FLGS--;
While waiting for some exhaust work on my car, I walked over to my local FLGS. They were packing up inside; it had closed for good the day before. It was really no surprise to me.Friendly
They were certainly friendly. Always a "Hello" and a "Can I help you find anything?" when I walked in. Always willing to chat. However, there was no practical benefit. No one who worked there ever knew a thing about any of the Euro games they carried.
Local
They were certainly local--only 3 miles from me. So if I ever had a strange termite incident mere hours before a game day, I suppose I could run up and grab a replacement for my half-eaten game. But at their prices, I could order individual games from Germany (with shipping included) and pay less. Compare Shadows Over Camelot locally at $60 to online just over $30. Now multiply this by 10 games, and you get a $300 difference. Easily worth the 2-3 day wait.
Game
They certainly sold Euro games, but focused on CCG's and miniatures. I've never seen anyone buying--or even looking at--the Euro game shelf. You can argue that this is not their fault, but I say it is.
Store
Any business has to make a living. You have products, and you sell them. My FLGS also charged you for playing there. I don't know how typical this is. What's the incentive for anyone to buy or learn about Euro games in a place like this? They don't know anything about the games they sell. The only games being played there are CCG's, and it's usually a table full of immature kids.
Say I'm a Euro newbie. I walk in to a store like this. I see a copy of Ticket to Ride for $55. I know nothing about it. The owner knows nothing about it. If I want to sit and play it, it costs me $5/hour. There's no one to teach me.
I hope it's different in your area
I dream of a store with wall-to-wall Euros, with owners who I would recognize from BGG, with tables full of mature gamers playing for free (because they buy all their games there, and the prices are reasonable). It's a place where you can learn games.
Do these places exist?
posted by ekted @ 12:30 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
http://www.worldgamesofmontana.com/
I would almost move back to Missoula just to have access to this game store.
Friendly, knowledgable staff, lots of Euro games, no or very few ccgs and minis.
The staff was actually playing some Euro game when I was there, and they taught us (my family and me) another.
I dream of a store with wall-to-wall Euros, with owners who I would recognize from BGG, with tables full of mature gamers playing for free (because they buy all their games there, and the prices are reasonable). It's a place where you can learn games.
Do these places exist?
Technically more of a library, but this is the exact reason I joined the Columbus Area Board Game Society (CABS). They have wall to wall games in the library, filled with people you recognize, playing for (almost) free, you can learn any game you want to by just grabbing it off the shelf and finding someone to play with, and you get to check out games from the library and take them home...all for the price of a single internet-store Euro ($35) payable each year.
That would be a dream come true, matt.
My favourite FLGS has got a heap of new games recently, they are really getting into it. Also the owner visited our games meeting last month and played with us and gave away discount vouchers. They don't have facilities to host gaming themselves, but they are being as friendly and helpful as they can manage. It's really quite unusual behaviour :-).
We have a couple of them nearby ... the problem is, by the time a FLGS does all of those things, their prices tend to be so much higher than the bog-basic no-frills HOGS (Horrible Online Game Sellers) that you end up buying from the HOGS anyway.
Well, I do.
Sometimes.
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