with small bits of plastic. The best thing about Brickmania is the staff of people who run and work for the company. They are true LEGO enthusiasts and will happily discuss pieces and building techniques. They will also explain the differences between this tank or that one, or the slight variations in each series of aircraft. Take a moment to ask questions about what you see, but watch out. Your next hobby is just ahead!"

Dreamers Vault Games - Champlin

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (5) • $$

"I live closest to this Dreamers Vault location and LOVE it! My boyfriend and play a lot of Magic and are always popping in to different gaming stores to see how we like them. We have a couple favorites at this point and Dreamers Vault is one of them. The other night we popped in an hour before closing to grab 30-40 singles. I can see how this would be annoying but it didn't matter to Nick at all! He spent a ton of time with us going through our lists and pulling everything we needed (even when we should've done it online to save him the hassle). He even had a buddy there to keep him company who pulled some cards for us that were hiding in a book. It was a really cool experience to chat magic and not feel like we were being a burden by pulling so many individual cards. Some reviews are hard to write because there just isn't enough to say. This isn't one of those times. I have been to this location several times and could go on for days about how helpful and genuine all of the employees are. Dreamers Vault has made me feel so comfortable as a new Magic player, a beginner D&D player, and as a person. I look forward to coming back again and again! Check out their website LotusVault.com to order beforehand and pick-up in store. This location has pickup dates on Tuesdays and Fridays. If you order before 7:45 am you can even pick them up same day!"

Dreamers Vault

★★★★☆ 3.8 (9) • $$

"Absolutely the best shop I have been to. They have everything you need from comics to board games and more! The manager of this location is one of the friendliest and helpful people I have met in a retail store . I will continue to come back here"

Heroic Goods & Games

★★★★★ 4.9 (7) • $$

"Recently opened retro shop in the Longfellow Neighborhood. It's got a great location on Minnehaha with ample street parking. I'm a nostalgic person and I love finding things that I had when I was a kid. There is an extensive selection of Atari, Super NES, old school Nintendo games, etc. You'll find new and vintage board games, and they even rent board games so that's pretty awesome!The owner was knowledgeable and extremely friendly. It's a tiny space, but you'll also find comics and old collector cards thrown in the mix too. I especially loved the New Kids on the Block trading cards. Definitely check this place out!"

Ultimate Collectibles RECORDS Sports Cards

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (11)

"If you are looking for Pokémon products. Look no further than Ultimate collectibles. This shop has quickly become my go to shop in MN (I basically find myself here weekly to pick something up!) the employees are knowledgable but not pushy, the prices are great, and they have an amazing collection of both single cards and sealed product. My wife and I love to spend some time looking through their various binders and always leave happy. 5 stars!"

Ax-Man Surplus Stores

★★★★☆ 4.2 (17) • $

"I love the randomness of this place, you can get Halloween costumes, scrapbooking supplies, lots of containers, mailing items and lots of what I call man things, electronic devices and things I don't understand. As always, I love the signs that explain how to use things that are a little bit of a mystery. Always a bit cheeky. They were running a promotion where you spend over $25 you get a five dollar coupon to use in the next two months. Now I will have to go back!"