"Was that a game store we just passed?" said my friend Austin as we drove down Oliver Street.Board and card game hobby stores are in short supply in Western New York. For a while, the national chain Games Workshop was the only option, and game aficionados complained Games Workshop stores tend to be sterile, non-local, and high-pressure. Board games are no good if you don't have someone to play them with. A quality game store provides knowledgeable employees as well as a comfortable venue for customers to interact with each other.
Austin and my hardcore-gamer husband, Iggy, insisted upon checking out the store on Oliver Street. The instant we set foot in Dark Forest Games, we knew they had the right idea. The store is meticulously organized and charmingly decorated as a Dungeons-and-Dragons style tavern. I especially appreciated the tongue-in-cheek local flavor, like a carousel horse mounted on the wall painted in medieval-style cast iron and flames.
The store mostly provides pieces for card game Magic: The Gathering and tabletop miniature game Warhammer 40,000, but sells a variety of card and strategic board games. The owners clearly welcome customers hanging out and enjoying themselves; they sell soda and light snacks, and a schedule is posted with tournaments and meetups. When we arrived, a half-dozen players were seated at tables in the center of the store, playing games.
We talked briefly with the owner, Ryan O'Donnell. He moved to Buffalo from Philadelphia when he realized there was a dearth of gaming stores in the area. The store opened last year, and has quickly become a local favorite.
"This place is legit."- Iggy, my gamer husband
Info:
Dark Forest Games
96 Oliver Street, North Tonawanda, NY 14120
Open 7 days per week
(716)243-2849
http://www.darkforestgamesnt.com/
