Why nobody talks about the board game cafe in Utica that closed down

I drove out to Utica last weekend to finally check out that board game cafe I kept hearing about. Pulled up and the place was completely boarded up with a faded sign saying closed for good. I guess a place that only had 8 copies of Catan and charged $15 entry fee just couldnt keep the lights on. Has anyone else seen a game spot shut down that you were looking forward to visiting?

2 comments

2 Comments

parkernelson25d ago

Wait, I used to think places like that were a good idea, but I totally get why it failed now? I used to defend board game cafes to my friends saying they were a cool social spot, but 15 bucks just to walk in the door is rough when you can grab a $5 coffee and play the same game at home. Plus only having 8 copies of Catan tells me they didn't really stock for the crowd that actually shows up, you know? I feel like those spots need to be more a cafe first and a game rental second to survive.

morgan.joseph25d agoMost Upvoted

Man I used to be all in on board game cafes too, thought they were the perfect night out. But seeing it broke down like that kinda hits different... 15 bucks just to sit down is steep when you think about what else you could do with that money. And you're right about the stock, only 8 copies of Catan means they weren't ready for a busy night or a group that already knows the game. Never really thought about the cafe first angle till now but that makes a lot of sense, gotta pull people in with good coffee before they even look at the shelves.