Our names are Norman and Theresa Sippel. We own and manage Roman Games, a video game resale business in the greater Cincinnati-Dayton area.

After years of serving our community, we face the risk of losing our home. The costs of keeping the business running—rent, utilities, and inventory—are overwhelming. For years, my wife and I have quietly used our shop to help our community. We now need your support to sustain our business and prevent the loss of our house.

This fundraiser was started to pay off our second mortgage and pay various bills from lines-of-credit to several outstanding medical bills. Our families are unable to help us financially at this time.

Due to economic conditions of the early 2010s, I lost my corporate job due to mass lay-offs, and I was challenged into turning a side business into a full time. The business nearly went bankrupt in 2019. My unmarried brother, Ed, died on Thanksgiving Day 2022, and we spent most of 2023 on preparing his house for sale and sorting through personal affects. When I found a side-job in to help pay our second mortgage, I fractured my shoulder and broke my arm in early 2024 and then ran a GoFundMe fundraiser specifically for medical bills. We are so grateful to everyone who has supported and prayed for us during those hard times.

Our plaza store, specializing in computer and game console repairs, is more than a business—it’s our livelihood and a way we’ve supported our community, including our cherished cats. We tirelessly serve our customers first rather than emphasize a “profit first” approach. Our customers are like family from the community rather than by biology.

The company was formed in 2003 as an early adapter to on-line sales. The business was reorganized into a weekend retail store in 2007 until it went full time at Lindenwald Plaza in 2014. We have proudly served the US market for two decades as an on-line retailer, a full time retailer, and a seller at various pop culture conventions at different locations across the United States.

Over the last decade, the store has transformed into an electronics repair shop in Butler County, Ohio. We are now offering electronics repair and learn-to-solder classes. Nearly all services offered use tools and skills we have learned from repairing game consoles and controllers. We were hoping these services would supplement our revenue so we would not have to start a fundraiser.

Alongside this, I have volunteered as an ice hockey coach and captain for 15 years. Besides good exercise, the opportunity allows me to mentor and inspire others through my passion.

We have explored every option to pay off our existing debt, but the immediate financial burden is too great for us to bear alone. If our business has ever served you, if hockey holds a special place in your heart, or if you understand the struggle of keeping a small business alive, please consider contributing any amount, no matter how small. Every dollar will help keep our family business running and our home secure, ensuring we can continue serving our community for years to come.

With heartfelt gratitude, Norman and Theresa Sippel