MOUNT VERNON — A new gaming store on Tilden Avenue is drawing crowds with its mix of trading cards, video games and community events, offering a dedicated space for players to gather and compete.
Find Familiar Games is a one-stop shop for trading cards, video game accessories and more.
Founded by Nathan Parker, Vladimir Crum, Darrian Canter and Roger Munday, the new game store at 300 Tilden Ave. offers products from Magic: The Gathering, PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox.
Behind the storefront, the owners have set up a 1,200-square-foot play area with tables and card-playing mats, a collection of multicolored dice, and a full Rock Band video game setup surrounded by couches and a rug.
Store hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The store hosted a soft opening on May 30, followed by a grand opening on June 1 that featured a festival-style atmosphere and tournament play for the trading card game Flesh and Blood.
“We had hundreds of people come through Sunday,” Parker said. “It was insane.
“We expected there to be a decent number of people, but I think all of us were pretty surprised by how many people were in this place at one time.”
In that moment, Parker said he felt reassured.
“We all feel pretty good about this place,” he said. “We think that the community has already shown us this is what people want. They want a place to come play.
“They don’t want to pay a crazy amount of money to support their hobbies, but they want to support their hobbies. And by providing that to people, it looks like they’re going to keep showing up.”
Planning for the future at Find Familiar Games
Parker said Find Familiar Games isn’t aiming to become the next GameStop — a national video game retailer — but rather a community-driven space focused on quality experiences and long-term sustainability.
“We’re just trying to be something different, something new,” Parker said.
Looking ahead, the team is applying to become an official store for several trading card games (TCGs), which would allow them to access new products upon release and host sanctioned events.
Becoming an official store offers perks such as hosting official tournaments with prize support and promotional cards, early set releases and more.
“We can start to host championship events where winners can actually go to regionals and state finals,” Parker said.
In addition to publisher-supplied prizes, the store plans to offer its own selection of tournament rewards.
Parker also shared plans to install a small stage in the back of the store to host live musical performances. They’re also exploring the addition of gaming booths for multiplayer video game setups.
“We just want this to be the go-to place for everybody that likes playing video games or card games, or RPGs — whatever it is,” he said.
发表回复