Quake Collectibles

So what Matt W wrote nearly 10 years ago (wow it was that long ago), is accurate even today. Just one of those places I always forget about reviewing, but finally am now.
I’m not a toy collector by any means, but it’s fun to browse here just for the nostalgia factor of remembering toys from years ago. The prices seem oriented towards the toy collector’s market, so I’m not sure if I’ll buy a lot of things here if ever, despite that a few things tempted me if only I had more money. Owner is friendly, and they do sell random toy parts for whatever reason. I’ve never seen any other used/​new/​collector toy stores do that! Heck, I even saw vintage lunchboxes from the 70s-​90s.
I think Quake could use a slightly bigger storefront and maybe could expand into the storefront next door via knocking out the drywall between the neighboring storefronts, were the one next door ever becomes vacant? IMO, the aisles are a little tight to maneuver and felt a little cramped, due to the insane amount of toys I saw here. Otherwise, I enjoyed this store when I revisited, and dunno why I don’t drop into here more often. That’ll change, though. I’d also like to eventually visit their Evanston store (if not also Schaumburg, since that’s more of a trek away for me), to see how it compares.

So many options for any budget. Huge variety. Spent well over an hour reliving my childhood and having a lot of fun picking out fun toys for my new desk. Will definitely be visiting here again and again!

I had a great experience working with David to sell my GI Joe collection. He made it simple and fair. He definitely knows his stuff, and the store is chock full of about everything you can think of.

sorry i knocked down everything in your store i was on drugs

If you had a lot of toys in the 1980’s or the 1990’s then this place will be very awesome to you. I had no idea that they still had toy stores around. A friend told me about this place so I came in here one day to check it out. As soon as I walked in I was amazed at how many toys they had from so many different years.
They had a vast selection from all the different toy lines. Some of the action figures were in bins but a lot of them were hanging on the wall the way they were when they first hit the shelves.
Not only did they have a vast selection but they had some good prices. The person behind the counter was also very helpful & knowledgeable about the poducts. This store is also located in a convenient area.
Since I have visited this store I have also checked out a few others & none really compared to this one. So between the good selection & the friendly service this is a great place to visit.

Seriously, the most awesome store ever! I read a lot about this place and finally made the journey up there (I live in Pilsen). My 3 ½ year old son is starting to get into Star Wars (the original trilogy). We picked him up a few figures before, but I wanted to find a vehicle for the guys to go in. I walked in the store and was blown away. This place has everything you can imagine. I told the owner what I was looking for and he pulled out an X wing fighter, with all of the parts, just like the one that I had when I was a kid. He gave me a great deal, and gave me some Star Wars cards for my son.
My son gets home tomorrow (he and his mother are visiting his grandparents in Portland, OR) and he is going to totally freak out! Thanks Dave. We will be back soon!

LOVE THIS PLACE! I was working on a project which required a lot of toy guns and Dave (the owner) came through. Great guy. Great shop. A truly honest business. Lincoln Square’s finest.

I found Quake by accident, but it was a great accident. Ive recently started collecting toys and this place is like heaven! Even toys I had forgot about I found here. Plus a certain figure I had been on a hunt for online, I found here in great condition with accessories and at a very low price (online prices were ridiculous).
This place is definitely a Chicago treasure

LOVE LOVE LOVE Quake! Whenever I’m in Lincoln Square I always have to stop here even if I have no intention of buying anything. My kids appreciate retro toys from my childhood and I always find cool things here that I wish or did have as a kid. I haven’t checked out their Schaumburg location yet but I’m in the West Suburbs so I will def make a trip there at some point.

Even if you’re like me & you’re not into collectible stuff, this is still a fun shop to pop into & look around. There was a case near the register that was piled with Star Wars action figures.

This place has everything. Action figures, games, collectible cards, all at reasonable prices (often better than eBay). The items are in great condition and new things come in all the time. It’s easy to walkout of here with a toy or action figure you haven’t seen since you were a child.

Don’t go here when you’re broke because you can get a lot of good, random stuff. The store is literally packed with old toys and collectibles. The good thing about this place was that everything was reasonably priced. Another bonus to the store is the great location. You’re within walking distance of lots of cool stuff in Ravenswood.

Probably my favorite store in the world. Dave the owner is friendly, funny, and very knowledgeable on all things from Star Wars to Strawberry Shortcake. Quake is a store full of everything you had as a kid, and lost, sold or blew up as a teenager, with tons of vintage toys both loose and carded.

The store is packed from top to bottom with action figures. I enjoyed looking around but I was really hoping to find more in the way of pez dispensers, lunch boxes and some stuff from 60’s.

awesome is all I can say right now. Just go in and you’ll see what I mean. They guy who runs it even reminds me of the comic book guy in a way from the simpsons, you’ll find all the old toys you remember as a kid and the owner should be the one on toy hunter, he’s extremely knowledgeable

Great place to go and relive your childhood and yes… get giddy from seeing all those toys you might’ve played and longed for and now you have money to buy them!!! Hahaha… love it and enjoy my sons’ eyes brighten with excitement over the same toys!!! Cheap prices on some toys and some are just worth the splurge!!!

Fantastic I came form Phoenix just to see this place. GReat owner spent at least an hour just talking. GREAT PRICES I will return many many more times.

The only reason you wouldn’t enjoy going into Quake is if you’re allergic to nostalgia and fun. Quake is, hands down, the best toy store in Chicago. The owner is probably the nicest guy in America, and the selection of new/​used/​vintage/​current toys is unbelievable.
I’m a toy collector, so I’m biased. My wife, however, is not. Even she enjoys going in there with me on our weekly visits to Quake (no judging please).
In fact, you shouldn’t even be reading this review. You should be on your way to Quake right now.

The owner should almost rename this place «Memory Lane». Almost every customer that came during my visit spat out every variation of «I remember that!!!» This man has toys, figures, dolls, cars, playsets, etc. from the last 40 years. Although you’d see mostly the popular lines from the 80’s and 90’s, there are some new toys in here too.
For me, I felt like Ali Baba in the cave of treasures! The way one treasure was always right behind the next… just WOW! I had to pick up some of my childhood gems that were amazingly in mint condition.
Gen X/​Yers, run, don’t walk to this treasure store.

Amongst the many vices I collect, toys are pretty high on the list. I’m pretty eclectic in what I enjoy, but lately I’ve been having problems with a certain subsect of toy collecting — MIB/​MIC — that’s Mint In Box or Mint On Card.
See, when I was growing up, my favorite shows were Batman The Animated Series and the original run of the Ninja Turtles. While there are tons of toys I’m more than happy to remove from their cards so that they can breath freely and move about on my shelves, action figures from those two shows tend to stay on the card if I can find them in such a condition — that is to say I have a hard time finding them in that shape at all.
Enter Quake. Dave, the proprietor and sole guy on hand during shop hours goes out of his ways to accommodate requests (The Lady has a thing for mint on card figures from horror films — she requested The Somnambulist from The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari — Dave had somehow acquired it within two weeks and swiftly let us know it was in his possession and could soon be in her’s). the Harley Quinn figure from B: TAS — the harder to find one — found it here. one of the Neutrinos from TMNT — here too.
Dave keeps an exhaustive but well organized and well curated selection of toys and figures in his relatively small space — and he uses it well! The store is packed from literally floor to ceiling with mostly still on card or in box wares and for the more adventurous and less picky, he has large bins of used figures with scuffs and scratches for a couple bucks a piece.
What I really appreciate though is Dave’s particular attention to what each person who walks into his store is looking for. In my case, he knows my sweet tooth for anything from B: TAS as well as figures from the mid 80’s Kenner produced DC Super Powers line (the holy grail of super hero toy lines!) and has made a point to set figures aside for me until I’ve been able to come in and pick them up.
With service that personalized and selection that solid, how on earth can you go wrong? Besides being the only store of its kind and depth in Chicago (no other toy stores focus on vintage and out of production toy lines — just current stuff), it’s just flat out a treasure to the city. Give this guy your business!