Geek Gatherings: 10 nerdy hideouts in NWA and River Valley for pop culture enthusiasts

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Northwest Arkansas and River Valley regions take pride in their Razorbacks, fine arts and natural scenery, but they are also home to shops and attractions for an alternative audience.

Below are 10 local businesses geared toward those interested in video games, movies, comics and all things nerdy.

So, if you’re new to the region and looking for a local hangout, or if you’ve lived here for your entire life, there’s a chance you might find something of interest.

Anime Cafe — Rogers

Historic downtown Rogers features Anime Cafe, a bubble tea shop with an affinity for anime (a kind of Japanese animation).

The cafe offers bubble tea, Japanese snacks and anime merchandise. In addition to bubble tea, their menu features fruit teas, boba sodas, mochi ice cream and weekly specials.

• Location: 111 South 2nd Street, Rogers

• Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Pinpoint — Fayetteville

Pinpoint’s website describes itself as “A place for adults to play under the heart of Fayetteville.”

Located near the Fayetteville square, Pinpoint is a combination pinball arcade and bar where you can buy tokens along with your drinks.

The bar features a collection of classic and modern pinball tables with licensed themes like Star Wars, Super Mario and Scooby-Doo and original themes like Theatre of Magic and Earthshaker, according to their website.

If your favorite table isn’t there, don’t worry—the lineup is rotated often, so new games are always available.

Pinpoint also holds pinball tournaments, including the Amateur and Pro Pinball Tournament every last Tuesday of the month. The bar even hosts private events like birthdays, reunions or holiday parties.

• Location: 23 Block Avenue, Fayetteville

• Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to close (see website for details)

Arkadia Retrocade — Fayetteville

Arkadia Retrocade is a retro-themed arcade that features around 175 classic arcade games, according to the business’ X account.

After paying the one-time $5 entry fee at the front desk, all the games are free to play.

Arkadia features arcade classics dating back to the 1970s like Asteroids, Donkey Kong and Pac-Man as well as more obscure games. Adding to the retro vibe is the assortment of vintage pop culture memorabilia and CRT televisions found throughout the arcade.

• Location: 1478 N. College Avenue in the Evelyn Hills shopping center.

• Hours: Tuesday-Saturday from 2:30-10:30 p.m., Friday from 2:30 p.m. to midnight, Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

The Geek Realms/Dragon’s Keep Gaming Room — Fayetteville, Springdale

The Geek Realms features a wide assortment of collectible geek-centric merchandise.

Its website showcases toys, games, anime, dice sets, plushies, figurines and puzzle sets.

It also has its own female-owned collectible card game shop known as Dragon’s Keep Gaming Room.

According to Dragon’s Keep’s website, the shop originated inside The Geek Realms before branching out on its own and eventually merging back with The Geek Realms.

Dragon’s Keep carries cards from games like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh and Digimon.

The Geek Realms has a second location in Springdale at 2507 S Thompson Street at Madison Plaza.

• Location: 2577 N. College Avenue, Fayetteville

• Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Dickson Street Bookshop — Fayetteville

According to Dickson Street Bookshop’s website, it has “more than 100,000 books organized in sections from Aeronautics to Zoology.”

The store was founded by Charles O’Donnell and Don Choffel in 1978. Both men worked at the store until their deaths in 2019 and 2024 respectively.

The store has used and out-of-print books on “every subject imaginable,” according to its website.

The shop was recognized in Buzzfeed’s “17 Bookstores That will Literally Change Your Life“

You can sell or trade-in your books at the bookshop. It offers cash or trade credit for clean books in good condition. Donations are also welcome.

• Location: 325 Dickson Street, Fayetteville

• Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday

Block Street Records — Fayetteville, Bentonville

Block Street Records is a pair of locally owned indie record shops.

According to its Facebook page, the two shops in Fayetteville and Bentonville offer new and vintage vinyl records, CDs, cassette tapes, t-shirts, posters and more.

A recent photo on their page shows records from Morrissey, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blur, Fleetwood Mac and Misfits.

Its Facebook page gives frequent updates on new merchandise.

• Locations: 17 N Block Avenue, Fayetteville; 100 NW 2nd Street #110, Bentonville.

• Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Rock Bottom Books — Fayetteville

Rock Bottom Books is a shop stuffed full of comics and memorabilia.

The shop offers comics, trade paperbacks and collectibles, according to the shop’s Facebook page.

Rock Bottom Books has a wide array of new and back-issue comics for hardcore collectors and casual fans. Like Block Street Records, Rock Bottom posts regular updates on all of its newest merchandise on their social media.

• Location: 1208 N. Garland Avenue, Fayetteville

• Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, according to the Rock Bottom Books Google page.

Steampunk Alley — Siloam Springs

Steampunk Alley is a little different from the rest of the entries on this list.

Located on the outskirts of Siloam Springs inside an antique shop called Sassafras, the shop features Steampunk-themed antique, vintage and new items.

Steampunk Alley has a selection of goggles, watches and other steampunk clothing.

• Location: 4895 US-412, Siloam Springs

• Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

HawgHead Comics & Gaming — Fort Smith

HawgHead Comics & Gaming is one of the older comic book shops in Arkansas, having been around for more than 30 years.

HawgHead Comics offers subscription services for new comic book issues each week. Its website says it can “order virtually any comic book that you could want” from the store’s partners.

The shop’s website says it has more than 50,000 comic books and 500,000 Magic: The Gathering cards among other cards. You can also shop digitally on its online card store.

HawgHead also boasts a large selection of rare cards and gaming space.

• Location: 1600 S. Greenwood Avenue, Fort Smith

• Hours: Wednesday to Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.

Time Machine Collectibles — Fort Smith

Time Machine Collectibles in Fort Smith is a store that specializes in toys and comics.

According to its Facebook page, the store travels to shows and conventions around the country to set up shop and bring hard-to-find items in the area.

Its Facebook page showcases toys like action figures and Hot Wheels along with collectibles like plushies and Funko Pop! figures.

The store also features collectible comics from not only the likes of Marvel and DC, but other names like G.I. and Transformers.

• Location: 2600 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith

• Hours: Varies, check the Time Machine Collectibles’ Facebook page for latest updates

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