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Tiki Tiki Board Games of 232 South Broad Street in Woodbury announced plans to renovate and revitalize the Polsky's Building.

(nj.com/file photo)

WOODBURY -- Tiki Tiki Board Games of 232 S. Broad Street in Woodbury announced plans at the City Council meeting on April 26 to renovate and revitalize the Polsky's Building.

The team behind the project have been shop owners since January 2011. The small company has moved once before within Woodbury from 600 square feet of total space to their existing 1,400 square feet.

Recently the group realized that more space was needed. With a larger priority to keep supporting the local economy, the fellows at Tiki Tiki began scouting a new location. As a diamond in the very rough, the Polsky's storefront, has sat dormant for almost 10 years and has drawn the collective eyes of the local business.

The trio of Tyler Ager, Ryan Morrison and Ryan Harbinson estimate four to six months of renovation at the very least to get the property where it needs to be. "Every time we walked by we joked about moving our business," says co-owner Morrison, who was raised in Woodbury. The Polsky's building was constructed in 1901 and served as the county seat's only Army/Navy store.

"We had always envisioned a larger space for our shop, and the Polsky's building is a dream come true," said co-owner Ryan Harbinson. The 5,800-square-foot retail space will house much more than board games in the coming months.

The team's software business, Island Officials LLC, will take up residence in the back offices. They will continue to make video games, websites, and business applications for a number of clients and platforms. Additionally, the retail portion will be joined by another Woodbury business, Luke & Cade's Toy Chest. Luke & Cade's owner, Anthony Allman, is excited to join in the new space, saying their businesses "have natural synergies that have worked great as neighbors and will surely work in the large property even more."

The existing board game space is being looked at by an out-of-town business interested in moving into the growth that has been happening downtown. The space that Luke & Cade's shared will be filled by the space co-resident All Things Video Games.

"Our goal was to leave no empty space when we moved," said Tiki Tiki Board Games co-owner Tyler Ager.

The trio has devised a plan to help new small businesses by offering small "pods" that will house goods and products but will not require a clerk or constant attention. This "pay it forward" business model is aimed at helping the new business owners with both physical and cyber space in which to grow their companies. By helping to grow the businesses organically, the hope is that they may one day take root in another one of Woodbury's vacant shops. A small book nook is already being planned with some other interesting prospects.

The team has started a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, where they have had success on projects in the past, to help take their vision of the property to the next level. Some of their plans include an expansion into the garden space neighboring the building for outdoor activities and creative space. Other plans include a deluxe board game playing area housing dining room tables with unique styles of lighting specific to the era of the table below. The team is funding the renovations but the crowdfunding campaign will help make things even better than just a basic make over.

For additional details, images, and information go to the website www.tikitikigames.com or the Kickstarter page https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tikitiki/tiki-tiki-board-games-in-woodbury-v40.

This item submitted by Island Officials Media.