‘We’ll be okay’: Second Cape Cod gaming store burglarized in under a week

Vanguard Tabletop Gaming is the second gaming store on the Cape to be hit by a break-in within less than a week.

Surveillance video shows the back door of the Hyannis store being broken into with glass shattering, and the suspect wiping over $1,000 worth of merchandise from the shelves in under a minute.

It comes at a difficult time for co-owner Rob Zeida, who started working at the store when his wife passed away, and needed a job where he could bring his kids.

“It’s not fun to be dealing with trauma at this time. I mean it’s never fun to be dealing with trauma but it definitely just compounds everything a little bit,” Zeida explained.

With the second anniversary of his wife’s passing just days away, it was already an emotional time. However, with this break-in, his kids, who call the store home, are feeling very overwhelmed.

“My son understands the business parts of it better and is fine but she’s [his daughter] definitely nervous,” Zeida explained.

Though, Zeida says the community is already showing up in support. He said his phone has been ringing off the hook with customer’s asking how they can help.

That’s also what happened for Dark Water Games in Mashpee, a gaming sore that lost over $40,000 in collectibles during a break-in last Thursday.

Zeida explains that Pokémon cards are very popular right now, which is why he thinks people are doing anything they can to get their hands on them.

On eBay, some cards are going for tens of thousands of dollars. However, what the thief got away with at Vanguard Tabletop Gaming, certainly wasn’t that.

“It wasn’t the hottest stuff that we have,” Zeida said. “It was mostly just some Magic Boxes and Star Wars Unlimited.”

Zeida said fixing the broken door will likely cost more than replacing what was stolen.

“We’ve got a really good community here, we’ll be okay,” Zeida said.

Barnstable Police said it’s too early to tell if the break-ins in Mashpee and Hyannis are connected.

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