If you’ve been keeping up with our countdown to International Tabletop Day, you’ll know we’ve been featuring friendly local gaming stores (FLGSs), showcasing their incredible stories, the good work in the community, and the things that make them great. Here’s a few stories you may have missed and definitely want to check out.
The Game Board owned by Lynn Potyen is a champion for brain health within the community. Lynn’s own son was the inspiration for her to open the game store, watching his neural development strengthen through playing games. The store is a bastion for inclusivity, a leader in creating spaces that are welcoming to individuals with brain health and development problems, and is an example of exactly how a gaming community can have positive effects beyond the walls of the store and into the greater community.
Speaking of fantastic female-owned stores, we also showcased 3 fantastic female-owned FLGSs, all of which showcase how women in the gaming industry are not only knowledgeable and savvy, but also how women as a whole are an integral part of the tabletop gaming industry and community.
Giga Bites Tabletop Gaming Cafe’s story is one where tabletop gaming took over an internet and PC gaming cafe. Geeks started showing up and painting miniatures, and the culture took over, turning a digital gaming hotspot into an analog one. This story is proof that tabletop gaming can be as addictive as any MMO.
John Coviello, owner of Little Shop of Magic, started as a US Marine serviceman who found it hard to get him and his colleagues the gaming supplies they wanted to take on their deployments. He didn’t intend to start a store when he started ordering the games he and the other Marines wanted to play, but after long John came back home and opened a proper gaming store, where he’s spent over 20 years continuing to get people the games they love.
If you’re looking for a great place to celebrate ITTD, you can check out any of the FLGSs we’ve featured so far or find one close to you.
Tell us about your local FLGS and what makes it special in the comments below!
Image Credits: The Game Board, Gamer’s Den, Giga Bites Gaming Tabletop Gaming Cafe, Little Shop of Magic
Featured Image Credit: The Game Board