The Definitive Guide to Gaming Stores in Louisville: Part One

by Andy B; photographs and map illustrations by Andy B.

The directors of Nerd Louisville conceived the idea of a “Guide to Louisville Gaming Shops.” The original intent was for this guide to be a single feature article. As I set out to research the guide, I realized that this project is too big for a single article. There are at least a dozen gaming shops – maybe more. Instead, I will write multiple installments with a final summary at the end.

The purpose of this guide is to help nerds living in, or visiting, Louisville to find the shops that fit their interests – not just in terms of products, but also their preferred age group, playing style, and atmosphere. The intent is to promote all gaming shops in the city, not to rate them or criticize.

The information in this guide was researched in late 2015. This guide will not provide opening and closing times, since they sometimes change. We wouldn’t want you to plan your visit based on this guide if a store changes its hours. For store hours, check each store’s website or Facebook page (links provided).

As noted, this is Part One of a multi-part series. Without further ado, let’s take a look at our first three stores.

The Destination Games, Toys, Comics, and Collectibles

My first destination on this tour of Louisville gaming shops was… The Destination.

Address: 5031 Shelbyville Road

5031 Shelbyville Road Website: http://www.destinationcomics.com

http://www.destinationcomics.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/destinationcomics

www.facebook.com/destinationcomics History: Founded 2013

Founded 2013 Gaming Area: 5 tables in an open back room about 20’ x 20’

5 tables in an open back room about 20’ x 20’ Crowd: About 8 customers browsing in the front retail area, and about 8 gamers in the back playing Attack Wing: Star Trek; pre-teen to adult

About 8 customers browsing in the front retail area, and about 8 gamers in the back playing Attack Wing: Star Trek; pre-teen to adult Parking: The shop is tucked around the corner of a strip mall with plenty of parking

The shop is tucked around the corner of a strip mall with plenty of parking Nearest drink: Ten Pin Lanes, a hundred yards or so down the street

The front door of The Destination is rigged with a speaker that emits a noise when you enter. A non-nerd would probably wonder why it makes a weird squeak sound instead of a normal doorbell or tone, but I get it: it’s the sliding door sound effect from Star Trek. I had planned to talk to an employee at each shop but there were at least four customers queued up at the register, so I met Mike instead.

“For about ten dollars, you can play all day.”

Mike is a volunteer who organizes regular gaming events at the store. He told me all about the store while officiating a group of about eight players who were paired off to play Attack Wing: Star Trek. According to Mike, Dice Masters is the big game on Saturdays. On Sundays Mike runs a variety of games: often Attack Wing (Star Trek or D&D versions), or other games and sometimes demos of new games. Participants don’t need to buy the games in order to play. Mike has all the game pieces, and players pay a fee to participate.

They try to be welcoming to younger, newer players and are intentionally less competitive than other stores might be. By the time we finished a long conversation, the employee still had a queue of customers at the register, but I thought I had gotten a pretty good rundown from Mike and I had more shops to visit. Business appears to be brisk! I left with the Star Trek sliding door sound. Next stop…

Something 2 Do

The second stop on the tour was the oldest gaming shop in Louisville: Something 2 Do

Address: 215 S Hurstbourne Pkwy Ste 109

215 S Hurstbourne Pkwy Ste 109 Website: http://www.something2dogames.com

http://www.something2dogames.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/Something-2-Do-112747674370

www.facebook.com/Something-2-Do-112747674370 History: Founded 1972 in Oxmoor Mall for many years; moved to current location 2014; long-time manager, Brandy, became owner after the move

Founded 1972 in Oxmoor Mall for many years; moved to current location 2014; long-time manager, Brandy, became owner after the move Gaming Area: More than 20 tables in a big area; at least 80’ long and over 30’ at the widest

More than 20 tables in a big area; at least 80’ long and over 30’ at the widest Crowd: 14 gamers playing a variety of games, the largest group playing Warmachine in the back; young elementary-school age to grey haired oldsters

14 gamers playing a variety of games, the largest group playing Warmachine in the back; young elementary-school age to grey haired oldsters Parking: In a strip mall on Hurstbourne Lane, with more free parking than it appears to have; there is a big lot in the rear accessible by a back door

In a strip mall on Hurstbourne Lane, with more free parking than it appears to have; there is a big lot in the rear accessible by a back door Nearest drink: Chili’s, several hundred yards down the road, or “Brownie’s The Shed” Bar and Grill, across Hurstbourne

The floorplan of Something 2 Do seems to exactly match the bright, clean, open layout it had in the mall but transported to a new location. It looks more spacious than I recall the mall location was, although the employees assured me that it’s about the same size. Something 2 Do hosts a lot of events, and they recommend checking the Facebook page for the most recent schedule. Their biggest events are a monthly Smash Brothers tournament and casual board games on Saturdays. They recently restarted D&D: Adventurers’ League on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 10:00 pm. There is plenty of table space and players of any games are welcome to use a table without any pre-coordination, unless there is a major event going on. I spoke at length to employees David and John who were both friendly and helpful. They recommended other shops I should add to the guide, including the next stop…

Parallel Worlds

I wouldn’t have found Parallel Worlds without detailed directions. The storefront isn’t visible from the street. It is in a pedestrian-access nook of a shopping center around the corner from Hurstbourne Lane at 9870 Linn Station Rd.

Address: 9870 Linn Station Rd

9870 Linn Station Rd Facebook: www.facebook.com/ParallelWorldsGaming

www.facebook.com/ParallelWorldsGaming History: Founded 2013 in current location; purchased 2014 by new owner Randall

Founded 2013 in current location; purchased 2014 by new owner Randall Gaming Area: Four tables in front room, approx. 30’ x 30’; seven tables in the back room, about 30’ x 40’

Four tables in front room, approx. 30’ x 30’; seven tables in the back room, about 30’ x 40’ Crowd: About a dozen playing TCGs; teens and young adults.

About a dozen playing TCGs; teens and young adults. Parking: Located in a shopping center with a big parking lot

Located in a shopping center with a big parking lot Nearest drink: Joe’s OK Bayou, next door

I had a long rambling conversation with Randall, the young owner of Parallel Worlds. His shop specializes in trading card games. It also carries console video games and hosts a massive Dungeons & Dragons campaign with multiple dungeon masters every Saturday night. Randall seems shrewd and ambitious. He allows customers to purchase expensive decks for Magic: The Gathering on a gradual payment plan: they can start playing with their deck immediately, but must keep it at the store until they have finished paying for it.

“If your kid is spending all their money on magic, they can’t afford drugs.”

Randall has a lot of ideas that he is trying to implement to promote nerd-ism in collaboration with other shops. He clearly has a friendly relationship with Something 2 Do, and spoke very highly of The Destination. He’s an experienced and enthusiastic LARPer (live-action roleplaying), with big plans for future LARP projects outside of the shop. Expect to see some innovative ventures from Parallel Worlds in the near future.

The Definitive Guide to Gaming Stores in Louisville will be a multi-part series of Nerd Louisville articles until all the gaming stores in Louisville are included. If you’d like your store to be featured next, please contact us! Please send corrections to andy@nerdlouisville.org.