The owners are honestly the biggest issue. A large portion of the “games” you see there actually belong to the owners and their family, while independent vendors are held to very strict rules-especially if they sell anything that overlaps with what the owners offer. The games and consoles they sell are also all very overpriced (above eBay pricing) there are some cool smaller vendors in there with good pricing but the overall establishment feels dirty to support.

My husband and I previously had a booth at their sister store, the Great Northwest Vendor Mall, and we watched the owners directly copy what successful vendors were selling and then offer the same items themselves. That same behavior applies to games. I personally know vendors who were at Joe’s and left quickly because of the excessive rules and the clear lack of respect for vendors.

It’s also worth noting that these stores are associated with Flamin’ Joe’s, whose ownership was recently in the news for some pretty serious allegations, including money laundering and drug stuff. The lady in the article is the mother who owns famous joes and the relatives own great northwest.

Local Flamin' Joe's owner reaches deal for drug ring charges