What's with the Cat on the Logo? Well, Here's Our Story...

A Cat Named Genesis

It all started in winter 2013...with an alley kitten. This kitten came up to Lauren, our founder. Back then, Lauren was a young gamer and budding collector who loved animals of all kinds...she certainly had a soft spot for cats, though! 

This little kitten was skiddish, a little shy. She sported a coat as black as the night she was found. Closer inspection revealed beautiful tortoise shell spots covering her belly. 

Needless to say, the little black kitten found a new home that day.

Next, the question was...what to name her? Lauren thought back to the fun times she had as a kid playing on her older brother’s Sega Genesis console. At that moment, the name of this new cat seemed like a no brainer: Genesis. Her name would be Genesis.

So...you might ask...What do a retro gaming console and a kitten really have in common? Well, for our founder, and for many other people, kittens and video games bring joy. We're not psychologists here at Video Game Gem Vault, but both a good gaming session or a cuddle from your cat can really take the edge off after a long day! (If you don't relate to our feline proclivities, please insert your preferred cuddle buddy in place of the word "cat"!)

We truly hope that the cat on our logo doesn’t offend those of you who prefer other species (whether it be dogs, lizards, or venus fly traps)...For us, the cat and the controller on the logo remind us of two things that we really enjoy - playing with cats and playing video games. Those are two things we get all sappy and nostalgic about. We hope you can understand, one way or another!

Genesis Gems is Born

Fast forward to 2021.

Our founder had been selling video games, movies, and collectibles online via various eCommerce platforms for over 10 years at this point. Prior to focusing on eCommerce, she had even operated her own video game retail store in a small town in Michigan for a little bit.

Lauren was an avid thrifter. She enjoyed hunting for treasures at garage sales, local stores, swap meets, and more. She liked the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of discovering entertainment gems in the rough. It was rewarding to appreciate them, sometimes refurbish them, and then add them to her collection or find them a new, loving home.

In 2021, Lauren decided to focus on video game refurbishing and resale exclusively and as a full-time pursuit. When it came to naming the new business venture that would become Video Game Gem Vault, the founder thought of her cat and one of the consoles she loved as a child. She also thought of her love of finding entertainment treasures and turning someone else’s “junk” into “gems”. A friend suggested the name “Genesis Gems”. Thus, our business was born, albeit under a different name. 

Genesis Gems focused on building its sales via eCommerce platforms for its first year or so. Things went well! However, the name "Genesis Gems" didn't quite stick for us, except on the legal paperwork. Why? Well, it didn't sum up what we do here all that well without further explanation. Many people we encountered thought we were a jewelry store!

Rebooting as Video Game Gem Vault

By 2022, the business had grown. Our founder needed more help to expand the online store's offerings and keep up with demand. Lauren partnered with a select number of gaming enthusiasts and professionals like herself so the company could take the time do things right, as well as offer the products and services that gamers and collectors desired.

Our founder and team made the decision to do business as "Video Game Gem Vault" going forward. We retained the "Gem" portion of our name because video games are still treasures to us, but we added some clarification of what we specialize in with the "Video Game" prefix.

We envision "Video Game Gem Vault" as not just any online store, but as an online catalog of "video gaming gems": modern day treasures with interesting histories that bring people happiness and evoke nostalgia. We may not be big enough yet to truly fill up an enormous "vault" with our inventory, but with your help, we will continue growing and bringing quality gaming products to enthusiasts around the globe.

Fast forward to 2023.

Today at Video Game Gem Vault, we specialize in cleaning and restoring retro video games, as well as refurbishing gaming consoles and handheld systems. We believe that our thorough cleaning, testing, and attention to detail when it comes to preparing our items for sale sets us apart in the industry.

In 2023, we made another executive decision as a team. We wanted to reach a larger audience and better communicate our passion for authentic, high quality, refurbished games and systems. We decided to launch our own website and online store. We imagine Video Game Gem Vault as a place for collectors and gamers to find unique and eclectic titles, as well as professionally refurbished gaming systems that will stand the tests of time and repeated use. 

At the end of the day, what we do is about fun. We want our customers to truly enjoy our products. When it comes to our games, we want them to know what they're getting when they shop, and we hope that when they receive their game, it was exactly as described and exactly what they were looking for. When it comes to our consoles, we want our customers to rest assured that their console was thoroughly tested and refurbished by passionate professionals. Every console we sell is completely disassembled, cleaned, tested, restored and reassembled before it is photographed and sold. We feel strongly about these things, which is why we stand behind our games with our Free 30 Day Return policy and our refurbished consoles with our 12 Month Warranty.

More About Our Founder & Our Team

Our founder is a self-proclaimed “hoarder” of video games, a “student” of the technology and history behind the video gaming hobby, and a “thrifter” who enjoys discovering diamonds in the rough and negotiating a good deal.

She loves to collect a variety of items (she's a tough cookie in a business meeting, but can be quite sentimental when it comes to preserving memories). As far as video games go, she likes to play many genres. Lauren has a special love of steelbook movies, bad horror flicks, zombie collectibles, RockStar game releases, white colored consoles, PlayStation 2 memorabilia, Audrey Hepburn artwork, and Coca Cola apparel – to name just a few things that Lauren has a penchant for.

Now our founder works with a team of entertainment enthusiasts and professionals who are here to help serve you as you shop for or trade in your collection. As a team, we love to learn, play, and laugh together.

On our team we have folks who love to fix and restore things. We have individuals who love to learn the science and history behind video game systems. We have guys and gals with an eye for spotting misprints, limited editions, and unique variants. We all have our own passions when it comes to gaming, whether it be boxed games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, racing games on the original Xbox, survival horror titles on PlayStation, or Japanese RPG's on Vita and PSP. Regardless of which games suit our fancy after we press "Start" or jump online, and regardless of whether we spend our time at work updating TikTok or writing product descriptions, we ALL commit ourselves to offering authentic products of the highest quality backed by exceptional customer service. What we do is about fun for everyone that lasts for years to come. We're having fun here at Video Game Gem Vault, and we want to spread the fun to gamers and collectors worldwide!

We'd Love to Hear from You

Feel free to send us a message if you have any questions, and we will respond promptly to help point you in the right direction. Happy gaming, shopping, and collecting.