A new games store is making its way to downtown Squamish that aims to provide a community for all of the diverse gamers in town.
Located on Second Avenue near Joe Pesto’s Wood Fired Pizzeria, Arrow Wood Games will have its official opening on Nov. 4. But, a number of eager patrons were already peeking inside the store during an interview with the three co-founders—Kim McLeod, Aaron Ogden, and Jen Reilly—on Saturday, Oct. 28.
While some parts of the store are still coming together, like the dedicated room for gaming and events, many of the walls are already lined with puzzles, board games, cards, toys and more.
One of the big goals for the business is for everyone to feel welcome into the gaming world, even adults just like them.
“Anyone can be a gamer,” said Reilly.
“We just want everybody to feel like they're welcome,” McLeod added.
Part of aligning with that goal is keeping stock of games that are made by diverse creators.
Reilly said they are going to get stickers made that say “diverse game design” and label the appropriate games they carry.
“We also want to support those communities that have been traditionally excluded in the gaming community,” she said.
They are also hosting parties, events and corporate get-togethers for adults looking for something outside of the box. For example, McLeod said a local non-profit has already booked a party there for its volunteers.
Ogden and Reilly described it as a place for adults to go that isn’t necessarily focused on something sporty or drinking alcohol, something they believed was sometimes hard to find in Squamish. As such, a lot more of the adult-oriented activities are going to start after the new year.
Of course, they are certainly planning kid-centric activities including November after-school and Pro D Day programming where kids can learn new games and engage with each other and build friendships.
“It's kind of like a safe environment to explore friendships because you’re playing a game,” said McLeod. “There might be a little bit of chit-chat between the games but you have something else to focus on, so you're not so worried about social rules.”
Arrow Wood is even hosting a New Year’s Eve party where parents can drop off the kids and enjoy a bit of time to themselves.
The three founders described the idea for the store coming together over the course of the last seven months somewhat on a whim after lamenting the closure of Mandalorian Emporium. They have been friends and have played games for years.
After the three started talking more and more about the idea, they decided it could be really beneficial to open a games store.
Building community is a main goal, said Ogden.
“That's one of the things that we all felt was really important,” he said.
With just under a week before opening, McLeod said things were more or less going to plan, though there was still lots to do. But between the smiles and laughter shared by the three of them, it was clear they couldn’t hide their enthusiasm.
“We’re so excited to open,” McLeod said.
For more information about the store, check out arrowwoodgames.com.
