Hillside Games, Asheville: The Unfriendly Local Game Store

WetRats · Mar 3, 2012

This thread makes it sound like the oldest game store in Asheville, Pastimes, no longer exists. Did they close?

Mirth · Mar 3, 2012

Logging in for the first time in years to comment here. I've lived in Asheville since 1997 and owned a book & music store in Black Mountain from 1997-2003. I've frequented Pastimes, Comic Envy and Blitzkrieg Games and found all of them to be great shops with good customer service. I was sad to hear that Blitzkrieg had closed (I thought they were moving locations around the corner), but I'm very glad to hear that Wyvern's Tale is taking up where they left off. I currently live in West Asheville and can't wait to give some of my hard-earned money to a FLGS like theirs.

I say all of this because I have only ever been in Hillside Games ONCE. The customer service was so atrocious that I vowed I would never go back. In fact, I had taken my two sons there to get them started in RPGs and we had a fairly substantial purchase that I left on the counter because the person behind the register (who I assume was the owner) was so rude and insulting I didn't want to give them any reward and I wanted to get my kids out of there. Horrible way to run a business.

Wyvern's Tale, I fanned you on facebook and I look forward to seeing an update soon for when you are going to open.

To all my long-lost enworld buddies, HEY!

Mirth (aka Jay Myers)

catsclaw227 · Mar 3, 2012

Mirth said:
To all my long-lost enworld buddies, HEY!

Welcome back!

w_earle_wheeler · Mar 4, 2012

WetRats said:
This thread makes it sound like the oldest game store in Asheville, Pastimes, no longer exists. Did they close?

Nope, they are still in Asheville. That's where I buy my comic books.

I still remember buying a Paranoia RPG supplement from them in 1992, back when they also sold CDs.

Aeolius · Mar 4, 2012

Mirth said:
I've lived in Asheville since 1997 and owned a book & music store in Black Mountain from 1997-2003.

I attended a New Garden Friends School reunion, yesterday. Bob Welsh, who was once headmaster at NGFS, taught up at Black Mountain for years.

Matchstick · Mar 7, 2012

Mirth said:
Logging in for the first time in years to comment here. I've lived in Asheville since 1997 and owned a book & music store in Black Mountain from 1997-2003. I've frequented Pastimes, Comic Envy and Blitzkrieg Games and found all of them to be great shops with good customer service. I was sad to hear that Blitzkrieg had closed (I thought they were moving locations around the corner), but I'm very glad to hear that Wyvern's Tale is taking up where they left off. I currently live in West Asheville and can't wait to give some of my hard-earned money to a FLGS like theirs.

I say all of this because I have only ever been in Hillside Games ONCE. The customer service was so atrocious that I vowed I would never go back. In fact, I had taken my two sons there to get them started in RPGs and we had a fairly substantial purchase that I left on the counter because the person behind the register (who I assume was the owner) was so rude and insulting I didn't want to give them any reward and I wanted to get my kids out of there. Horrible way to run a business.

Wyvern's Tale, I fanned you on facebook and I look forward to seeing an update soon for when you are going to open.

To all my long-lost enworld buddies, HEY!

Mirth (aka Jay Myers)

Dang it World Mage, get back in the ATM!

WetRats · Mar 8, 2012

Hey Matchstick, watch out for that subway train!

aryus · Mar 8, 2012

I hate to refresh this, but since I've come late to the party I will point out one fact regarding the issue. Thewyvernstale.com, registered by Hillside games, redirects to a site for a miniature painter who owns the domain wyvernstale.com (whois.tucows.com). That domain was registered back in 2004 and directed to her Comcast site (see archive.org), which has a username of wyvernstale. The point I am trying to make is that the new domain, thewyvernstale.com, is being used by a legitimate entity who has had the name for several years, thus it is very unlikely that any cybersquatting is happening here.

Yes, Hillside pulled a fast one on the new store owners by purchasing the domain names, but they have not done anything illegal. I'm not trying to defend their actions, personally I disapprove of such tactics in our hobby, but did want to point out some facts I have not yet seen so people understand what might really be happening rather than jumping to conclusions base don emotion.

Thank you.

Mirth · Mar 8, 2012

aryus said:
I hate to refresh this, but since I've come late to the party I will point out one fact regarding the issue. Thewyvernstale.com, registered by Hillside games, redirects to a site for a miniature painter who owns the domain wyvernstale.com (whois.tucows.com). That domain was registered back in 2004 and directed to her Comcast site (see archive.org), which has a username of wyvernstale. The point I am trying to make is that the new domain, thewyvernstale.com, is being used by a legitimate entity who has had the name for several years, thus it is very unlikely that any cybersquatting is happening here.

Yes, Hillside pulled a fast one on the new store owners by purchasing the domain names, but they have not done anything illegal. I'm not trying to defend their actions, personally I disapprove of such tactics in our hobby, but did want to point out some facts I have not yet seen so people understand what might really be happening rather than jumping to conclusions base don emotion.

Thank you.

Actually, that fact was already pointed out earlier and it was noted at the same time that Hillside only made that redirect AFTER they were identified as cybersquatters. The figure painter has also come forward to say that she has no connection to Hillside and, although she is glad for unexpected increase in traffic to her site, she does not want to be affiliated with Hillside.

Reading is fundamental. So are above-board business practices in an industry and hobby as small as this one.

gamerprinter · Mar 8, 2012

aryus said:
Yes, Hillside pulled a fast one on the new store owners by purchasing the domain names, but they have not done anything illegal. Thank you.

Technically, buying a domain to disrupt another business to whom the name is a trade name or mark of the company affected, is illegal.