Time flies or, more accurately, since the pandemic hit doesn’t really have a meaning anymore! But that being said it’s still crazy to us that we’ve now been in the new store for six months!
What a six months it’s been! In the grander scheme of things, it’s still early days but moving definitely feels like the right decision so far! (Although with everything that’s happening in the world the preceding statement could quickly change).
Moving has seen us see much higher levels of footfall and has also given us much more space to allow events to be more easily hosted.
That being said…
Current Events
The current event schedule is beginning to settle in nicely, it’s not quite perfect yet but it’s getting there, as a reminder here is what the current recurring schedule looks like:
- Monday – D&D
- Tuesday – Pokémon
- Wednesday – Flesh & Blood, Wargames Wednesday, Casual Commander
- Thursday – MTG: Legacy/Pauper
- Friday – FNM, Casual Commander
- Saturday
- Sunday – Casual Commander
For those that aren’t familiar which what our regular events entail here’s a quick summary:
D&D: Starts c.6.30pm, Cost: Free. We currently have two groups that meet each Monday, but there is space for a third.
Pokémon: Starts 7.30pm, Cost: £6. Our weekly Pokémon Tournament, three rounds with a booster pack per win. This uses the ‘Standard’ Pokémon Format – if you’re unsure what this is don’t worry, we can talk you through it.
Flesh & Blood: Starts 7.30pm, Cost: £6. Our weekly F&B events, three rounds with a booster pack per win, we also receive Armour Kits from the makers of F&B so there are also promos to give out at each event.
Wargames Wednesday: Starts 6pm, Cost: Free. Come in and use our tables, we have four, soon to be five, 6ft by 4ft tables. Just bring your miniatures and an opponent. If you want to reserve a table, please send us a message.
Casual Commander: Exactly what it says on the tin! Come in and play a bit of casual Commander. There is no cost for this.
MTGL Legacy/Pauper: Starts at 7.30pm, Cost: £6. We alternate between Legacy and Pauper each week, our Facebook Page and Website will let you know which one is on. Both are three rounds with a booster per win.
FNM: Starts at 7.30pm, Cost: £6. We alternate between Pauper and Modern plus Standard. We also aim to do a draft on the first FNM of each month. Our Facebook Page and Website will let you know which one is on. All are three rounds with a booster per win.
The keen eyed amongst you will have noticed that Saturday does not have regular planned event, that’s because we look to host one off events on that day. These vary from week to week.
Casual Play
Since moving to the new store our play philosophy has been and still is, if we are open then the space can be used. All we need to ensure is that any paid events are not impacted by casual play, which as of yet has not happened.
If you want to come in on any day and play something with friends then please feel free to do so, we have a range of tables available, we even have a selection of store games that can be used. The best thing is that using the space is totally free of charge!
If you are planning to come in, please ping us a Facebook message or give us a call to check there is sufficient free space, we’d hate for you to turn up and there be no tables available.
Future Events
So far, I’ve mentioned current events as well as casual play, but what about the future? Well, good question. Overall, our current events schedule seems to be working, but we always monitor and review to make sure it’s fit for purpose.
Looking forward here’s what we’re thinking!
Board Games Night’s: I can already hear those who pay attention to our Facebook page saying, ‘But Matt, you already have a boardgames night on a Thursday’ and yes this is true. However, it’s not really taken off so we’re looking to relaunch it.
Blood Bowl: We have had multiple requests to run a Blood Bowl League, as such we’re going to run one! Get painting those teams and watch this space!
Warhammer & Bolt Action: Now that we’re a bit more settled and have permanent wargames tables set up, we’re finally in a position to run tournaments! We’ve currently got four tables, soon to be five and the goal is to have six in the long run which will allow us to run 12 person events. Again, watch this space, we’ll probably start with an eight to ten person event and go from there!
Saturdays…: A mere nine paragraphs ago I briefly mentioned Saturdays, now let’s talk about them more! We’re a big fan of our Saturday events, however something just isn’t quite gelling yet, as such we’re going to look at mixing things up a little.
As I’ve already mentioned we are keen to host things such as Warhammer and Bolt Action events, these will almost certainly take place on a Saturday. We’re also aware that people are keen to do larger Pokémon events on Saturdays as well, as such we’re going to relook at the schedule and make Saturday as mix of Magic, Pokémon, Warhammer, Bolt Action, etc. Some weeks this might mean there are no Saturday events, and some days we may have two taking place on the same day, as always watch this space for more information. We’ll start changing things up from June!
A Bit of a General Ramble
As I said at the beginning of this piece it still baffles me that we’ve been in the new store for six months. It’s been great to see so many new faces, and if I’m being honest, it still bemuses me when people walk in thinking we are Cash Exchange. What we’re keen to do is continue to grow the store and ensure it meets the needs of the community. That being said we’re always keen to hear feedback on what we can do to improve your experience of the store!
For me I’m proud to say we are the longest running independent hobby shop in Ipswich, 2014 seems like a lifetime ago and the shop was very different back then! One of the great things about the new store is that people can actually find it!
We’re planning on doing some work in store soon to allow us to better utilise the space we have; we’ll also hopefully finish putting up all our artwork and unpacking the last of the boxes from when we moved!
And Finally…
A massive thank you to all those who have supported us over the last eight years and especially in the lead up to and following our move!
As always,
Look after each other
Stay safe
We love you
Matt x
