Inside Eric Vanlerberghe’s Black Vault Gaming, Where Metal Meets Magic

I Prevail’s Eric Vanlerberghe co-owns Black Vault Gaming in Michigan, a neon lit haven for retro consoles, card battles, and community connection.

Turns out screaming into a mic isn’t Eric Vanlerberghe’s only high score skill. The I Prevail vocalist is also the co-owner of Black Vault Gaming in Saint Clair Shores, Michigan, a spot where riffs meet retro consoles and the smell of cardboard packs hits you like nostalgia on vinyl.

Located at 22316 Harper Ave, Black Vault Gaming is open Monday to Saturday (12–8pm) and Sundays (12–6pm) and is a full-blown geek haven that’s part store, part shrine. Every wall hums with history, retro consoles, sealed Pokémon boosters, and stacks of collectible cards that would make any ‘90s kid emotional.

Our visit

When we stopped by, Vanlerberghe was in his element (as were we) trading stories, cracking packs, and talking about how Black Vault isn’t some rock star side hustle. ‘This is about building something that I’d want to hang out in,’ he told us, motioning toward the neon glow bouncing off a shelf of rare GameCube titles. You can tell this place wasn’t designed to impress, it was built to connect.

The Vault runs tournaments for Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, and hosts casual console battles that go late. Between the laughter, the controller clicks, and the occasional victory yell, there’s a sense of something missing in most towns, community.

Beyond being a hub for collectors, it’s a living tribute to gaming culture’s golden years. One corner buzzes with Super Smash Bros. throwdowns, another with trade nights where players swap cards and stories in equal measure. The vibe? Super friendly, chaotic, and fiercely inclusive.

You can browse the line-up of games, merch, and events at blackvaultgaming.com or through the store’s Linktree, but to really get it, you’ve got to step inside. Whether you’re hunting down that mint condition cartridge or ready to throw down in a Mario Kart grudge match, Eric and the crew have the Vault doors wide open and the energy to match.