The Board Gaming Town Square: Thoughts on Friendly Local Game Stores and The Tabletop Community
It’s no secret that 2020 has been a year of unexpected things. Plans were changed, people’s lives were put on hold, and a lot of solo games had to be played. Among the hardest things, though, have been the restrictions and challenges that Friendly Local Games Stores have had to face. My FLGS, Labyrinth Games and Puzzles in Washington DC, owned and operated by Kathleen Donahue, was supposed to have a 10th anniversary celebration this year. In most years, this would be a reason for festivities. Ten years as a small business of any type is an achievement in this day and age, and ten years as a brick-and-mortar game store is even more impressive. Regrettably, as you may have guessed, those plans had to change.
However, Labyrinth soldiered on. There were special Facebook events celebrating the anniversary. There was lots of Labyrinth 10th anniversary swag to be bought, and there was a photo contest. There was a wonderful week of a celebration of gaming, with cake to celebrate the owner’s birthday at the end of it. There have been online game nights, online after-school programs, online summer camps, online Magic release parties, and even some online adventuring leagues. All of this existed in-person before the pandemic, and through immense hard work have transitioned to the online space.
And those traditional in-person events are not the only thing that has changed at Labyrinth; in-store shopping has changed, too. In the beginning of the pandemic, Washington DC closed all but essential retail business, as did large portions of the United States and every other jurisdiction around Washington. Unsurprisingly, Labyrinth was not deemed an essential business. (The Labyrinth community would tend to disagree, but to each their own!) Before the pandemic, Labyrinth had been an exclusively brick-and mortar operation, with no online presence to speak of. Yet, despite the stress of having a closed store and the general state of the world, Labyrinth was able to successfully open and operate an online shopping portal, and they began shipping orders all across the United States!
Labyrinth clearly isn’t alone in this situation, however. Across the world, the places many of us first fell in love with board games, Friendly Local Game Stores, are facing new and unprecedented challenges. What keeps most of these stores open, Magic tournaments and other similar events, are not happening like they used to, and revenue in those places, as with a lot small business, is down. We as gamers have a passion for games, and we should also have a passion for the places that brought us into this wonderful hobby. Your local FLGS may need your help, and it may be trying to survive this very trying time. FLGS’s already had the massive challenge of Amazon and other cyber retailers before this pandemic, and it has only been exacerbated by the onset of the pandemic.
What can you do to help? First and foremost: shop local. If you want a game, call up your local FLGS first to see if they have it, see if they can ship, if they offer curbside pickup, or maybe even come in and browse to shop. It’s true that you might find it at a better price on Amazon or another online retailer, but the impact your FLGS purchase can make is so much more than what that purchase means to Amazon. I know the allure of spending less; I have been there. I’m originally from New England, and let me tell you, if you have ever heard a story of Yankee frugality, it is very, very true. I will almost always look for the best price on anything, driving to different stores, searching the internet, or going to multiple gas stations. But I’ve changed my ways when it comes to board games. Unless it’s not available, I will make a conscious effort to purchase from an FLGS.
Second: reach out. When the pandemic hit and Labyrinth had to close, one of the first things that Kathleen set up was a store support fund to be able to keep paying the employees, who through no fault of their own were not able to work. At this point there were no PPP loans, no extended unemployment benefits (if the employees would have been eligible in the first place), and no way to be able to sell product. The community of Labyrinth came out to donate to this fund, and Kathleen was able to continue to support her employees as best as she could. If you have a FLGS that you have spent game nights at, see if they have another way to support them other than buying product. Even a note of appreciation or a small gesture can make someone feel better about their day.
Third: get involved. Many local jurisdictions have leeway in how they enforce pandemic mitigation measures. Wherever you fall on the political spectrum, small businesses need to have the same fair shot that the big-box retailers have to be open. Target and Wal-Mart have been fine throughout this pandemic, recording record profits as the stores that define our communities struggle through selling from a window. You can be active in your community, talk to your local officials and find out how local businesses can get equitable treatment along with the big stores. If you know about local community programs, or state programs, or federal programs that can help your local FLGS, let them know. Most stores don’t operate with a legal department or a person who has dedicated time to figure out what grants or loans they can apply for, and some of them could really help a store to stay in business.
Lastly: stay involved. When the pandemic eventually comes to an end, your FLGS will still need you. It will be a little bit of a struggle to go out there and start attending events again. If you can do it safely, go do it! Go play a game at your FLGS if they have space; go to an event they might be hosting; try Magic if you haven’t yet when they start running events again. It’s going to take some getting used to the new normal after this event, and every business that you frequent will look different. They are going to be looking to their customers to support them in this new normal, and getting out there and being safe while you do it will go a long way to making sure they can recover.
I discovered my FLGS about a year into my entrance to the hobby. Looking back on it now, I never would have guessed how much a store would gain me new friends, allow me to pursue my hobby, or give me such a sense of community. It’s no secret that Labyrinth is a special place. But it’s not just the games and puzzles that make it special, it’s the people. I first met Jesse, our beloved Quackalope, at Labyrinth. I certainly had no idea that this person who was asking me about what I liked in board game media would change the way I saw the hobby. That was all made possible by Labyrinth, my FLGS.
