STCC inspired entrepreneur to create retro video game business

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – When he was a student at Springfield Technical Community College, Frank Bond was given an assignment to create a business plan.

He focused on his idea of opening an arcade with a retro video game store. He wanted to operate a business that was fun and nostalgic.  

Nearly 20 years later, Bond ’08 today is living his dream. His STCC business plan evolved into a real business. Bond owns Stateline Video Games, with three locations. He specializes in retro video games, selling brands such as Nintendo and Atari, which were popular in the 1980s.

Reflecting on the business plan he created while a student at STCC, Bond says with a laugh, “I kind of do all those things now. It’s amazing how it worked out.”

Bond’s stores are in the Holyoke Mall, Enfield Square in Enfield, Conn., and the Shoppes at Buckland Hills, in Manchester, Conn. “Nostalgia is the driving force behind my business,” he said.

Bond, who grew up in Agawam and graduated from Agawam High School, credits his experience at STCC with helping to shape the entrepreneur he is today.

“I absolutely loved my experience at STCC,” Bond said. “It's a running joke among my friends because I'm always touting how the college is one of the best community colleges in the country. I believe that. Not only is it the best college in the area, but the best community college in the whole United States.”

Bond said he loves how the professors at STCC bring “real world experience.” Many of them owned their own businesses and shared their experiences in the classroom, he said.

He said he remembers the names of his professors because they made a meaningful impact on his life.

One of the professors, Diane Sabato, said STCC has helped to train many entrepreneurial-minded students like Bond. 

I absolutely loved my experience at STCC Frank Bond '08, STCC alumnus

“STCC provides both education and support to students interested in starting their own businesses, from a credit course in Entrepreneurship to individual consulting and connection to area business support resources,” Sabato said. “Students like Frank are a wonderful representation of how they can transform their lives by taking advantage of the opportunities around them and following their passions. When they combine these with hard work, like Frank, they build their own success.”

Bond comes from humble beginnings. He grew up in a trailer park, which, he said, made him “feel different and out of place.” But when he arrived at STCC, he said he felt welcomed and supported. No one judged him based on his background.

Bond came to STCC on an entrepreneurship scholarship which covered his books and tuition. He said the drive to own his own business was in his blood.  His father owned a deli in Agawam. He learned a lot about running a business through his father, but also was proud to study at college and learn about business plans, how businesses are structured and more details that have helped him find success.

“I had the perfect balance of real world education and classroom education,” he said. “It was the best of both worlds.”

While he was still a student at STCC, Bond launched his video business in his father’s deli. He set up his product in a small corner of the store. The business grew and he was able to find a better location.

In 2008, the year he graduated from STCC with an associate degree in Business Administration, Bond started Stateline Video Games. His store was near Six Flags New England and the Massachusetts-Connecticut border (which gave him the name “Stateline”). He later moved the business to the Feeding Hills section of Agawam and has since expanded to the three locations and has between 21 employees.

During the COVID pandemic, business boomed for Bond. Video games were a safe and fun escape for people who were rarely leaving their homes.

“I locked myself in my store building. I was there for 12-15 hours a day,” he said.

Two years ago, he and four of his best friends opened Scoops of Agawam, an ice cream shop with coin-operated arcade machines.

Like his video business, the ice cream shop might be a way to help people escape to a simpler time.

“There’s something about that experience,” he said. “A lot of us have gone to an ice cream shop or a pizza shop with a pocketful of quarters. You get some ice cream and great food, have fun with your friends. I think they’re timeless ideas in a lot of ways.”

Watch a video of Frank Bond describing how STCC transformed his life.

Interested in applying to STCC? Visit stcc.edu/apply or call Admissions at (413) 755-3333.

About Springfield Technical Community College

STCC, the Commonwealth's only technical community college, continues the pioneering legacy of the Springfield Armory with comprehensive and technical education in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services, and the liberal arts. STCC's highly regarded workforce, certificate, degree, and transfer programs are the most affordable in Springfield and provide unequaled opportunity for the vitality of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1967, the college – a designated Hispanic Serving Institution – seeks to close achievement gaps among students who traditionally face societal barriers. STCC supports students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu

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