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

Blue Cat Games opened in January at the southern stop of the mall around the Regal Cinemas. The keep achieved the second stage of its evolution this thirty day period when it opened its kitchen area, turning into a board game café.

Homeowners Ben and Kristen Otteson say they want Blue Cat Video games to be as a lot of a social place as a business. One particular of the good reasons they desired a storefront in the shopping mall was to draw in people today walking by, even if they only stopped by for a snack or a swift card sport though waiting around for a film.

“We’re seeking to be all-encompassing. We’re not just below to provide you a recreation, you can get a food and invest time with folks,” Ben Otteson reported.

Otteson remaining Longview after graduating from significant school. He ran Western Paladin Game titles in Walla Walla from 2012 until the pandemic closed his retail outlet in 2020. The Ottesons moved again to Cowlitz County to be closer to loved ones and after their daughter was born, they commenced earning options to open up a new enterprise.

In excess of the 1st four months, a handful of beloved game titles have turn out to be the most popular with visitors. Competitive card game titles like Magic: The Collecting and Pokémon have been the target of lots of of the bigger occasions. Other crowds have arrive as a result of for tabletop position-actively playing games like Dungeons & Dragons or classics like cribbage and bingo.

A shock strike is Klask, a version of air hockey performed on a smaller magnetic board. Several Klask boards dot the tables throughout the store.

At the back again of the keep is Blue Cat’s extensive library of board and card video games. The Ottesons continue to keep a copy of just about each video game that is for sale in the library so clients can consider them out ahead of purchasing them.

“We get a lot of parents coming through with young ones, wanting to uncover a thing that is likely to entertain all of the relatives. Staying able to give it a shot tends to make it easier,” Otteson mentioned.

Kristen Otteson manages the foodstuff side of the business enterprise. The April menu features primarily incredibly hot canines and sandwiches, together with some drinks and lesser snacks. The scorching dogs have been the most well-known food in excess of the to start with few months, especially the BCG Seattle Puppy and a Nutty Narrows Puppy topped with peanut far better and jalapenos.

“We’ll be shifting the menu seasonally, we can alter the artwork and the board online games at the front of the keep. Just about every time you occur in will be a small various,” Ben Otteson explained.

Guests can fall by to play the vast majority of their game titles for totally free. The major exceptions are the foosball and shuffleboard tables, which are component of the store’s membership program. Associates spend $20 for a four-month period of entry to all those tables, the store’s Wi-Fi password and booster packs for match game titles like Magic the Collecting.

Otteson stated the 3rd section of Blue Cat Games’ enlargement will emphasis on delivering additional specific activities and tournaments. The store’s been tests distinct functions and instances to see what performs most effective.

Not every occasion has been a hit, but the Ottesons say that is component of figuring out where the community’s interests are and how they can deliver the most effective possible environment.

“It’s a small bit like a bar,” Ben Otteson explained. “You want to have that social experience and substantial energy. You want to be right here gaming when anyone else is gaming.”