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    Protean Books & Records

    4.7 (31 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated a few days ago

    Protean Books & Records Photos

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    Barbi B.

    I went to a comedy show here and also checked out the main area with all of the books and records. I've been here once before that as well. This place is a total gem, one of those offbeat places with tons of character. All kinds of weird, goofy, cool, nerdy stuff. I plan to go back for old video games and maybe some used books.

    Rylan S.

    I'm not big into books or records myself, I don't see the point. But my girlfriend is heavily into the scene and I picked this place out for her and I to go to. You can tell the guys working there are genuinely into the scene as well and the entire place is very aesthetic. They have a large variety of everything including old Xbox games, dvds, books, records, cds, even large replica figures of popular fictional characters. Like I said I'm not into it myself however if I were this would be my go to place to shop! If you're in the area I'd highly recommend it. Side note: the bathroom is a vibe! A lot nicer than other places in the area too.

    Crypt exhibit
    Kyle R.

    Protean Books & Records is an awesome store. They've got an amazing selection of retro toys, retro video games, used books, and vinyl. I spent quite awhile browsing around. They have an interesting "occult" section filled with books about really wacky conspiracy theories and witchcraft, which was fun to just peruse. They also have a lot of Star Wars merchandise, especially action figures. The space itself is huge (it's a warehouse), and from the outside the building is relatively unmarked and nondescript. You'll want to ask to see the "Crypt of Curiosities," which sits in a room off the main sales floor. It's a campy, sideshow attraction type exhibit filled with gaff taxidermy and creepy stuff with funny, tongue-in-cheek museum wall labels. It's goofy, but it's unique and made me smile

    'Freak show'

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    11 months ago

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    7 years ago

    Food was very good, place was busy and service a bit slow, sat at counter, watched operations. Hometown diner experience. Tables too close

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    12 years ago

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    11 years ago

    This was a small little shop, but had lots of records to sort through. Also, books!

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    8 years ago

    Really cool selection, really chill employees. Overall friendly vibe. Will definitely visit again

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    Ask the Community - Protean Books & Records

    Review Highlights - Protean Books & Records

    Steve is always friendly, and even kept a list of books I was interested in finding, under the register for me.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    Canton Games - The card they gave me instead of a voucher or waiver for my items

    Canton Games

    3.4(28 reviews)
    1.7 miCanton
    $$

    There's a step to get inside the store, so I sent Jeremy in alone because he was looking for some…read moreD&D stuff, particularly the Wheel of Time RPG. A group of our friends are hoping to put together a Friday night gaming extravaganza in their home, and while I have no interest in D&D, I do look forward to watching/listening as the others play. Jeremy was inside the store for less than 10 minutes. I was surprised how quickly he returned, but he said that there was nothing interesting in the store and that he had bought a collapsible dice tray because he felt bad for interacting with the store employee, and decided to buy something. Looking for something niche? Best to call. Cannot recommend.

    Scammy Practices, systems and behaviors SELLERS BEWARE…read more On first glance this is a simple, little retro game store with charm and all the vibes you want from a place like this. So I go there for the first time with the intentions of doing business. I call ahead tell them I have a small retro game collection I found in my storage unit and I'd like to sell it if they are interested. I drove over and bring the games in. I will show pictures of this collection. Including a working ps3 slim and about 30 games across various platforms (ps3, ps2, GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox one). At 2 pm The clerk there told me she was the only one there and they had an event at 6 and need time to look through everything and can I come back later and leave the games here. No one in the store at the moment however... Ok sure. I ask if they will give me a receipt or voucher or something stating they have my collection and haven't paid for them yet. They tell me they are making an office waiver but don't have it yet..... ok so wtf. I'm supposed to just trust you people. But like I said it looked like a nice lil mom and pop store. I've run my own small business for a decade so I trusted they were above board and not going anywhere and I had already documented all the games so why not. Let's trust them to be professionals. She tells me I can come back tonight and she will call me when they are ready. 9pm close rolls around and no call yet... I wait the night and call at 1pm the next day. Same story. They aren't done yet. I say I'll call back later. They say nah we will call you. Literally. I wait till 8 pm again and now they call. They tell me the offer is $44 in cash or $60 in store. I say. WTF I estimated the value conservatively and with them Turing a profit in mind and had the whole collection at about $450. I'm a business owner and not new to commission businesses or wholesalers or buy and sell places. I do it myself. I know the basic ranges of things and market value. So I say f it. They are joking imma go get my games back since they aren't serious and have now wasted 2 days of my time I coulda took them somewhere else. Or EBay. I drive back now for the 2nd time. The lady there is the same and says oh here's your games, what do I wanna do. I decline the offer and ask why is so low. She says she doesn't know she didn't check them. Highly annoyed I just take the box and go. I get home and the next morning I go to list the games myself on eBay. I notice the highest priced game in the collection is missing.... Folklore for PS3. Easily valued at $80-$120 And these ppl wanted to give me $40 for the whole thing.... SCAM I double check to make sure the game hadn't fallen out in my trunk and that I'm not jumping to conclusions. I'm not. I go back to the store. Now my 3rd useless time wasting trip there. I finally meet the guy who did my product evaluation. I go in and immediately ask where my f'n game is and what are they playing at. I got a bs offer after you waste my time and now yall stealing my best game too. Dude says "oh the case was dirty and I was gonna clean it and forgot to put it back with the rest, I forgot to tell the last girl to give it back to you too, my bad"....... wtf. Sureeeeeee ok. Give me my stuff. I got it back and then asked him how he got to that nonsense offer and was told that's just how the system they use ranked the priced for each game. They didn't even really do any research themselves. SMH So I take my stuff home and in the first 5 min of listing the items on eBay I sell two (manhunt and RE4 GameCube) for more ($55) then the entire offer these rip off artist tried to give me. Don't sell anything to these ppl. Just go play D&D and leave. They didn't know this but I'm actually an influencer (600k YouTube , 400k ig, 300k Snapchat, etc) and I shoulda flamed them on line but I'll spare them this time. Check out the pic of the collection and let me know if you think $40 was a fair offer. I think not and very bad business on their end. Not professional at all. Way more worried about they table top nights then any actual customers or potential clients I guess. Oh well. I won't be going back.

    Photos
    Canton Games - The collection in question.

    The collection in question.

    Canton Games - The collection and the games that sold instantly

    The collection and the games that sold instantly

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    Super Bit Video Games

    Super Bit Video Games

    4.9(21 reviews)
    44.7 mi

    I went in today (4/10/26) looking for some accessories for my Nintendo switch. They had everything…read moreI needed! I ended up buying some really cool joy cons and a monster Hunter rise pro controller for my switch! Just got home and tried everything out and they all work flawlessly! The staff are super friendly and their prices cannot be beaten! Way better than GameStop!! I definitely recommend giving this place your patronage if you're looking for old or new video game stuff. The staff are beyond friendly and the store is so cool. I'll definitely be back.

    I am not much of a gamer, and I decided to sell my old Gameboy advanced from my teenage years. I…read morefirst went to multiple Gamestop locations and got referred to here as Gamestop does not do trade ins for Gameboy console and the games. Superbit is a retro gamestore and may accept some popular game consoles and rare games. I was greeted and was helped right away. The store employee knew exactly why I was there. He noticed the bright green color of my Pokemon leaf green and stopped everything to assess the value of my total trade in. If I had known how much Pokemon would have blown up in the past, I would have kept all of my cards and games and sold them here. Fun fact: The game box/packaging is worth more than the game itself. If you have a mint condition box that the game came in, it could be worth a lot. I thought I ended up with a good bargain because of the quick trade in and knowledge base of the employee. I am glad I got rid of my childhood games for some cash. I learned that retro stores like this is considered like an antique store.

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    Super Bit Video Games - Monster Hunter Rise Pro Controller.  Paid $34.99

    Monster Hunter Rise Pro Controller. Paid $34.99

    Super Bit Video Games
    Super Bit Video Games - Joycons. Paid $39.99!!

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    Joycons. Paid $39.99!!

    El Suprimo Records - Og press

    El Suprimo Records

    4.2(26 reviews)
    1.3 miFells Point
    $

    This is by far one of my new favorite record stores in the area. Thankfully I stopped by and it was…read moreopen--this is my favorite way to shop--I love digging and this is digging paradise! It felt like you had private access to some secret stash! Jack is absolutely so sweet and made it a fun experience. The prices were reasonable and I found so many great albums. I can't wait to go back and explore more!

    This shop is a 5 star rating in my book because I'm the type of record shopper who likes to flip…read morethrough stacks and discover awesome finds. You'll find rarities and original print classics here, so that's why you should come to El Suprimo. There are other shops in Fells Point where you can get new releases and reissues, which are great of course, but this is my preferred record shopping experience. Based on that, I love this place. The record shop is within short walking distance of the water taxi. It's close to the corner of Aliceanna and South Broadway. It's also across the street from Cafe Latte'da, where you can get a coffee to caffeine up before looking through records. The store is located in the lower level of the building, so you take a few steps down to enter. It's a small space, but it's packed with records and there are things to look at all over the place. Don't forget to look down because there are also crates on the floor to look through, too. Every time I've gone there, I've seen the same guy, who really knows his music and what's in the store. My boyfriend and he talked about pre-war Memphis blues music once while I found a super-cheaply priced copy of David Johansen's Live It Up in good condition (I was all excited). Anyway, this is a great shop. Only one thing for those with allergies - consider taking a hit of fexofenadine/pseudoephedrine a.k.a. Allegra-D before you go in (that's what I do) - it handles used records and can be a little dusty. Happy record shopping!

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    El Suprimo Records
    El Suprimo Records
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    Protean Books & Records - videogamestores - Updated May 2026

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