In this episode, we're talking with Alan Reid, owner of Meta-Games Unlimited. In addition to running the game store, Alan also has a full-time job. His desire to open a game store stems from his previous background in competitive Magic. While being a competitive player from 1994-1996 had its enjoyment, as time went on he wished to be near family and friends. This would lead to the beginning of his store in 1997.
While the store has been around for 27 years and counting, Alan credits his friends with whom he had played competitively for helping make the store what it is today. He initially started with a 750 sq. ft. store and would later expand to 3,200 sq. ft. However, today, the store is 10,000 sq. ft. culminating as its fourth location since its opening. Moreover, Alan notes this could be considered the store's fifth location when the expansions are factored in.
With 9 employees total, some of whom have been with Alan for over 20 years, Alan stresses the importance and appreciation for his staff whom he relies on for helping build the store's foundation.
With an open free-to-play space, pinball tournaments, Games Workshop events, RPG events, and Magic: The Gathering events, Alan's store boasts many opportunities to accommodate his customers and hold multiple events per day.
These days Alan mostly plays board games while focusing on relationship-building with vendors, stocking up on products, and providing his customers a great place to play.
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