The Atomic Story

Atomic Hobby Shop Opens

Atomic started almost by accident.

Before there was a store, Johnathan Lindsley was already deep in the tabletop gaming community. He played Magic: The Gathering, built Warhammer armies, ran a Warhammer 40K battle report channel on YouTube, and made a habit of visiting local game stores whenever he travelled for work.

He kept notes. He took pictures. He paid attention to what worked, what didn't, and what made a game store feel like a place players actually wanted to spend time.

Then an opportunity appeared. A local slot car track shop was selling off its Warhammer 40K product. Johnathan went in to look at the inventory, started talking with the owner, and asked a simple question: if all the product was removed and only the shell of a retail store remained, what would it cost?

That question became the beginning of Atomic Hobby Shop. With two friends, an existing LLC, a business degree, and a folder full of game store ideas, Johnathan took the leap and opened the first Atomic location.

Building the Community

Atomic did not grow because of flashy shortcuts. It grew because people felt welcome.

From the beginning, the goal was to create a store where new players, longtime hobbyists, kids, families, competitive players, and casual gamers could all feel like they belonged.

Johnathan brought the same advice he had received as a new Warhammer player into the way Atomic helped customers: pick what looks cool to you, because you're going to spend hours building, painting, playing, and enjoying it.

That simple, player-first approach helped Atomic grow its Warhammer community quickly. The store's relationship with Games Workshop grew dramatically in the first year, driven largely by the strength of the local community and the passion players had for the hobby.

From Bakery to Game Store

The next major chapter came during COVID.

At the time, Johnathan and his wife were running a bakery called Sweets in the Sky. The bakery served cakes, cookies, ice cream, and event orders. But when the pandemic hit, weddings, quinceañeras, sweet sixteens, and other celebrations were suddenly cancelled.

With a five-year lease and a changing world, Johnathan saw the writing on the wall.

He knew gaming. He knew the community. So he started converting the front half of the bakery into a gaming space. Used display cases came over from Atomic Hobby Shop. Gaming tables were built. Product was added.

Eventually, the gaming side made far more sense than the food side. The numbers made the decision clear: food represented a small portion of the profit, but took up most of the team's time. So the kitchen was shut down, the industrial equipment was sold, and the space was transformed fully into a game store.

Atomic Gaming Opens

After the food side was removed, the "cafe" name no longer fit.

Atomic Gaming Cafe became Atomic Gaming, marking the official shift into a dedicated tabletop gaming destination.

This was the point where Atomic's identity started to become bigger than one shop. Atomic Hobby Shop and Atomic Gaming were technically separate entities at first, but they shared the same DNA: community-first service, strong hobby knowledge, and a welcoming local game store experience.

Atomic Gaming carried forward the belief that a game store should never feel intimidating. It should be a place where people can ask questions, learn something new, find their next army, discover a new game, or just sit down and play.

A New Chapter Begins

By 2024, Atomic had grown into something much larger than a side project or pipe dream.

Johnathan was working full-time, taking his EMBA, and balancing the demands of multiple stores. It became clear that Atomic needed the right person to help take it to the next level.

That person was Sebastian Ortiz.

Although there was another potential buyer offering more, Johnathan chose Sebastian because their vision aligned. Sebastian shared the same dreams for Atomic, the same belief in what the business could become, and brought the business and franchise experience needed to help Atomic grow into the future.

After the sale, Johnathan stayed on as an advisor, helping guide the direction of the company he had built from the ground up.

8th Dimension Joins the Family

Soon, another opportunity appeared. 8th Dimension became available for sale.

The store needed a turnaround, but the potential was there. With Sebastian's business experience and Johnathan's deep knowledge of the gaming industry, Atomic was able to take on the challenge and bring 8th Dimension into the Atomic family.

This milestone was about more than adding another location. It was proof that Atomic's model could grow, adapt, and breathe new life into established local game stores.

From the beginning, Atomic had been imagined as something that could eventually become a repeatable model. A store built around strong systems, strong leadership, and a better customer experience.

The Hobby Shop Moves

Atomic Hobby Shop's move to a new location marks another major step forward for the brand.

What began as a sparse, community-built shop has grown into a multi-location business with a much bigger future ahead.

The move represents Atomic's continued commitment to creating better spaces for players, collectors, hobbyists, families, and fans to gather. More space, more games, more events, and more opportunities to serve the local community.

More Milestones Ahead

The future of Atomic is growth.

The long-term dream is for Atomic to become one of the names people think of when they think of a great friendly local game store. Not just in one city, but across many communities.

But growth does not mean losing what made Atomic work in the first place.

Atomic was built around a simple philosophy: no "king nerds." Nobody behind the counter should make a customer feel small. Nobody should be treated like they do not belong because they are new, curious, young, casual, competitive, or still learning.

At Atomic, everyone is welcome.