Congratulations to our March Store of the Month, Funagain Games in Ashland and Eugene, OR. Jean-Noel nominated them because their remodeled store is a marvel. It’s one of the largest stores he’s seen on his trip! But don’t take my word for it. See for yourself at 1660 Ashland St in Ashland, Oregon. This time I sat down and interviewed Jeff Deboer about the store and his experience running the business.

Funagain Games started in 1996 as a place for retired games to get a second life. Jeff would take in games from churches and schools that had outlived their lifespan. He and his crew would give them new parts and let people play the games in their store. The store was and is still a center for the community to come together to play board games. This is, of course, how the store got it’s name Funagain Games. They would take old games and make them fun (again). 

I asked Jeff about what makes his store stand out from the competition, and he explained is was the store’s emphasis on creating a safe and fun environment for the players that visit the store. Funagain Games isn’t so much a store as it is a safe place for the community to play games. There is some space dedicated for retail and concessions, but Jeff makes sure to focus his efforts on making the visit fun and comfortable for everyone who visited. He noticed that many games stores in Ashland and Eugene, Oregon cater only to men and alienate women and families. He saw this need and now does his best to make accommodations for every player: young, old, man, or woman. In doing this, the business has welcomed even more people into the gaming world.

Jeff also told me about the store’s appreciation for Blue Orange Games. Jeff didn’t fully recall how long he had been buying games from Blue Orange, but he loves how we visit the store to demo our games. He also noted how the whole family could enjoy our games. Many Blue Orange games are fun for all ages to play, which is what makes them so appealing to the customers and players that come into his store.

Congratulations to Funagain Games for winning Store of the Month for March! It was a pleasure learning more about your store and how you do your best to bring games to everyone. We are proud to award you this Month’s Award. Visit Funagain Games at their website or in person at 1660 Ashland St in Ashland, Oregon or at 1280 Willamette St in Eugene, Oregon.

Congratulations to our February Store of the Month, Mind Benders in Whiting, Indiana! Our sales rep Adrien nominated them because they have gathered great success with their new business. They also won third place in our Window Display Contest. I had the pleasure of talking to the owners, Joel and Amy Bender, about Mind Benders’ success.

Mind Benders is a new store that has blossomed in the past five months. The store started in August 2016 after one of its owners, Joel, ended his job as a beer salesman. Joel and his wife, Amy, loved board games, and they wanted to start a business that could educate and bring families together. They wanted to sell board games that branched beyond mainstream big hits. Now, they sell a wider variety of games that many stores in the area can’t offer.

Mind Benders’ first encountered Blue Orange when they met Adrien. Joel said Adrien was such a great help to them and their new business. He explained that Adrien was good with suggesting games that were popular and trending. He was also happy to hear Adrien check in on their business and let them know about company contests and events, such as the Window Display Contest.

In the short five months Mind Benders has been in business, they’ve noticed that their customers love to buy the games they demo. One of their best successes is Pengoloo. They’ve also learned so much and created so many experiences since they started their business. Joel is always so happy to see his customers play the demos with smiles on their faces, and he can’t help but smile when kids will beg to stay so they can play just a few more games. However, starting a business has been quite the learning process for Joel and Amy. It’s a struggle to stay on top of new trends and manage demos according to those trends. Still, Joel and Amy are glad they can offer a personal shopping experience where customers can buy an enriching game that’s perfect for their loved ones.

We are so thrilled that Mind Benders has grown so much in such a short time. We hope that their business continues to soar and eventually becomes a timeless place where the community gathers to find and enjoy amazing games. Congratulations! You earned it!

The Holidays are officially happening, which means it’s time to find the perfect games for all of your loved ones. What better place to find those games than at our fantastic December Store of the Month, Uncle’s Games in Spokane, Washington! Our sales rep Jean nominated Uncle’s Games for its professionalism and extensive knowledge about games, making it the perfect stop for your Holiday shopping.

Uncle’s Games originally started as Book and Games Company in the 70s. Its first owners were Shannon Ahern and Chris O’Herra. By 1995 the store began to grow, and its two owners divided the store between them; Chris took the book side of the business while Shannon kept the games. I had the pleasure of talking to the store manager, Hans. In our discussion, Hans mentioned how Shannon was taking a big risk in pursuing the board game industry. At the time, board games weren’t due to spike in popularity for at least a decade. However, Shannon saw an opportunity to market and sell games in a way that no one had before. Since the split, the local business has expanded to a few locations including Uncle’s Games.

Hans didn’t come from a gaming family, but by sixth grade the local business had inspired a lifelong passion for board games in Hans. He remained involved with the company and only left to go off to college. When he graduated and returned home, Shannon hired him on to help manage Uncle’s Games.

According to Hans, the goal isn’t “just to sell games, but to make gamers.” Uncle’s Games endeavors to help customers expand out of the mainstream market to games that delve deeper into the spirit of gaming. Hans makes a point to get to know each customer so he can hand-pick a game he knows they will enjoy. Blue Orange’s games are often ideal for this, since many of our games are so quick to learn. Hans even mentioned that 1901 has always been a perfect game for families new to hobby gaming.

One of Uncle’s Games greatest successes is building a place for the gaming community to come together. They were one of the first businesses to coordinate gaming events that they could hold in their store. However, the first hurdle was discovering what the community wanted. The business’s gaming community included Dungeons and Dragons players as well as board gamers. It was a struggle to learn where and when to schedule each event. They eventually hired an event coordinator to work with each site. Now Uncle’s Games sponsors many scheduled events that continues to tailor to the fun-filled community it fosters.

Uncle’s Games is an incredible example of a retailer that builds a community. Blue Orange is proud to work with them, and we congratulate them for a well-earned Store of the Month Award. Check out for yourself why Uncle’s Games became this month’s winner and visit their main store at 404 W Main Avenue in Spokane, Washington. You can also check them out at any of their other locations or on their website.

The summer is over and with school starting again it’s important for us to give a big shout out to our Store of the Month for September: Kidstop in Scottsdale, Arizona. Our sales rep Nicolas chose them because they are one of our best customers, they display games very well, and they have a super-friendly staff! This time, I had the pleasure of speaking to the Kidstop manager, Kate, about how she got Kidstop started. Kidstop started in 1999, but before Kidstop ever became a store, Kate was a Regional Manager for JL Hammetts, a company that sold education supplies to teachers. She would cover half the country and help her clients manage their stores. In her adventures, she fell in love with toys. She learned that many teachers also loved to use toys in education, so she decided to open a store for toys and teaching supplies. She was inspired to make learning fun for children, and thus named her store. Of course, as the world of business would have it, teachers didn’t come flocking to her store, but parents did! She found more parents buying toys than teachers buying supplies. Finally, with the help from the Good Toy Group, Kate was finally able to convert her education store to a specialty toy and book store!

But how and when did Blue Orange get involved in this fabulous establishment? Actually, Blue Orange and Kidstop have been partners from the start of each other’s beginnings. Kidstop was started in 1999, just as our president Julien was on the road selling Gobblet to our very first customers. Kate remembered meeting Julien in the “pre-diapers era” at New York Toy Fair. She immediately fell in love with Gobblet. Of course, Gobblet isn’t the only Blue Orange game she fell in love with. She still has one of our oldest wooden games Ringgz,  a game where you win territories with rings. Since Toy Fair, Kidstop has been buying games and prospering in their community

Kate was only too happy to talk about her customers during our interview. She loves having a history with everyone who visits her store and watching regulars grown from children to parents. She actually started Babystop, a furniture store for new parents, when she saw some of her long time customers were having children of their own. She’s also been hiring a few of the customers she’s seen grow up. She mentioned that the stable community was a nice change of pace from her previous job. There she would speak with clients, but she couldn’t see the impact she had on that person’s life. Now in her store she can see what she brings to a whole community.

The best advice Kate can give to new store owners is to “have an open mind on business” because “passion and heart only take you so far.” While Kate loves toys and her community, she was still surprised to find how many obstacles she encountered when she started her own business. When she was first starting out, she thought managing a store would be an easy switch from managing hundreds of buyers. However she didn’t account for the new corporate rules she would have to follow and the payrolls she’d have to account for.

Regardless, Kate has done incredibly well with her store, and we are so proud to announce Kidstop as September’s store of the month. We can’t wait to see the great work she will continue to do. Please check out the store’s website or visit them in person in Scottsdale, Arizona at 6990 East Shea Blvd Suite #103. For families with very young gamers visit Babystop at 6990 East Shea Blvd, Suite #108. Congratulations again for winning September’s Store of the Month!