Gamer's Get Some Love This Week

With IPMS Nationals behind us (read Rudy’s Report at the end of the newsletter), it has me thinking about the future of LionHeart Hobby. I think it’s safe to say that Rudy has created an incredibly curated selection of models, tools, and paint that has gotten the attention of modelers worldwide now. Those of you who are local are truly the envy of so many around the nation. You have no idea how many times we heard, “I wish you were closer to me,” last week.

I could not be more proud to be by his side building this business. Our entire team pitched in to make last week run smoothly, but Rudy stands alone in his colossal efforts to make LionHeart Hobby one of the best hobby stores in the US!

LionHeart Hobby isn’t just a hobby shop though. It’s also the first, and so far only game store in Kyle, Texas. We have an incredible local gaming community that has been growing steadily for almost three years now. We have board gamers like myself, RPG gamers, TCG gamers, and wargamers in our community. And if you don’t know what most of that means, I was right there with you not that long ago!

When I began to understand that there are all kinds of gamers I ended up with a huge case of “Imposter Syndrome”. A lot of people were telling me what a game store is “supposed” to be and the constant barrage of releases for every different kind of game was intimidating and difficult to manage without experience as a “gamer”. My vision and goal for LionHeart Hobby has always been that it be a welcoming place where families can come find something fun for their kids to do, and I wasn’t always sure that what a game store is “supposed” to be is what I wanted to create.

The vision for LionHeart Hobby has never changed. And after getting to know hundreds of our local gamers over the last few years, I've learned that pretty much everyone who comes into our store and chats with us wants the same things:

• A fun place to meet with people who love the same things.
• An atmosphere that is friendly to beginners.
• "Game Champions" who will lead with these welcoming values.

Moms and dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and the kids these folks love are where my heart lies. I identify as a mom first, and even though my kids are grown and moved out of the house, my heart is for the parents who are raising kids in the crazy digital world and need a way to connect with their families. I think family board games are the perfect medium for this and want to get the word out to all the families in our area.

I cannot deny the love and support the other kinds of gamers have given to LionHeart Hobby, though. The Warhammer Community, Magic the Gathering, and tabletop miniature gamers in particular have been incredibly supportive. And it shows by the growth in our game department.

Many of you heard that we would "never do" certain kinds of events, but what I have learned is that the players truly make the game. And we have some of the BEST people in the LionHeart Community!

As we move forward, we will continue to offer the very best hobby shop to our local and national community. And we are so excited to continue to grow our gamer community locally and offer more events for y'all. We are still in the "dipping our toes in" stage, but we are learning fast and the future is so bright!

Now, go do something that brings you joy this week!