In episode 11 of The Match Slip podcast, we're talking with store owner, Travis, of Millennium Games in Rochester, NY. It's the birthplace of the Rochester Draft format for Magic: The Gathering and is the "largest game store in the country", as dubbed by Travis himself with no disputes to the sentiment thus far.
Travis, who originally went to college to become a teacher, has owned the store for 17 years after purchasing it from the previous owner on February 20, 2007. Prior to that, he was an online poker player, but the daily grind lost its luster over time. Travis also has a background in mortgages, which helped him negotiate payments to pay off the store's debt accrued from previous ownership. By paying off the store's debt, he's seen the business grow at a rapid pace with 36 employees and plans to hire more.
In addition to the game store, Travis owns Free RPG Day, he's a co-designer of Dungeons & Dragons Onslaught Miniatures Game, and he also serves as a consultant. His primary role with Millennium Games involves purchasing, employee development, scouting for talent, and planning events. He's always wanted to work at a game store as board games were something that brought his family together growing up.
With the unique addition of used board games in the store, Travis also allows the opportunity for customers to play games before purchasing them so they can determine if it's right for them. Within the play space area, it can accommodate up to 320 players with 120 players seen on average for Commander on Saturday nights. When it comes to the games themselves, Travis tends to allocate more of his time to learning new games that his employees aren't already enfranchised in.
While the majority of marketing for the store is word of mouth, Travis has also seen growth attributed to coverage in the local press after their move to their new location, as well as TikTok reels posted to Facebook which appears to draw the most traffic to the store.
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