With International Tabletop Day around the corner, we’re counting down the days to the big celebration by highlighting friendly local gaming stores, their owners, and their awesome stories. Be sure to find an ITTD event near you so you can enjoy the festivities in your community.
In Boonton, New Jersey, Highlander Games & Comics is like a second home for tabletop gamers of all ages. Scott Hughes, owner of the store, uses just one word to sum up his business: Community.
Hughes has been a gamer since childhood, playing classics with his father like Twixt and Diplomacy before moving on to role-playing games and other more complicated board games as he got older. When the game store he often frequented closed, an opportunity presented itself for Hughes to open his own store. He didn’t waste the chance. “It was kismet,” says Hughes.
Now Hughes looks forward to seeing who comes through the doors each morning when he opens the store. “Whether it’s a familiar face and we spend some time catching up, someone new who discovers our store for the first time, or the gamer who is just starting to explore the wonderful world of hobby gaming, it is always a pleasure.”
With weekly board game nights, Magic: The Gathering drafts and games, Pokémon League meetups, and much more, there’s practically an event every day at Highlander Games & Comics. But it’s International Tabletop Day that makes some of the warmest memories for Hughes every year.
“International Tabletop Day is an event that we circle on our calendar every year at Highlander,” says Hughes. “We have such a wonderful community of players, individuals, couples, and families that come out for this annual event. It just lifts your spirits when you see a room of sixty-ish people playing all sorts of games and just having a great time. It’s wonderful.”
Is your FLGS part of your community? Tell us about it in the comments.
All Images: Highlander Comics & Games