Pandemonium Books & Games (Cambrige Ma) In Danger Of Going Under!

[MavrickWeirdo]

One of the major FLGS' in the Boston area is Pandemonium Books & Games.

Unfortunately the move to the new location caused a cash flow problem. The owner thinks that if 1000 people buy a Pandemonium Books & Games T-shirt then he can get caught up. For more info click the link http://community.livejournal.com/pandemonium_bks/

 

[Zog]

I was just thinking of where it would be appropriate to post this sad info. The long version is that the store moved to a new location, with more space and game space. The city council kept the store closed for 3 months due to increased demands for renovations to bring the store up to code. Just when everything seemed ready to be sign-ed off, something new would be brought up, requiring more work, an additional delay, etc. Three months closed, plus unexpected additional renovations left the store in rocky shape. It has been trying to survive, and *would* survive, but for the deep debt as a result of the move. The store is actually making money and the basement game space has stuff going on every night. But not enough, and not enough quickly enough.

Its been around for 17 years. That's a long time for a FLGS. But the future looks bleak.

David

 

[Umbran]

It is sad to see a place that's been around so long go down because, in short, the owner didn't do quite enough research on zoning and inspection.

 

[Zog]

That's not quite accurate Umbran. It had less to do with research and more on the codes being changed under him.

Part of the problem Tyler (the owner) had was that he wanted game space to be available. That made part of his story 'congregational space' - which has a completely different set of code requirements that a store. Things like 3 bathrooms, for each gender, for starters. He, successfully, argued the city council into Not considering the place 'congregational space', but the city council then decided, if memory serves, that they would have to create a new defination for the store, and that required additional meetings of the council. Which took time. In addition, the inspectors were literally telling him new things after each inspection, partly because a new set of codes were being looked at each time, as the city council tried to define the store. For example, he was not informed until late May, having being closed and trying to re-open for two months, that some part of the electrical system needed to be re-wired, because of something wierd that the former owner of the space had done. And then there was a three week delay while that was taken care of.

But I'm writing all of this based on memory and second hand info. The painful history is spelled out in more detail in the Livejournal link MaverickWierdo provided, if anyone is interested.

There is a reason that the new store T-shirt 'Pandemonium Erupts in Central Square' had a Tripod destroying Cambridge City Hall. :\

 

[HellHound]

To me, that still reads like a zoning issue, which means most of it could have been hammered out in advance. (He wanted to do something, the zoning was one thing, he convinced them to change the zoning for what he wanted, they then had to determine what the requirements for that would be - forging new rules is always a slow and painful process).

If I lived in Boston, I would be there to support the store and buy a T-shirt. But that doesn't negate the fact that a majority of the problems could have probably been averted if he had sat down with council 6 months before the move and hammered out what would be needed, changes in zoning laws, and so on, instead of doing it at time of move.

(From someone who is in the middle of moving a business to a new building and going through rezoning issues).

 

[Umbran]

That's not quite accurate Umbran. It had less to do with research and more on the codes being changed under him.

Part of the problem Tyler (the owner) had was that he wanted game space to be available. That made part of his story 'congregational space' - which has a completely different set of code requirements that a store.

Which would have been known beforehand, if he'd done enough checking. As I understand it (from the store's blog and employees) he made his financial agreements and plans before he was fully aware of the zoning issues, and that is in no way the Council's fault. If he'd handled this all before he closed the store in Harvard Square, he'd be in much better position right now. If he'd made his lease agreement contingent on passing city inspections, he'd have soem financial recourse.

And, if the timing was too tight for him to do the proper preperatory work, he shouldn't have made the move. By his own admission, Pandemonium was stable in Harvard Square, in the short term. He moved because, long term, the business would not be able to offer new services to help meet rising rents. He didn't have a sword at his throat yet, that he had to move then, or else. Now he does.

Don't think that I'm calling him a sinner, or soemthing. He made a mistake, vastly underestimating the complexity of his business endeavor. Mistakes happen.