Enchanted Grounds

Hello again!

I had a chance to head down to my favorite game store recently and take some pics with my 3DS.  It's called Enchanted Grounds and is located in Highlands Ranch, CO.

As you might have guessed from the name, it's a coffee shop and a game store! I have been to every game store in the Colorado Springs and Denver area, and this one is unique. The obvious difference here is the blending of coffee and gaming, however it goes deeper than that.
There is sadly a common theme that one runs into at gaming/comic stores and that is poor customer service. Game stores are by and large owned and operated by gamers and of course frequented by gamers. No surprise there. Gamers, bless their souls, have a negative stereotype that is not entirely undeserved. They tend to be introverts & not overly concerned with hygiene. Once you get to know them however, most gamers are very intelligent, kind hearted and gentle creatures. But back to the negative for a moment. Being introverted and a bit remiss on the house keeping, don't make for good traits when it comes to running a business. It is not uncommon for the employees of a game store to be engaged in some sort of game with fellow friends and patrons. The problem comes when a customer who is not a regular, needs assistance or is ready to make a purchase. Once they become aware of your existence, they exhibit visible irritation that their game is being interrupted by your need to contribute to their continued employment. The average game store also tends to be a bit unkempt with dusty shelves, old sun bleached posters advertising the upcoming release of a product that happened 2 years ago and bathrooms long over due for a good cleaning. The disorganization of the store bleeds into the admin side of running the store also with special orders rarely being filled and events not being run properly.  Some are bigger offenders than others in this category but in general these conditions exist to some degree in most game stores.

Here is where Enchanted Grounds shines. The employees are friendly and are dedicated to helping customers. The store is clean as are the bathrooms. The customer base is also diverse. There are routinely groups of business types stopping in for a coffee and a casual meeting, elderly women meeting for games of Mahjong and everyday people just stopping by to visit with friends. Amongst this mix are tables of people playing Carcassone, D&D Encounters and Magic the Gathering.

They have a good mix of RPG's, tabletop miniature games, ccg's, board games and party games. They also carry a small selection of the more mainstream comic books and have a leave one take one shelf of books. Overall this is my first choice of game stores to visit. I have yet to belly up to a table and make friends with the regulars or place a special order but I suspect I will find no issues there.
Until next time....may all your hits be crits!