Today I had the worst, most embarrassing experience I've ever had. I had a worker there yell across the store at me to stop flipping the comics around. Ti be nicer to the books. Ive been collecting for 40+ years. I know how to flip through books. I wasn't being rough with them. At the end ofvthe day, she can say whatever she wants to whomever she wants. Where i take issue, is the yelling across the store at me, and embarrassing me in front if other patrons, when at the root if it, I did nothing wrong. This was the worst service of any kind I've ever experienced. The staff there couldn't have been more rude and unprofessional to someone. I've been coming here for 15 years. Never again, and I don't recommend this place to anyone else. read more

Wow! Tucked inside the Golf Mill Mall near the movie entrance is a gem - one of a kind gamers paradise that sells comics, games, action figures and best of all holds card and game tournaments in the back of the store. It's really a gamers paradise and you can find here rare comic books, vintage games and toys that will delight both children and adults. The store is neatly organized, and very well lit - qualities conducive to a good treasure hunt. read more

See all

This is a good shop if you are looking for comics. Very nice selection of trades too. This is a great shop if you are a Pokémon TCG player or collector. Easy to get in/out within Golf Mill! I wish they were a bit more comic focused, but they do have legions of players and card games going all the time. read more

my favorite store to buy pokemon singles! sweetest employees ever that helped me find whatever i needed

This might be the only good thing about the mall. Their prices are very reasonable and their customer service is amazing.

Mitch and the Pasttimes Crew hit it out of the park for our daughter's 6th birthday. If you see this because your kid is into Pokemon and wanting to have a Pokemon birthday party, there's no need to look elsewhere! You cannot ask for a better event team. Communication leading up to our party was fantastic. Prices were very reasonable. They go above and beyond to make sure your event/setup goes smoothly. When my daughter requested to have her birthday at a card shop, I wasn't really sure what to expect. We had been to Pasttimes Pokemon Night on Tuesdays and she was dead set on her birthday being at Pasttimes. We were able to work with Mitch on a plan. We set up a food/cake table, a coloring table, a "learn to play the card game" table, and a Nintendo Switch table. We also hid Pokemon around the store and had the kids do a Pokemon scavenger hunt at the end of the party so we could clean up. The special details of party favors and a birthday surprise for our daughter were so thoughtful. Everyone could not stop talking about how cool the shop was and what a great location it was for the party. We honestly would not have been able to have such a great time without Mitch and the team. They helped managed everything for us, took off some of the stress, and made sure everyone had a great time. read more

See all

A hidden gem in Golf Mill Mall. I can't speak to the cards and games as I came here for the comics. Great selection of current comics as well as a library of graphic novels plus the usual anthologies of comic arcs. The staff is friendly. Good vibes. It felt good giving a place like this my money over some souless corporate entity. It's nice to have a reason to set foot in a mall once again. I'll be back here for sure. read more

#35 for 2019 Excellent staff answering a wide array of questions not just comics but toys and all kind of games. Located in the mall, more than half they store is dedicated to games. There is a group of older men who come in sit at the front tables to play their card games. And they allow it. How cool is that? Their tables are custom made sporting character designs from the games themselves. And they are gorgeous. They also have a sister company that can make the gaming mats. Well stitched, light and durable I am thinking of making some myself. As you enter, front and center is their cash register island securing the more expensive items and simply having a higher demand. You can find the CCGs here and other similar games. Rare books and hot books need to be asked for if you need to take a look. We asked for a couple new rare cards recently coming into the markey, unbelievable they had them. New comics and trades are to the right wall and shelves mixed in with toys like your Funko Pops. They carry a wide range of the mainstream comics as well as the independents. If there's something you need this is a good place to check if it's in stock. If not, ask them. They may have the answer you are looking for. read more

Pastimes Comics & Games - I will be here today with Mog. Come by, show me your check in and get a free print. - Comic Books Near Me - Niles, Illinois

See all

Very nice service. They are knowledgeable and have fair prices for things. It's a decent size place and they host your regular TCG tournaments. Overall I would recommend. read more

I signed up for a tournament that I believed required a code. After emailing support, I got a response saying that everybody who is signed up for the tournament will be admitted, even without a code, the person looked up which games I had signed up for based on the little information I provided and told me what codes I would use if the admissions were not the way they were. I had been worrying that a silly bug preventing the proper code to be sent to me would waste the money that I spent on the tournaments, but Pastimes did and excellent job assuring me that everything would be alright. Truly outstanding. read more

Great place with friendly staff. My son plays Yugioh there often and has a great experience. Good selection of books, comics and games.

Friendly staff and personal service keeps me coming back for my comic book obsession.

NEW STORE LOCATION!!! In Golf Mill Shopping Center, Entrance 8. We drove to their old location and were very saddened that there was an empty storefront! We were determined to find where they went to, we found out that they are NOW at 233 Golf Mill Center, Golf Mill, Niles. (Back of Golf Mill off of Greenwood Ave.) Their website is www.pastimes.net. With Comic Book Day coming up, we wanted to go to a comic shop close by. The place was a little hard to find being IN the Mall (if you use Google or Apple maps, use my directions.) They are located IMMEDIATELY on the left side after going into Entrance 8. They have been open for two months, and it is a beautiful, brightly lit store, with a wonderful layout that was easy to navigate in my wheelchair. The people who work there are incredibly knowledgeable and will go to great lengths to help you find what you need. There is also a Gaming Center in the back of the store for Magic The Gathering, Pokémon League Night, Booster Draft meeting, Commander League Open Play, Star Wars Destiny, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Cardfight Vanguard Tournament (Since I do not play, I hope I got this all right, lol!) Please visit their website for dates and times! or calendar@pastimes.net. They also have a Multi-search/Deckbuilder online for anyone wanting to build a deck or fill a wishlist. They have a Buy List and a Comic Pull where they can hold comics for you at a 10% discount. All they ask is that you spend at least $10 a month to keep your pull list active. There are also back issue boxes at a discount. They were having a sale on Funko characters during the Comic Book Day. There are card games, board games, play mats, and figurines for sale, They also send out emails for events and sales, so sign up! Their Comic Book Day was awesome! They had the BEST comics, 5 for free, and more when you purchased items. I actually won the first drawing of the day: a Guardians of the Galaxy Yahtzee game (see picture!) And I never win anything! So go visit! It's a great place to spend time in, and they are in the general area of the AMC Theater. So go see a show and drop buy to get a comic or two. read more

See all

I stopped in with my fiance Thursday night and the two staff members on duty were rude and condescending. Gg, wp. Were never bothering with this place again. read more

Malodorous establishment. Purchased $300 of SEALED cards and they stunk up my vehicle. Threw the packaging away to see if that would help, and proceeded to let the cards air out outside to no avail. Had to throw them away. Enter this store at your own risk, preferably with a gas mask to avoid getting ill. read more

If you're looking for comics I'd say go elsewhere, as this location hardly offers much in terms of comics. But when it comes to hosting then it does a fair job at organizing events. When I first visited this establishment with friends, I was initially taken aback by how large this store was compared to the other comic book shops I've been to. It gave me a good impression of the place at first glance and left me with hope that this could be a new location I would frequent but ultimately I came to realize that this place was purely a waste of time. To start, the pricing of many things at the store is unfair, and additionally to make matters worse the staff were lousy and oftentimes rude hardly being of any help when it came to questions regarding where they stored novels and comics written by specific artists. Another thing, in my experience the moment we left the sight of the staff members present they decided to speak behind the back of one of my friends that had purchased a book and the only reason I know of this is due to how one of my buddies had decided to run back inside and purchase a comic he was eyeing and knowing this information I would recommend you just save your money and go somewhere else more reputable. read more

So much to dig through it's near impossible! And highly unlikely you'll find a great deal or something of value to you, mostly stuff that should be in a 50 cent bin. But fun digging! read more

Cool little place I found coming out of JcPenny in Golf Mill. Very friendly staff, great selection and good prices! Will be buying all my Pokémon cards from here from now on. read more

This location is so random! It's located in a strip mall next to a giant Walmart. There is very little signage. I would have totally missed it if I weren't looking at the window when I walked by. There is a lot of space here for tabletop and card games here. I guess they must hold tournaments here. They have a stash of comic books in the back. In the front, there are a lot of Funko Pop figures. I bought two for myself. They were a tiny bit pricey at $10.99 but I found some semi-rare ones so I was content with that. read more

Can't really rate the quality of the store because of the rude employee. Nothing like having someone stick their finger towards the door and scream at you to leave for sipping your beverage. Unacceptable and inexcusable. Treat your customers with respect. read more

Awesome variety of collectibles and cards! Staff is also very helpful and friendly! Prices are pretty fair also, if you are into Funkos, Pokemon, YuGiOh, and other cards games this is a good place to go find singles and packs! Love visiting pastimes! read more

Love going to this comic store. Staff is awesome any questions you have about any comics they have the answers. Good place to go if you're new to comics and want to know where to start. They always have the comics I'm looking for. Update review Changing it from 4 stars to 5 I absolutely love this place. Spoke with Eric through email and phone to setup monthly subscription on comics I would like to get. He was very helpful and also very kind. Definitely my main comic store I love to go. Highly recommend this location to anyone nearby read more

Okay I really really love this place everyone in there is so nice there is this one employee that I just can't stand, always in a bad mood whenever I try to sell something , gives me attitude and everyone in the store is so nice except for that one read more

Overall, meh... I've been in a few times because my nephew is really into Magic: The Gathering. They seem to have a really good selection of MTG and other cards (Yu-Gi-Oh, etc) and accessories. Their prices seem to be on par. My biggest complaint with Pastimes is the service sucks. The counter staff isn't particularly friendly or helpful. They have an elitist attitude about things too... Like they kind of scoff at having to answer low knowledge level questions... Whatever guys... Get over yourselves. You are a business that should provide basic customer service. The comic book selection didn't seem particularly impressive. They also have some board games and other stuff. They have a large game room in the back. They are right next door to Walmart so the parking lot is always pretty crazy. I think I'd rather support a smaller store that has a more inviting feel. read more

I've been to M:TG events at or run by pastimes for the last 12 years. However, if they didn't have a monopoly in the entire Chicago area on big events, I wouldn't have gone back after the first one. After 12 years, these guys have learned nothing. Back in my youth, I cut them some slack as they were new to hosting big events. However, after going back recently, I felt that nostalgic feeling that no one had any idea what was going on. The staff acts like they're doing you a favor by helping you at all. They are lethargic and pompous, as if that could even happen at the same time! The events are overpriced, disorganized, and stressful. At the most recent one, there weren't enough tables to accommodate the players. Who would think to have enough tables to accommodate players? This place is just plain aweful. If I never have to go back I won't, and now that wizards is allowing smaller stores to have events, I might not have to! read more

I love this place. I went looking for it when it had moved not knowing it had (now it is in an awesome space in Golf MIll Mall). This place makes me so happy. It's so great to have a physical store where I can go and discover all the toys I couldn't afford when I was a kid...lol. I can be with Geeks like me in a place where everyone is a Geek. It's so important for us to continue to have places like this to go to in today's internet world. So, with that said, this place I is special. They have tons of back issue comics and they get weekly comics (which is my primary reason for going) and you can join the comic club and they'll order stuff and put it aside for you plus they have an amazingly nice and super knowledgeable staff like Royce who is always so patient with me (although I ask the same questions like 5 times or can't decide on things). I also went there and one of the guys taught me to play Dungeons and Dragons again and also went to learn to play Magic: The Gathering for the first time (I only played the Online version). I was nervous but everyone is so nice. Tons of tables to play games. They've stayed open late for me, they have put things aside for me that I didnt ask for that they knew that I would love (AND I DO LOVE IT), and they care. Thanks guys for bringing some true joy to this guy's life. read more

Phenomenal staff! i've been going to these guys for years made some longtime friends here, as well as re kindled other friendships with old friends. This place is a second home for me and my playgroup. Whether your game is yu-go-oh, magic the gathering, Pokémon or board games this is the place for you! Their prices are amazing and have the knowledge to help you substitute expensive cards for other reasonable options! Love you guys ! read more

I was looking into X-Wing Miniatures Game and joined a few Groups on Facebook to see how the local scene was at each store. Eventually Pastimes posted an event to learn and play X-Wing. I commented on the post and very quickly received an open welcome to come down and learn. Once I got to the store Ron greeted me and recognized that I was the one who posted in the Facebook Group. He and a regular, Jack, at the store were really friendly and talked through the basics and each move during their game. They not once showed any sign of frustration or disinterest with me asking questions about how the game played. Really awesome guys and I couldn't have asked for a better first experience with the game and the store. Keep up the great work! read more

The big events get a little hairy here (as they do everywhere), but the smaller and weekly events are where this place really shines. The weekly gaming groups here are great and the elbow room/space is appreciated. The general, 20-something yr old staff are pretty knowledgeable and inventory/prices are decent. Years of smelly, cramped game stores help me overlook some of the smaller issues I have with Pastimes. Be prepared to be ignored real late in the evening and this place tends to get slammed by kids when they host some larger events. 4 Stars + 1 bonus star for nostalgia reasons. read more

This is the top hobby shop in the northwest suburbs. Specializing in comics and collectable card games. They have a large display selling singles of various games such as Yu gee yo and Magic the Gathering. They have tons of fun collectibles and accessories good place to find a unique gift. The store is big and host many Magic the Gathering tournaments. I always hear about events for new release party's. Most importantly if you have a pile of cards collecting dust you can bring them in and Pastimes will offer you a generally fair price for the cards they buy from you. read more

(My review has to do with the comics side of this business, so if you're looking for a review on CGC or table top games, you'll probably want to read someone else's review. Anyway...) I recently delved back into collecting comic books at the start of July, after a long 19-year "break" (33 now, you do the math). While I tried to do some web searching to find a decent spot to jump back into the newer Marvel storylines, I ended up a bit overwhelmed. Eric (Comics Manager) came to the rescue, though -- he took the time to inform me of upcoming releases and did a great job answering any questions I had in order to find a good starting point. I think I've been back every week since and also signed up for a pull list with them -- while their 10% discount for pull list/subscription isn't as large as other retailers, the difference is that you get free bag & board and the discount is also applied to other comic book purchases, aside from your list. The comic book back issues stock is pretty good (especially for a suburban shop that utilizes the majority of its retail space for gaming), new releases are stocked as well as (or better than) some other local comic shops, and there are some nice rarities on the wall behind the couner. Unless there's a negative change to the service or stock, I'm pretty sure Pastimes will be my go-to local comic shop. read more

Not a comic book nerd by any means. But occasionally I do favors and pick up stuff for other individuals. Eric has helped me out on multiple occasions and has provided me with SUPERB SERVICE. His very patient, polite and resourceful . If your into comics this place is awesome ! read more

This shop has underwent a major transformation in the last several months and is becoming a really awesome place to not just get games and comics, but a better place to hang out and and play. If you haven't been in the store in the last few months, give them another shot. Staff is friendly and attentive, and there are things to do every day of the week. read more

Pastimes Comics & Games - Many events happening at the same time - magic, xwing, yu-gi-oh, cardfight, krosmaster, and board gaming. - Comic Books Near Me - Niles, Illinois

Didn't even get to try this place out because it doesn't seem to exist on this plane of reality. I don't know how many times we circled trying to find the location. The website hasn't really been updated in a few years, the FB is active, but no one answered when I called to try and get better directions. Bummer. read more

Service is pretty damn friendly and efficient. Nearly every time I stop by inside, I leave with something. Not one person has taken issue to explaining something inside. Only thing stopping me from giving five stars is the lack of Pokemon cards. As a collector of those cards primarily, that stings. The shop is great for those into Yugioh or Magic. read more

I went in there today to buy a comic and ask about a comic that was coming out soon the staff was really nice and helpful

After reading some of the reviews here I have to say that I'm pretty surprised by the bad experiences. I'll preface this by saying that I am not an avid Magic player (or.. at all really) and tried Pastimes after being referred by a friend. I've been to plenty comic book stores, searching through their back issues, and I have had some pretty horrible experiences. However, Pastimes has consistently proven to be helpful to me. It's clean (which is a major PLUS by the way) and the staff has always been attentive and kind natured. While I would like to see a bigger variety in what they carry, I understand that their main business is cards but their comic selection is still well organized and maintained. Their subscription option is also a life saver since I don't always get a chance to stop in on release dates. When it comes to a hobby shop, the most important thing to me is the overall experience. A store can have the best facilities in the world but if they fail to establish sincere connections with their customers, there really is no point. As a comic collector, they definitely have my business! read more

Pastimes is a great place for trading card game enthusiasts only. If you play MTG or YGO, then you're pretty much going to find what you need. The person I was talking to when I was there a couple of weeks ago, was very friendly but seemed uninterested in the card game I play (Not MTG or YGO). The prices were also quite high on the items I wanted compared to market value. Pastimes is very very popular in the MTG world and are pretty much the biggest card shop in the Chicago land area. However, I recommend that you perhaps try a smaller store for better pricing. I used to play YGO and was a regular at their regional events which were...pretty unorganized. Yes, kids got their stuff stolen time and time again but hey, that's their own fault. Pastimes makes an effort to prevent that kind of issue but realize some people go to these events to steal your stuff! The staff will makes convincing announcements to protect your property and if you don't, say bye bye to your $400 plus deck. All in all, it's an ok place. Wish they negotiated with their prices better and cater to all trading card game enthusiasts. Good day. read more

I got comics here for many years. They always held what I was reading, and ordered anything I was interested in. Additionally, they have a GREAT selection of board games. Check 'em out! read more

So, I recently started playing the Game of Thrones LCG Second Edition and found out that there was a league playing at Pastimes. After years of avoiding the place, I decided to go just to play cards. Since last time I was there, they have moved across the street to a much better location. Lots of gaming space, excellent prices, and a well curated selection of comic books makes the "new" Pastimes far better than the previous incarnation. A great place to play and shop for games and comics. read more