Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

Your Move: At the Game Table Cafe, the pursuit of fun isn’t trivial.

Screenshot 2016-08-24 17.14.29Here’s a Clue: If you want a Monopoly on fun, take a Risk on a new spot on the West Shore. It may not be Candyland, but it does offer some 400 board games, along with great coffee and treats. You won’t be Sorry!

Since April, hundreds of gamers have rolled the dice and moved their thimbles into the Game Table Café, which stocks every board game from A to Z (seriously, from Above & Below to Zooloretto).

“Board games are a really nice way to spend time together as a family,” said Tom Keegan, the café’s owner and “game curator.”

In that role, Keegan makes sure the café has games that are fun to play—both classics and new releases. Board games, says Keegan, have seen a renaissance in recent years, and he credits three key reasons: the improvement of game designs, the cultural connection with games and the need for people to connect with friends and family.

“People put their cell phones aside for an hour and a half or two hours and interact, enjoying each other’s company and doing things in another world,” he said.

Since most people are not well versed in hundreds of games, the Game Table Café has “game gurus” who can teach anyone who’s interested in learning.

The gurus also serve as baristas in the café, where patrons can grab baked goods, snack foods, sandwiches and coffee. One of Keegan’s goals has been to work locally, both with local board game developers and with PA food companies (he uses beans from Lamont Specialty Coffee and Fine Teas, based in West Chester).

Keegan, a self-described “coffee nerd,” said he and his wife acquired a taste for fresh roasted coffee while he served 30 years in the U.S. Army. When he was nearing retirement, he began contemplating the next step and knew that he wanted to open his own business. After visiting the Game Haus Café in southern California, Keegan said to himself, “This is it, we’ve got the vision now.”

He saw a potential for success and a way to turn a passion into a business, as he grew up playing board games with his family and shared that tradition with his own kids.

“It’s amazing what you can learn about someone playing a board game, such as whether they’re a sore loser or whether they can bluff,” Keegan said with a laugh, adding that there are games he can’t play with his own wife because she knows when he’s bluffing.

Keegan said that the Game Table Café has gotten off to a great start, meeting or exceeding his business expectations each month. The café has reached capacity a few times already and hosted several large, corporate team-building events. The café also hosts events for the local Rotary Club, church groups, birthday parties and the like.

While some games are straightforward and easy to learn, others can be intimidating and overwhelming. To ease the learning curve, the café hosts learn-to-play events, which introduce patrons to games. Keegan said the first such group started in June with people learning to play Magic the Gathering, an event that attracted as many as 18 people on some nights.

For anyone interested in visiting The Game Table Café, there is a $5 cover charge if you would like to play games, though you can check out the café and order food without paying the cover. That $5 charge entitles patrons to stay and play as long as they like. There are also membership program options, including an annual membership.

“People have not only enjoyed coming, they’ve enjoyed it enough they want to come back,” Keegan said, adding that they’ve sold about 200 memberships already.

Friday Night is “family night.” Families who come into the café with three or more people and order meals for each person pay no cover charge. Keegan said they are also working on developing other monthly events, including a date night and “single mingle.”

Keegan also has big plans for the fall. To further his goal of working with local businesses and giving back to the community, he said he plans to partner with other local “geek industries” for an upcoming charitable event.

But, mostly, he just wants to bring people together for a few hours, a rare period of time that doesn’t include staring at screens.

“What really gets us excited is when we’re busy, hearing people laugh and seeing families together,” he said.

The Game Table Café is located at 4900 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg. For more information, call 717-695-0836 or visit www.gametablecafe.com or their Facebook page.

Author: Valarie Potell

 

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