Gather & Game provides community........ Matthew Biddle

Tackle boredom with “board-dom”

Gather & Game provides space and community

BY MATTHEW BIDDLE

The friendly store carries board, card, and role-playing games. Photos by Akari Iburi of Iburi Photography

Inside a purple storefront on the West Side, you can build factories, explore the North Sea, and make Mars habitable for humans. Lead a powerful faction that controls Earth in the twenty-third century, make a quilt, or hike national parks. These are just some scenarios possible when you choose a board or role-playing game from the packed shelves at Gather & Game, a local shop at 205 Grant Street, owned by Jeanenne and Joe Petri.

The Petris opened their first store—a beloved used bookstore called Westside Stories—in the same building eleven years ago. “We wanted to really keep our costs low for book buyers,” says Joe Petri. “We joked that we had a dollar store model without dollar store traffic.”

To drive up sales, they began offering other products, including board and card games. “We were both avid gamers,” Petri recalls. “I’ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons since the eighties, so to bring in more role-playing games, and [Magic: The Gathering] and Pokémon cards, almost seemed like an obvious choice.” The move paid off, so much that the game portion of their business grew faster than the books. When a storefront across the street became available, the Petris jumped at the chance to operate two shops in proximity. All was going well—until COVID-19. “We knew we needed to make some drastic changes if we were going to survive,” Petri says of their decision to close Westside Stories, which has since been reopened by new owners up the block at 398 Grant. “We gave our notice within a week of the shutdown.”

The situation was tough, to be sure but, if there’s a silver lining, Petri says it’s the changes the pandemic forced upon them. For starters, Gather & Game beefed up its e-commerce presence, allowing it to reach beyondBuffalo customers in search of hardto-find games. As they sheltered at home, many people also rediscovered their love of games and puzzles, which caused sales surges for titles like Pokémon, Azul, and Warhammer, a medieval fantasy game that Petri says requires “hours of solitary prep,” similar to building models.

These days, business is growing again at Gather & Game, which carries popular classics like Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Dungeons & Dragons, as well as niche titles and even locally produced, Zine-style games. Just about the only games you won’t find here are those manufactured by Hasbro or Parker Brothers, as their rock-bottom price points aren’t profitable for local shops.

One of the Petris’ current favorites is the Gallerist, where players become art curators who discover new artists, sell their work, and entice visitors to their gallery. Another go-to is Clank!, an adventure game in which players try to sneak past a dragon to steal its treasure.

“There’s a game for everybody, I’m pretty convinced,” Petri says. Repeat customers seem to agree, as they come by to, well, gather and game.

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Joe Petri co-owns Gather & Game with his wife, Jeanenne.

Almost every weekend, the shop hosts tournaments, learn-to-play nights, and other events.

“We keep tournaments light and casual,” Petri says. “There is always a competitive element in any game; Monopoly’s no fun if you’re not keeping score, right? But at the same time, we’re deliberately setting the tone; the prize is nominal, and this is all about fun.”

Plus, for just $4, customers are welcome to try out any game they like from the shop’s massive library. Will you become a superhero or save the dinosaurs? Just select an experience, find a table, and have some fun.

“Gaming spaces are unique,” Petri says, “because they’re some of the few public spaces that are intergenerational, where politics gets left at the door, and people just come together from all different walks of life. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you’re seeing a resurgence.”

For more information, visit gatherandgame.com.

FY

Matthew Biddle is a Tonawandabased writer and frequent contributor to Buffalo Spree and Forever Young.