The Pub-Tavern Pivot: A Board Game Retailer’s Path to Viability
An interview with Lance Shrader, owner of a board game pub-tavern, Gamers: Geekery & Tavern, in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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Rich: Thanks for chatting with me, Lance. To start, can you give me a brief background on your business?
Lance: We started in 2013, moved to a pub-tavern model in 2019, and opened a retail-only card game shop last year. About 35% of our revenue comes from food and drink, with the rest from retail. We estimate total revenue will be around $1.8 million this year.
Rich: That’s significant. What’s the breakdown for board games versus other retail?
Lance: Retail game sales are actually pretty low—maybe $25,000 annually. Most of our revenue comes from the pub-tavern side. The biggest reason we stock board games is to replace the copies that get worn out in the cafe. We keep around 500 open games available for patrons to play.
Rich: What are the most popular games you see played in the cafe?
Lance: Classics like Monopoly and Battleship are surprisingly popular, especially with couples on date nights, who often gravitate toward two-player games. Beyond that, titles like Settlers of Catan and Space Base do well.
Rich: What would you say is the biggest challenge facing your retail game sales right now?
Lance: Competition. Major platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Target now sell games that used to be niche. This has made things incredibly difficult. We also face challenges with publishers cutting product allocations, which we then see diverted to large retailers. We sell out of what they send us, but the allocations keep shrinking.
Rich: Having run a comic book shop for years, I completely understand. You and I have discussed that a retail board game-only shop is a tough, non-viable modern option.
Lance: Absolutely. I don't know how dedicated local game shops cover their rent without another substantial income stream. The only ones making it work are owned by retired people who are not trying to make a living from them.
Rich: From a publisher’s perspective, what does a good partnership look like to help your cafe thrive?
Lance: The best business relationship is allowing publishers to put their games in front of people, which helps us put “bodies in chairs.” That increases our food and drink sales, which is the core of our business model. Having demos is nice because people will buy a game they just played on the wall, but we don't look for much more than that. Our staff doesn't make many game recommendations anyway, as most are video gamers, and finding competent staff has been difficult post-COVID.
Rich: You mentioned that getting people in the door is key. How do you find out about new games and industry trends if you aren't heavily focused on retail trade shows?
Lance: Mostly through developers contacting us directly for demos. The board game developers in North Carolina have a quarterly event at our place, which is a great source. We also try to attend local conventions to set up booths and network. We rarely attend major trade shows like Gen Con or Gamma because, again, selling games isn't the primary focus. I’m better off going to a food and drink expo.
Rich: When we were discussing a partnership idea, I suggested that to finance a publisher-led demo, we could offer the host a $40 gift card to your cafe, and in exchange, we'd send you product to stock your shelves. Was that workable?
Lance: Yes, the $40 card idea is totally workable. We've reached a "critical mass" where that scope of investment is manageable for us. The main difficulty, which you observed as well, is getting the cafe regulars to engage in specific demo events—it's hard to get them out when there’s so much going on.
Rich: Lastly, what types of games do you feel are most beneficial to your cafe's environment?
Lance: The games that really help us are party social games—the ones that encourage social interaction, like a Secret Hitler type of style game—and two-player games. Those two categories are what best support the pub-tavern environment.
Rich: That's great insight. On the two-player front, I think games like Fog of Love and Decorum fit that environment perfectly, along with classics like Sagrada. Thanks for your time, Lance.
Lance: Happy to help.
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Check out Lance’s Store, Gamers: Geekery & Tavern, here.
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