Sad Day In Syracuse

[Ralif Redhammer]

I lived in the area many years ago. What happened to Twilight?

I remember Vanguard Games and Comics for Collectors in Ithaca...Vanguard is long gone, and when I visited the area two years ago, I was shocked at just how bad Comics for Collectors' gaming section had become.

MAJOR bummer. First Twilight, and now Altered States.

 

[Gallo22]

I am a little perplexed, this isn't news...

Altered States became How You Play The Game (apparently shortened to Play The Game now) and moved last year. I bought over 100 Reaper minis at half price before they moved...

Speaking as an out of towner, I always thought that old location was crappy anyway. Who was going to be in that area unless they were specifically going to the Spaghetti Warehouse or Altered States? Not that I'll be headed to a mall anytime soon, but at least they get a bit more traffic passing by that wouldn't normally be going to the store anyway..

That's correct, they were next to the Spaghetti Warehouse, then moved to a strip mall off of Rt 81 and now they are in the Mall (about two months now).

 

[Mycanid]

I lived in the area many years ago. What happened to Twilight?

I remember Vanguard Games and Comics for Collectors in Ithaca...Vanguard is long gone, and when I visited the area two years ago, I was shocked at just how bad Comics for Collectors' gaming section had become.

Twilight Book and Games Emporium closed down a few years ago. I forget exactly why it did. Of course it was a 5 minute walk from where Carousel, but I can not imagine THAT would be very hurtful to its clientèle. At least I hope not.

If I remember correctly ... and I might be incorrect in this ... the manager had personal problems, and these, together with slow sales, undermined his interest and he finally gave up.

PLEASE CORRECT ME if I messed up the facts all you Syracusians who know more about this...!

 

[Ao the Overkitty]

"Come visit Desitny USA on the beautiful shore of Onondaga Lake, one of New York State's most polluted lakes. Breathe the fresh air provided by the waste water treatment plant located next door. See the panoramic view partially obscured by smoke belching from Crucible Metals, and of course shop at the largest collection of the same stores you get at every other mall in America."

"Yes, that's right folks. You too can visit a mall built on top of a toxic waste dump."

Never liked Carousel Mall, though it has been at least 15 years since I was last there.

 

[Sernett]

Twilight Closing

I worked at Twilight for about three years and a friend of mine worked there up until it shut down. Frankly, Twilight always felt like it was limping along no matter how well it seemed to be doing to customers. Like many game/hobby/comic shops, the owner started it out of a passion for the material it sold, not out of a powerful passion for the businiess of running a retail store. Keeping any store going takes a lot of business savvy, and it was a miracle Twilight lasted as long as it did (especially in that neighborhood, with a strip joint across the street and the local lady of the oldest profession doing business on the corner).

I'm sure someone will open up a new gaming store in Syracuse soon. When I younger, there was just Twilight. Then in highschool Twilight had four stores. Around college Altered States started up, Twilight closed its branch stores, and there were another couple game stores in the area whose names I can't remember. By the time I left, there was just Tilight and Altered States. Then Twilight closed and Altered States grew. Now Altered States has retracted a little. It's a cycle. Sooner or later someone who loves the product will step up to the plate. Hopefully they'll have a business degree and manage to grow the area's consumer base.

Neat to hear about events in the 'cuse. I miss central New York winters.

 

[Mycanid]

Wasn't there a store for a while that began with the letter D? Something like Dream_____ or something or other? That close too? (Of course I could be totally mixed up.)

I remember back in the early 1980's that there were quite a few small gaming stores and hobby shops ALL OVER Syracuse. Guess times change. Maybe other ones will open up.

 

[LightPhoenix]

First off, sorry for not keeping up on this thread... it's been a hectic couple of days. Thank god for the weekend!

I am a little perplexed, this isn't news...

Altered States became How You Play The Game (apparently shortened to Play The Game now) and moved last year. I bought over 100 Reaper minis at half price before they moved...

Well, I've been out of the gaming scene here for a while, so it was news to me. Still makes me sad. I can't say that I've even been to AS for at least a year... it's been on my list of things to do, and kept getting put off. I was taken aback, since as others have said, it really is the only gaming store in Syracuse.

Let me correct a few incorrect comments...

The reason the store moved was because the rent was cheaper in the Mall, then the location they were at before. Yes..., I said cheaper!!! By a lot from my understanding. They also have most everything they have alway had. I still shop there and they have all the major RPGs, D&D minis, tons of board games, warhammer stuff and tons of comics (1/3 of the shop to be exact!). They still have all the CCG you can think of, etc. They also still have CCG tourneys, board game night (every tuesday night), D&D mini tourneys, etc.

Well, not according to the guys I talked to, both of whom I know have worked there quite a while. Heck, I recognized them from the old locale, which was why I asked in the first place. They both said that the guy who bought the building did not want them there, something happened, probably during contract negotiation (ie, owner asked for a rediculously high rent), and they were forced to move. That and the size of the place they had before, and I'm sure it was more expensive than Carousel, when they moved.

Also, and I'm not sure how it is at the new store, but they also said that they had been running a lot less of the in-store gaming events at the old store. I assumed that impacted it as well.

Finally, I don't see how they can have everything they had before - the size disparity is too great. The on-shelf stock wouldn't fit in the new store, without it being cramped - which it wasn't. Actually, I'll say this, it was very nicely upkept, just like the old place. They might have a bunch of stuff sitting in storage... but that's not on the shelf and thusly not moving.

All that said, they could have told that to me just to get me to stop talking to them. I'm not above thinking people might brush me off.

Twilight Book and Games Emporium closed down a few years ago. I forget exactly why it did. Of course it was a 5 minute walk from where Carousel, but I can not imagine THAT would be very hurtful to its clientèle. At least I hope not.

If I remember correctly ... and I might be incorrect in this ... the manager had personal problems, and these, together with slow sales, undermined his interest and he finally gave up.

Wasn't there a store for a while that began with the letter D? Something like Dream_____ or something or other? That close too? (Of course I could be totally mixed up.)

Yeah, from what I understand there were personal issues, and while I have some idea of what happened I hardly am a definitive source, so I'll leave it at that.

I also seem to vaguely recall the store you're talking about, but I don't think it lasted long.

 

[Ranger REG]

We had a store called Last Sanctuary located near the Ala Moana Shopping Center. Because the lot there was owned by Ala Moana Group (sp?), the store had to clear out when the announcement of the shopping center expansion was made public.

There are only a few FLGS that I can name in one hand.

 

[LightPhoenix]

I am a little perplexed, this isn't news...

Altered States became How You Play The Game (apparently shortened to Play The Game now) and moved last year. I bought over 100 Reaper minis at half price before they moved...

Speaking as an out of towner, I always thought that old location was crappy anyway. Who was going to be in that area unless they were specifically going to the Spaghetti Warehouse or Altered States? Not that I'll be headed to a mall anytime soon, but at least they get a bit more traffic passing by that wouldn't normally be going to the store anyway.

Come on over to Rochester, we have 7 game stores in our "metropolitan" area. Heck, you don't even have to make it all the way here, stop by Lost Worlds in Macedon or Coyote's Den in Canandaigua. Not the size of (the old) Altered States, but good stores in their own right.

My bro does go to RIT...

I'll say right now, to be fair, that I loathe Carousel Mall. Not so much the idea of a giant mall, but the general makeup of the stores there. Not to mention vastly increased prices (a symptom of both a big mall, and high rent). I think back on the days when Camillus Mall was open, or Shoppingtown and Great Northern malls were at their peak, and there was a lot more variety of stores, both singly and amongst each other.

Anyway, I really do hope the move brings more walk-in customers. I can't argue that the old location really did suck. I wasn't there on a busy night... but then, the mall actually does have regulations on when/how people under eighteen can be there (which are, frankly, rediculous) which may hurt. I do know I'll be (argh) going to Carousel a lot more now, and making sure to buy stuff. I've always wanted to try Munchkin... and they did have the entirety of the Y: The Last Man trades....

Oh, and Thornir, actually Onondaga Lake is one of the most polluted freshwater lakes in the world... get it right!

 

[Kheti sa-Menik]

I'm from Syracuse originally....well, Central Square/Cicero/Brewerton just up 81 a bit.

I've never been to Altered States but I used to go to Twilight. I liked the store, but it was in a skeevy part of town so I could only get my mom to drive me there once in a while. Lookers...a gentleman's club...was just down the road.

I remember buying all my Star Wars (D6 by WEG) stuff at Twilight, Marvel SuperHeros RPG boxed sets, 1st edition D&D material, and all my dice when I first was starting out.
I also used to buy supplies at B Dalton Booksellers in the old Penn Cann Mall..or was it Great Northern?

When did Twilight shut down?

I moved to Buffalo in 1995 when I started college and got back to Syracuse less and less. Buffalo by the way isn't in much better shape. We've got two stores I'm aware of, neither real convenient.

Rochester though has a great amount of good quality stores. Millenium Hobby in Henrietta is a good one I stop at when I go to Rochester to see the girlfriend. By far the best in the area is Crazy Igor's in Hilton, NY just north and west of Rochester. They send a huge amount of material to GenCon and have a massive booth there, I was shocked when I saw it.