Core

Great place for all things comics and games! Staff gas always been very helpful to find what you need. ‘Nuff said!

For your nerdy subculture things, The Core was pretty much the only store available in the entire Cedar Valley area for awhile. Now there’s another comic book store, but this one still reigns supreme in terms of selection available. The Core sells tabletop gaming items for Star Trek, Warhammer, Star Wars, and others. It has a huge selection of comic books (it takes up most of the store). For people like myself, it also sells adorable things like the neat Pop! toys as well as more serious (and expensive!) collector’s figurines. They also have a huge selection of Magic The Gathering cards, and you can purchase by individual cards as well. They also have a small selection of snacks and other items available for purchase.
Along with that, The Core has playing tables as well. When I stopped in, it was Friday Night Magic. I’ll also say that, out of the 25-​ish people in the store, I was the only female, and it was slightly off-​setting (though I’m used to it in this type of store). Their Friday Night Magic was pretty active, though, so it looked like a lot of people to play with.
I picked up a Star Trek game, and prices were fair. It was only a dollar more than Amazon, and for that, I’m happy to support local business.
Store interior décor (and exterior) is a bit drab. There’s literally merchandise on every available surface of the store. There’s a huge selection, but it doesn’t strike you as a «fancy» place or anything. It’s well kept-​up, but it doesn’t seem to go out of its way to be nice.
Employee was friendly enough while checking out. Didn’t demean or talk down to me because I’m a female. He seemed a bit bored with his job (or maybe busy since it was so packed), but I have no complaints.
Final thoughts: It’s not as amazing as nerd stores you can find in larger cities (such as Ames), but this is pretty much the best you’ll get in the Cedar Valley area — and it’s not a bad store. They have a decent selection of nerd things, and they have events for those that like to gather and nerd out. As an odd note, though, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any bathrooms here, so it may require leaving the building and going somewhere else for that.

If you’ve lived in the area long enough and are in any way connected to any of the various nerd or geek subcultures, you’ve likely been asked by someone to take a side in the rivalry between The Core and LE Comics.
My advice? Avoid the drama. Enjoy both stores.
That said, The Core has been a longtime one-​stop shop for anyone looking to stock up on comics, gaming supplies, or pop culture memorabilia. You’re not going to find a bigger variety anywhere else in the area. Having patronized the store for many years I have always found a friendly face to help with whatever I need (even if you don’t speak fluent nerd, and need to find a gift for your favorite geek, someone will help you).
Visiting The Core is a pleasant experience and you’ll always find something interesting and new. I’d recommend, however, not doing your shopping on Friday nights or whenever a given Magic: The Gathering tournament is in play. .. you won’t be able to reach certain parts of the store and the contenders have not all mastered the art of personal hygiene which leaves the shopper with a pungent aroma that will follow them out of the store.
Great store!

Best place around that I have found for everything a nerd like me needs! If you like figures you need to check out what this place has on display. I have been to a lot of comic book stores and this is the best one by far.