Interview: Richard Gain and Al Spader on the State of Game Retail
This interview between Richard Gain, a former retail game and comic shop owner now working with publishers, and Al Spader, the owner of a comic and game store, Jetpack Comics and Games, in Rochester, New Hampshire, explores the current challenges and opportunities in the comic and game retail market. Key discussion points include a decline in general board game sales, persistent supply chain issues with distributors, the importance of effective publisher communication, and the critical need for incentivized, local community-building events to drive in-store sales.
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Richard Gain: Welcome. To start, could you give us a short background on your store and its evolution?
Al Spader: We've been open for about 16 or 17 years now, here in Rochester, New Hampshire. We started with a focus on comic books but, through the years, we've grown into a card, board game, and role-playing game store. Even with a huge gaming section, the primary focus is still comic books. Our town has about 40,000 people, and we see an increase in customers during the summer because we're near the New Hampshire lakes.
Richard Gain: That's great. With that background, how would you describe the health of the board game market for your store compared to last year?
Al Spader: I would say in general, board game sales are down compared to last year at this point in the year. I think it's mainly because there's such a wide array of games on the market now—probably four times as many games as pre-COVID. It makes it challenging to stock the specific items customers are interested in, like playing "whack-a-mole" to catch up with demand. Dice Throne is a good example; it took us a few months to get, but now it's selling like crazy.
Richard Gain: Do you see a supply problem causing these issues?
Al Spader: I do. If we don't pre-order with our distributors, a hot game is often just out of stock, and you can't get it for a while. It seems like Northeastern warehouses always sell out first, even though distributors appear to order the same amounts for all warehouses. There's also this "rollover time" between when distributors sell out and when they order a restock, which complicates inventory management.
Richard Gain: I can speak to that delay. From my side, the issue is often that sales contacts for smaller publishers are part-time, so restock orders from distributors like ACD can sit unattended. Our firm addresses that gap as a full-time sales partner for our clients, and we also maintain a flooring deal with ACD, Alliance, and GTS to keep a three-month supply in stock and regularly restock it, which is different from many publishers who just buy once.
Al Spader: That sounds good.
Richard Gain: What does a great publishing partner look like to a retailer like you in practice?
Al Spader: For me, it's someone who is communicative with the store. Many publishers are distant once they send products to distributors. I also value publishers that offer a direct sales opportunity, like Modiphius, so we can bypass a distributor if they're out of stock.
Richard Gain: I understand the value of direct buying for publishers with massive lines, but as a former retailer, I prefer a single representative to handle multiple partners for efficiency. On the topic of distribution, what about exclusive distribution deals?
Al Spader: Exclusive deals, like Wingspan being GTS only, are a limiting factor. It forces us to place an order with that specific distributor to meet shipping requirements.
Richard Gain: I agree. My current strategy involves working with Alliance, ACD, and GTS—who I believe most retailers work with—and our goal is to minimize third-party online sales and maintain price points. We avoid distributors whose sales reps have more inventory control. We have established agreements to allow intervention if products are sold third-party, which has been effective for five years in ensuring product availability and helping publishers track advertising effectiveness without competing on Amazon. What price points sell best?
Al Spader: That focus on physical retail is appreciated. Due to our lower-income demographic in Rochester, party games priced at $25 and under, like Exploding Kittens and the Exploding Unicorns line, are our most consistent sellers.
Richard Gain: That tracks, globally people prioritize value and are more willing to risk money on a $20 to $30 game than a high-cost, highly rated specialty game. Speaking of specialty games, what makes a game easy for your staff to sell?
Al Spader: Specialty games require significant online awareness to succeed, like with Gloomhaven, which we sold 20 copies of, compared to just one of Frosthaven. For hand selling, a Board Game Geek reference is essential, as not all staff are familiar with every game. Having online reviews or a publisher-provided "learn-to-play" video is very helpful. I've also noticed a current trend towards co-op games and an apparent return of older tile-building games like Carcassonne and Azul.
Richard Gain: What are the most effective in-store marketing materials you've found?
Al Spader: Sales sheets kept at the register are the most successful. Posters haven't been as effective. I also think demo videos, especially accessible via a QR code on the box, would be very helpful for customers and staff.
Richard Gain: We try to design the back of our game boxes to allow customers to learn the game in three steps.
Al Spader: That’s great. Clear icons for player count and age range, and designs that show the game pieces laid out, are also very helpful for staff who are less familiar with board games. More than anything, we need community engagement. Our demo days have "dried up," and we need someone to step up and run the game, and we need a way to reward those people who take command of the community.
Richard Gain: I completely agree. That's why I proposed the "Super Saturday" incentive program, which we successfully piloted in Philadelphia stores. The idea is that the store gives a local fan a $40 gift card for running a two-hour organized play event, and the publisher reimburses the store with product equal to that amount. This is designed to ensure the incentivized fan supports the store and directs customers there, rather than online retailers.
Al Spader: That’s a great idea to build the community. I also have to mention that digital platforms from publishers are drawing sales away from the LGS, such as the decline in Dungeons and Dragons book sales after their online platform launched. LGS inclusion in publishers' digital strategies is critical.
Richard Gain: That's more challenging for role-playing games than for board games, as the online experience for board games doesn't generally replace the physical tabletop experience. We are working on publisher communication by launching a daily newsletter for retailers with concise product information, including a demo video and selling points. This will also include a broad view of retailers, including those in rural areas, to avoid focusing only on large-volume stores. Thank you again for your time, and I will be in touch. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or need help with any of our products.
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Check out Al Spader’s store, Jetpack Comics and Games, here.
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