Have you ever visited a board game store or a board game café while traveling domestically or even abroad?
Wherever my itinerary takes me, I try to visit a local game store or café, partially out of curiosity and wanting to support Local Friendly Game Stores, and partially out of jealousy since we have not had much in Palm Beach County (until Tower Games in Boca Raton showed up). Sometimes, I have to search, and sometimes fate puts a board game store in my way when I am not even expecting it!
In the Philadelphia area in 2021, I visited a game store and a cafe, both which sadly I have forgotten the names of. A quick google search shows me a bunch of new places, so I really need to get back to Philly!
When we visited Portland Maine more than 10 years ago, a small new England chain opened a game store near the mall called Diversions. It was lovely and I am glad to see it is still there. They also have branches in Portsmouth, NH and Somersworth, NH.
When I went to St Louis for a college reunion in 2019, I stopped at the famous Miniature Market, which has a big presence online, and an equally nice store in person. I sure wish that had been around back in the ‘80s! Miniature Market had a great game space and many games to buy. It is a must-see if you’re ever in the Gateway City.
I have, of course, visited Cool Stuff in Tampa and Davie, but have not made it to the Orlando location. In Orlando, I long ago enjoyed a visit to Cloak & Blaster near the UCF campus. Sadly, I see they have closed their doors.
A recent trip to Las Vegas had me looking up a board game store as an alternative to the glitz and crazy on The Strip. I found a place called Meepleville Board Game Café. It was not near the strip at all; clearly must be a store for locals. Unfortunately our group could not find the time to make it there.
When traveling in Wales in 2018, we made a point to track down and stop in at a game store in Cardiff, Rules of Play. It was an adorable little store, with very restricted hours. I bought some dragon cards and a British train game that turned out to not be very good, but I was happy to support board gaming internationally.
My favorite story about visiting a board game store while traveling was in France in 2018. My husband and I were walking around the little town of Cherbourg in Normandy. We walked to see a church, and then walked a different route on our way back, and bam, a board game store, Jeux m’amuse. I do not speak French, but I do speak board game! Ticket to Ride had just come out with their French map, and I so wanted to buy that, but the clerk warned me off because it would be in French with no alternative rules in English. 6 years later, I still regret not buying it. However, I did buy the non-language-dependent game, Welcome To, which had just been released in Europe.
Game stores and game cafes come and go. We must visit them when we can and support as we are able. Clearly the people who open board game stores and cafes do it out of passion because the little ones rarely last long.
What delightful board game stores have you found on your travels?
