North Bay Games and Hobbies is taking up a contemporary new take care of 36 years within the native gaming neighborhood.
Terry Peacock, a mentor to generations of players within the space, based the shop in 1989.
New retailer homeowners Azucena Saucedo Mena and Dave Claudio are dedicated to maintaining the native legacy alive by not simply promoting merchandise however offering a hands-on expertise for patrons.
“I think it is more about a tactile experience. That is what we wanted to have where they can come in and actually touch some of the games. We’re going to have some demo games open, we have the board game nights where we’re going to bring some of our own games so they experience them,” defined Saucedo Mena.
The collection of video games will up common and updated.
“Some of our biggest, most popular products are Warhammer, which is a tabletop miniature game, and Magic: The Gathering which is a card game. Although we do have got such a huge selection of board games,” Claudio famous.
“I think what really draws people here is that we do a lot of instore community gaming. A lot of people would love a game, but if they don’t have three or four people to play it, what’s the point? So, we have our board game night on Wednesdays, we have our Star Wars and other card leagues on Thursdays, and we have magic on Fridays and Sundays. We have role playing and tabletop games Saturday and Sunday.”
People who take pleasure in puzzles may even benefit from the big variety out there.
“We’ve got a new line that is women owned and Canadian women artists on it. And we’re going to open one up and we’re going to let them touch it. So that is kind of what we are going for in building that community. And then of course if that translates into them buying it for themselves, then that is great, but it’s more so about building that community and getting some other people to experience the things that you like and getting them to connect with each other,” shared Saucedo Mena.
Looking down the shop, clients shall be amazed by the standard and amount of actions and video games out there.
“It’s going to be board games, there is going to be tabletop miniature games, including war gaming, there’s models that you can assemble as well that doesn’t require painting. There is also going to be some dice, there is RPG’s- (role playing games), and there are the puzzles as well. Puzzles bring people together without anyone yelling about dice roles,” laughed Saucedo Mena.
The first degree of the shop is a retail and taking part in space.
The downstairs degree is taking part in space solely.
“If someone wants to get together and play some games, we can definitely facilitate a spot at the tables. They can call us in advance and say they want to use some of our upper-level tables and we can definitely do that for them,” said Saucedo Mena.
Moving ahead, the brand new homeowners are targeted on local people constructing.
“So, need to create extra occasions that attraction to quite a lot of completely different gamers. We need to facilitate that neighborhood constructing, and we need to make it inclusive and in addition family-oriented in order that it’s not simply the adults, however they’ll additionally include their households as a result of I’ve my very own children and I prefer to play with them,’ Saucedo Mena identified.
“So, we want the store to double as a fun, welcoming space where families and not just grown-ups can come. Also, if anyone ever wants to have a board game organized at their workplace or a school, we’re happy to do it for them.”
Business companion Dave Claudio agrees that rising neighborhood involvement is a should.
“ We’re reaching out into the community. We have a board game day that we’re hosting at the public library on January 31st. It is really about trying to bring people together, and maybe even keep them off their screens for a little bit and do some in-person gaming,” Claudio grinned.
The age of their clientele spans from youth to these averaging 20 to 40 years of age.
“Depending on the hobby and how long it has been around, for example, Magic: The Gathering has been played for over 30 years. So, there are people who started over 30 years ago that are still playing today who would be on the older end of the scale, but it is such a popular franchise that we’re getting young people in all the time as well,” defined Claudio.
The new homeowners are additionally specializing in attracting extra households by means of the door.
“Instead of just traditionally guys around the 30-to-40-year age group. We do have some educational games for younger people, but we will likely be bringing in even more. And, we like to promote family gaming so we’re going to continue to bring in stuff for all age groups,” said Claudio.
Moving ahead, the shop continues to modernize.
“We’ve brought in a point-of-sale system which will not only make it easier to cash people out, but we’ve instituted a loyalty program. We’re doing some more renovations in the store with our downstairs role-playing area as well as brand new paint stations,” said Claudio.
“So, we’re just trying to bring in a few more things to appeal to a bit wider range of customers, but certainly there is some modernization going on for the first time in 30 years.”
North Bay Games and Hobbies is situated at 179 Main Street West.