Today, Labor Day at the store.......

It was interesting and nicely weird.

At least THREE thread topics that werte discussed on here recently popped up at the store today.

ONE: A really tall girl comes in and wants the 3.5 D&D Player's Handbook...she thinks. So I tell her that her best bet is HALF-PRICE books across the street or our main competition that has used game books. She and I get to talking and I show her where all of our D&D compatible stuff is (thats almost 2 threads touched on indirectly)
Then she sees our 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons books and says "Wait! That looks like the book my friends are using! Is that the 4th edition?!"
I tell her yes. She then realizess that they've been playing 4th/e D&D...but her DM has been using 3.5 books for some referenmce and details. That explains her confusion.
While ringing up her purchase of Shaman Power cards...she and briefly talk about Buffy/Joss Whedon - and I realize she is the same younbg ladfy that "come out" in the middle of a conversation 4 years ago at the store's old location.

TWO: Four mid 20s to mid 30s African-American browsers walk in and one of the women in the group starts asking about Dungeons & Dragons.  Turns out she works at a restaurant andone or trwo of her co-workers who thinks is kind "weird, but mostly alright" plays D&D and she got curious about it. So, I explained to her in the friendliest and nicest of ways the gist of both D&D and RPGs in general (we've had two threads on here recently with that kind of discussion) She was in trhere with her boyfriend and two friends of theirs.
I actually think that after talking to me she has a better idea about RPGs in general. ...and now thinks that they are games she might even try.

THREE: A young couple is browsing then these two girls walk in after them...they satart have fun browsing at stuff.  Turns out they all 4 know each other. We start chatting and they decide they love our store, then say at least twice "You got to meet our Friend Andy...". One of them mentions his connection running a local coffee house that has LAN gaming, internet and gourmet coffee. I ask "Does Andy have a wife ? ...and what is her name?"  They answer my question.  
I knew exactly who they were talking about - it was somebody that used to be involved in local Klingon/Star Trek fandom...and I also happened to have a photo of her in my wallet from 10 years ago where she is wearing a Klingon forehead.
Oh and she played/plays RPGs, but last I heard she was too busy with her kid and her small business to do any gaming.

All four of them plan to come back and shop at the store or use our gaming tables - they just found us, yet technically we've been there at that mall for more than 5 years.  They had heard of us - but it seems word of mouth is a slow phenomena at times. This probably is a small comment that game stores should try to stick it out and stay open as long as possible - and the workers in them should always try to be friendly with all the browsers.  

The four people in example number two up above? I believe they will come back and buy stuff at the store. That young lady's boyfriend seemed very interested in our selection of Comic books and Graphic Novels.

The Mall's foot traffic late in the afternoon was probably because it was a holdiay weekend Monday.

Mostly a good day.

If some of you that complain or whine about game store had stopped in during that two to three hour stretch of time - you possibly would have been surprised by how normal the place looked and all the busted or broken cliches.


- Ed C.

Cool post, Koltar. I'm from Northern Ohio, and when I get back to visit around Christmas, I plan to drive down to Cinci just for a look-see. It's been ages since I darkened the door of a FLGS. Think you'll have a copy of OSRIC by then?

Quote from: Kellri;328452..........I plan to drive down to Cinci just for a look-see. It's been ages since I darkened the door of a FLGS. Think you'll have a copy of OSRIC by then?

It would be good to see you at the store.

 As to OSRIC, think I'll have to paraphrase Mall & Department Store Santas:

" Koltar will see what he can do ."


- Ed C.

Cool story, bro.

Seriously. Good thread.

Yeah good post. I used to like game stores until they all closed and we have to rely on borders and the internet.
I live in a conurbation of 300,000 people no game stores