Slackers CDs and Games
 |
|
| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | Columbia, Missouri, U.S., 1993 |
| Founder | Kurt Jellinek Paul Zacharias |
| Headquarters |
1010 East Broadway Columbia, Missouri, USA |
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Number of locations
|
10 stores (2009) |
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Area served
|
Midwestern United States |
| Products |
Video Games Music Movies |
| Website | http://slackers.com/ |
Slackers CDs and Games, often shortened to Slackers, is a small chain of entertainment retailers located in the Midwestern United States. The store specializes in both new and used video games and music. It was founded in 1993 in Columbia, Missouri by Kurt Jellinek and Paul Zacharias, originally as a music store. The store is known for selling local independent music, its collection of classic games, and for giving a lot of credit for trade-ins. In 2007, the store raised some controversy for stockpiling Nintendo Wiis. As of 2009, there are 10 locations in Missouri and Illinois.
Jellinek has said that the name "Slackers" comes from being a slacker in college—playing video games and listening to music during their free time. A new store would be opened every few years, in various separate locations, so as not to lose business by placing two stores close together. Jellinek and Zacharias manage the chain of stores with a hands-on approach.
The original idea behind Slackers first occurred in 1990. Along with some friends, Kurt Jellinek and Paul Zacharias went to a Don Henley concert, and began thinking about owning their own music store. At the time, the two were undergraduate students, and decided to focus their studies on business management and becoming entrepreneurs. Slackers CDs and Games was officially founded in 1993, by Jellinek and Zacharias, in Columbia, Missouri. Jellinek and Zacharias opened the store after graduating from Saint Louis University, using only their own collection of 1,500 music CDs. The name originated from their generation being considered slackers before being given a chance to prove otherwise. Although business was slow at first, with the store sometimes only making US$30 in a day, business eventually increased. After 2 years they were able to open a second location in O'Fallon, Illinois. As of 2009, there are 10 locations in the states of Missouri and Illinois, eight of which are in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area, and two of which are in Mid-Missouri.
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