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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lyle.spade" data-source="post: 7697025" data-attributes="member: 30042">Tucson's market since the late 70s has as the norm a few game stores that cater to a certain audience of gamers or part of town. We had a place, Things for Thinkers, which was the hub of wargaming and RPGs from the late 70s through mid-90s, and then it closed. We've had some places that were more minis-focused or CCG-focused, and those places lasted for a few years - generally coinciding with those bubbles - and then closed. We've got a few general hobby game stores now and one or two that are toy & comic store hybrids.What I think is important about the FLGS is the community aspect of it, and that's a big part of the market that both the stores and consumers cannot forget - or, they can do so at their own peril. Isle of Games, the east-side store in town, has developed a large community of regulars for all manner of games...minis, CCGs, RPGs, tabletops of all sorts...and has good, and sometimes large, numbers of people there most every day and night of the week. I believe that stores, if they're to survive and (preferably) thrive, need to cultivate a community and work to grow it, so that people are eager to spend time at the store and connect with other gamers, encouraging them to buy more games over time. The creepy grognard of a store owner who sits among clutter and perhaps filth and talks with his friends while you peruse his selection of books is a thing of the past - or, will be once customers move along to places that are clean, friendly, and helpful.Along with this, customers ought to view the retail price that must be paid in the store as connected to the overall store experience, which includes help from a knowledgeable and friendly staff, opportunities to try out new games and play regularly, and a means by which to connect with other gamers.My gaming budget is limited, but healthy...and I need to spend at my FLGS - at least a good share of that budget - because I am supporting a community of which I am a part. My home RPG table collapsed when life and job situations tore us apart. I've got a new group of gaming buddies via my FLGS, and without the store there would be no 'them,' and then no game for me. I see the price tag as being an enabler of that...and that's something to remember when deciding whether to buy online or in person from a small retailer.</blockquote>

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