After floods, setbacks and big risks, Nerdzoic keeps growing in Central PA
Story and photos by Noah Lopez
Knightly News Reporter
Not long ago, Nerdzoic Toy Store wasn’t actually a physical store. It wasn’t even a business. It was just an idea that hadn’t quite figured itself out yet.
The couple behind Nerdzoic Toy Store, Matt and Anna Roberts, had spent years trying to build something of their own. They met at work (both worked in the restaurant business and met at Panera Bread) and quickly realized they worked well together and, from early on, they talked about eventually stepping away from working for others and running something themselves. The problem was never the motivation. It was finding the right path.
At one point, they planned to open a cheesesteak restaurant, but that idea fell through. Then restaurant consulting came, something they started to build with a website and YouTube content, until the COVID-19 pandemic hit and brought everything to a stop. Like a lot of people at the time, they found themselves adjusting and trying to figure out what would come next. So, they turned to making videos.
At first, the content focused on restaurant management, but it didn’t click. It felt forced, and it showed. “They (the videos) were terrible,” Matt Roberts said. That changed when the focus shifted to something simpler.
“Why don’t you just talk about something you like?” they remembered being told. That something turned out to be toys.
Turning content into a business
Once they started talking about toys, everything felt easier. It was something they already knew and cared about, and people responded to it. The Nerdzoic YouTube channel grew quickly, eventually reaching more than 50,000 YouTube subscribers in under a year. Today, that audience has grown to more than 53,000 subscribers, giving them a steady platform that still supports the business.
Still, it wasn’t supposed to become a business. That idea came during a casual conversation with a friend. “Why don’t you sell the toys?” the friend suggested. At first, it sounded like a bad idea, but after some digging and a lot of trial and error, it started to make sense.
In February 2021, Nerdzoic began selling out of their basement.
What started as a small side project quickly turned into something much bigger. Orders came in faster than expected, inventory grew and the space filled up. What initially seemed manageable quickly became overwhelming, but they continued pushing forward.
Within a relatively short time, the business generated more than $1 million in sales, handled entirely by the two of them. That growth has continued, with the business shipping more than 19,000 orders in the past year alone.
Some of that success came from timing, as the pandemic created gaps in supply that they were able to fill. Some of it came from instinct, as they made quick decisions and took risks when they needed to.
And that approach worked, until it didn’t.
A setback that changed everything
In May 2023, a sump pump failure flooded the basement where they stored their inventory. Water filled the space, and products began to float. “There was about two feet of water,” Matt Roberts said. “You could just see things floating.”
For a business that had been built from scratch, it was the kind of moment that could have ended everything.
Instead of shutting down, they chose to be open about what was happening. They went live online and showed people the situation as it unfolded. “Give us three days, we’ll figure it out,” Matt Roberts said. And they followed through on that.
The business was moved upstairs into the main part of the house, and operations continued while repairs were made. The recovery wasn’t easy, but it worked. Unexpectedly, the situation even brought more attention to the business, as others in the collectibles’ community took notice.
What could have been the end of Nerdzoic instead became one of the moments that helped it grow.
Building something bigger than a store
As the business continued to expand, the owners began to better understand who their customers were. Unlike traditional toy stores, Nerdzoic does not rely heavily on holiday shopping. Instead, its busiest months come after the holidays.
“Our busiest months are January and February,” Matt Roberts said. “After people are done buying for others, they buy for themselves.”
That pattern reflects a larger shift in how people engage with hobbies. Many customers are adults who grew up with the products now being sold in the store. For them, collecting is about reconnecting with something familiar.
Toy collecting has increasingly become tied to nostalgia, as many adults seek to reconnect with childhood memories and experiences. Collectors often purchase action figures, trading cards, video games and other retro toys not only for financial value, but also for the emotional connection tied to specific eras, television shows, films and cultural moments that shaped their early lives.
At the same time, Nerdzoic has worked to make sure younger customers are not left out. The store has added more affordable, entry-level items to make the hobby more accessible.
“There’s not much on the market that’s entry-level priced that kids can (afford),” Matt Roberts noted.
In July 2025, Nerdzoic moved into its current storefront in Lemoyne, marking a major step forward for the business. The location gave the store a physical presence and allowed it to continue growing beyond its online roots.
It also placed Nerdzoic within a region that has seen steady growth in collectibles, gaming and hobby-related spaces.
“The Central Pennsylvania nerd scene has turned into a thing,” Matt Roberts said, illustrating the growth of hobby shops in the region. On the West Shore alone, stores like Kranzel’s HobbyTown and Adventurer’s Guild Games and Hobbies have built a strong following because of the nostalgic connection many customers have to collectibles that helped define their childhood experiences.
Visions for the future
With the storefront now established, the focus has shifted to what comes next. Plans are already in place to expand into a neighboring space, which will be used for events, gatherings and community-focused activities. The goal is to create an environment where customers can do more than just shop.
The business is also exploring new ways to grow, including offering customers opportunities to sell and trade items through the store and, eventually, creating original products under the Nerdzoic name.
The Nerdzoic Toy Store did not begin with a clear plan or a guaranteed path forward. It grew out of uncertainty, changed direction (more than once), and faced challenges that could have ended it. Instead, it adapted.
What exists now in Lemoyne is the result of that process, a business built step by step, shaped by experience, and supported by a community that continues to grow.
For customers, it may look like a store filled with collectibles. For the people behind it, it represents years of sacrifice, persistence and a passion that helped turn a lifelong hobby into something much bigger than themselves.
Nerdzoic Toys is located at 829 State St., Suite 3002, Lemoyne, PA. More information and links to online ordering can be found at https://nerdzoic.com/.
