Talking Business: Blue Cat Games offers board gamers a place to meet, eat and defeat | Local Business

Blue Cat Game titles opened in January at the southern conclude of the shopping mall near the Regal Cinemas. The retail store achieved the 2nd phase of its evolution this thirty day period when it opened its kitchen, turning into a board video game café.

Homeowners Ben and Kristen Otteson say they want Blue Cat Online games to be as a lot of a social space as a business. A person of the causes they wished a storefront in the mall was to attract in persons strolling by, even if they only stopped by for a snack or a fast card game when waiting around for a motion picture.

“We’re hoping to be all-encompassing. We’re not just in this article to offer you a game, you can get a meal and commit time with persons,” Ben Otteson claimed.

Otteson remaining Longview just after graduating from substantial school. He ran Western Paladin Games in Walla Walla from 2012 until finally the pandemic shut his store in 2020. The Ottesons moved back to Cowlitz County to be nearer to spouse and children and immediately after their daughter was born, they commenced building designs to open a new business enterprise.

In excess of the 1st four months, a handful of beloved video games have grow to be the most well-known with site visitors. Competitive card game titles like Magic: The Collecting and Pokémon have been the concentration of lots of of the larger sized functions. Other crowds have arrive via for tabletop function-participating in games like Dungeons & Dragons or classics like cribbage and bingo.

A surprise strike is Klask, a version of air hockey performed on a modest magnetic board. Multiple Klask boards dot the tables all through the shop.

At the back of the retailer is Blue Cat’s substantial library of board and card online games. The Ottesons hold a duplicate of pretty much each individual activity which is for sale in the library so buyers can try out them out right before shopping for them.

“We get a lot of dad and mom coming by means of with youngsters, on the lookout to come across something that’s going to entertain all of the loved ones. Remaining equipped to give it a shot helps make it less difficult,” Otteson explained.

Kristen Otteson manages the meals side of the business enterprise. The April menu functions generally sizzling pet dogs and sandwiches, alongside with some beverages and scaled-down treats. The warm pet dogs have been the most common food above the very first few weeks, in particular the BCG Seattle Pet dog and a Nutty Narrows Dog topped with peanut improved and jalapenos.

“We’ll be shifting the menu seasonally, we can alter the artwork and the board online games at the front of the retail outlet. Each individual time you come in will be a minimal distinctive,” Ben Otteson reported.

People can drop by to enjoy the majority of their video games for cost-free. The main exceptions are the foosball and shuffleboard tables, which are part of the store’s membership application. Users pay back $20 for a 4-month year of entry to individuals tables, the store’s Wi-Fi password and booster packs for match games like Magic the Gathering.

Otteson explained the third phase of Blue Cat Games’ expansion will target on offering extra exclusive occasions and tournaments. The store’s been tests distinct functions and situations to see what operates greatest.

Not each celebration has been a strike, but the Ottesons say that is portion of figuring out the place the community’s passions are and how they can give the finest achievable atmosphere.

“It’s a small bit like a bar,” Ben Otteson said. “You want to have that social emotion and high power. You want to be here gaming when any person else is gaming.”