Twenty Sided Store In Brooklyn, New York

There are several game stores located in Brooklyn, NY. However, there’s only one in Williamsburg, according to the Wizards of the Coast Store & Events Locator. Lauren and co-owner, Luis, have been running Twenty Sided Store for 13+ years. They’re operating out of their second location – one block from the previous location. Lauren tell us that the expansion was necessary for hosting events.

Lauren, who has a background in photography, is a storyteller by trade. However, heavy involvement in the store was not what she originally anticipated. Once running events became in high demand, Lauren became heavily involved. From a gaming perspective, she started with Dungeons & Dragons. However, her primary responsibilities include marketing, maintaining the store website, and events/operations. Maintaining the store’s website includes making products available and updating the “Top 20 Games” yearly. Her business partner, Luis, is the store’s buyer of products for the store. The duo also have staff on hand every day to manage the store and events held.

Making Twenty Sided Store A Unique Experience

Lauren’s family has a background in the restaurant and cafe business. Those experiences have taught her the importance of starting small and simple when starting a business. She feels her “superhero power” requires incorporating many SKUs within a small space: 1,200 – 1,500 sq. ft. Within the confines of the space, they sell a lot of independent and local role-playing games (RPGs). Lauren says she’s considering additional locations to specialize in different product SKUs. When it comes to the types of products they sell, they stick to what they know. Lauren notes if the store sells products with limited expertise, those products tend not to sell well.

Lauren looks for creative ways to draw more eyes to the store. While word-of-mouth is most common, she’ll participate in public interviews such as The Match Slip podcast. Moreover, she’s looking into attending more conventions and doing livestreams. Lauren’s involvement in the independent scene has led to collaboration with a DJ on live-action role-playing events. Furthermore, she wants to build a set to host “murder mystery” events. Lauren’s collaborations with independent musicians and artists provide a unique twist on the traditional game store experience and potentially lead to new customers.

“My favorite place in Brooklyn to meet people and hang out. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, awesome events!”

James Mason, customer review on the Twenty Sided Store Facebook page

Looking To The Future And Overcoming Obstacles

Some of the experiences Lauren is looking to create are theater events. The events would be downstairs in the store. Moreover, the “spotlight events” as Lauren calls them would consist of board and card games. Another unique addition discussed is offering writing workshops. Lauren tells us that she’s been attending writing workshops so that she could do the same for her customers. With experience building worlds like MIRA – a science fiction world – this is well within the realm of possibility. She even mentions a solo RPG book club. These offerings go beyond the traditional norms of a game store.

Due to the many ideas and experiences Lauren wants to offer her customers, it comes with some sacrifices. She shares that she’s trying to decide which projects to cut out of her repertoire, especially with the launch of products featured in the current gaming landscape. While an obstacle, another roadblock has become prominent. Lauren shares that another business has been attempting to use the “Twenty Sided” brand name. As Lauren shares, this can hinder their ability to serve their customer base, confusing customers, and diluting the brand overall.

Overall, Lauren does a lot for the store. She is always looking to create new experiences in the store, in addition to supporting independent and local creators. She tells us she has the largest collection of independent productions. In conjunction with Mystic Aether, a world created by Lauren, she has developed 9 RPGs and hosts a radio show every other Thursday on Newtown Radio. One of her noted missions is to push industry names in gaming.

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