More than a month after his business Cardquest Gaming, 271 S. Seventh Ave., Suite 26, was burglarized and about $30,000 in cards were stolen, co-owner Douglas Offenheiser said he’s continuing to rebuild despite the crime pushing him back to “month zero.”
“It’s unfortunate how hard people work in life to steal your dream,” he said.
The multi-faceted card, video and tabletop games store opened in late May with the objective to be a welcoming space for all types of gamers, he said in a previous interview with his wife Paula.
Offenheiser said it’s become a dedicated space for locals of all ages to play Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Warhammer, and more, and the burglary derailed his first six months of events for 2025.
“It’s too soon for a break-in like this to happen when you’re trying to build up a community that’s really wanting an area like this in a safe place to go to,” he said.
He learned on Dec. 17 that someone had broken into the store at around 5:30 a.m. that morning.”
Sequim Police Chief Mike Hill said officers received some limited camera footage that captured a possible suspect vehicle that could be a Volkswagen GTI or a similar vehicle.
“We’re trying to use some other resources to narrow down the search,” Hill said.
There was no other information available on the suspect, he said, and there have not been any similar burglaries reported in the area.
A video Offenheiser received from Domino’s Pizza shows a black vehicle pulling in front of Cardquest Gaming, but a pillar blocked where the driver exited and entered the car. He appeared to be alone and went straight to cut a cord to the building, Offenheiser said.
His camera system inside only takes still shots, Offenheiser said, and footage shows display cases and a door closed and then opened, but never the suspect.
Offenheiser said it appears the suspect tried to use a flat bar to enter the store, and it didn’t work so he broke the glass.
He’s waiting to hear back on insurance about the door, so it remains boarded up and chained, and customers must temporarily use a back door to enter.
Offenheiser said the $30,000 in product stolen included handpicked cards, including graded cards and sealed products in certain cases.
He hasn’t entertained the idea of who the suspect could be “because it’s not okay to even open an idea like that to anybody without any proper evidence.”
As for tracking what was stolen, he said that’s difficult due to the amount of digital platforms out there.
“I’m not seeking for it, but if some dots connect automatically on their own and something pops up, then I might take further look,” Offenheiser said.
He said the timing prior to Christmas was terrible as he was in-between shipments, but his latest shipment has restocked him some and the recent launch of a new Pokémon series should help as he’s been receiving calls about it for months.
Photo courtesy Douglas Offenheiser/ Cases holding Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and other games were cleared out by a burglar on Dec. 17 at Cardquest Gaming in Sequim. Sequim Police report they continue to seek more information on the burglar who broke in through the front door.
Resilience
Offenheiser has upgraded his security and changed his closing procedures following the burglary, he said.
He’s read about similar break-ins across the country where burglars have taken collectibles, such as cards and comics.
“It seems like it’s a more common thing than an uncommon thing, which is scary,” he said.
However, community awareness has brought more attention to his shop.
“It’s brought in an influx of customers that we didn’t know were here, so even though it was a bad thing, it’s still a positive thing,” Offenheiser said.
Customers have also offered to purchase more items, clean up, and/or offer general support.
“I appreciate everybody,” Offenheiser said.
He added that it’s not just about finances either.
“It’s still about the cards, having fun, and the people in the end,” Offenheiser said.
“The good thing is as human beings we’re fighters, so little things like this either can knock us down or they can build us up and we learn from it.”
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Cardquest Gaming, 271 S. Seventh Ave., Suite 26, continues to operate seven days a week after a burglar broke through its front door and stole $30,000 in merchandise. Co-owner Douglas Offenheiser said community awareness “has brought in an influx of customers that we didn’t know were here, so even though it was a bad thing, it’s still a positive thing.”
Follow up
Sequim police officer Paul Dailidenas the case agent, and with tips about the burglary, he can be reached at 360-683-7227 via email at PDailidenas@sequimwa.gov.
Cardquest Gaming is open noon-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; noon-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Reach the shop at 360-477-4622 and find more information at CardQuestgaming.com.
Magic: The Gathering and Warhammer has organized events Fridays-Sundays, and Pokémon from 1-5 p.m. Sundays.
Offenheiser said he’s looking to partner with the North Olympic Library System in the summer to offer times to teach new players Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering.
He’s also planning to start a scavenger hunt across the Olympic Peninsula where he’ll hide boxes of popular card games, with more information to come.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Cardquest Gaming, 271 S. Seventh Ave., Suite 26, continues to operate seven days a week after a burglar broke through its front door and stole $30,000 in merchandise. Co-owner Douglas Offenheiser said community awareness “has brought in an influx of customers that we didn’t know were here, so even though it was a bad thing, it’s still a positive thing.”
