Salida now has its own game store, Salida Games, featuring all things related to tabletop role-playing games or trading card games, located at 225 W. Grand Ave., next to Marvin Park.
The store will host a grand opening at 4 p.m. Nov. 22.
When owner Aaron Karuta purchased the three-story building that once housed the Salida Hostel, he saw an opportunity to repurpose the ground floor and basement space for games, while continuing to use the upstairs as a guest house. “I figured I want to help create a space (where) the community can gather,” he said.
Karuta is a Salida native and got into Dungeons & Dragons because his best friend’s dad played, he said, and he discovered trading card games around the same time.
There are no video games in the store, nor will there ever be, Karuta said. “The whole idea is traditional tabletop games where you’re playing with other people in person, being social,” he said. “I like the traditional environment … just with your friends together.”
In addition to the shop, the space has a room in the back for people to play with each other, seating around 16, and a downstairs space known as The Dice Dungeon to host D&D games, which can hold another 12, if space upstairs runs out. There is also a room with a large 6-by-4-foot war-gaming table for large sprawling games such as Warhammer 40,000.
So far, Karuta said he has enjoyed beginning to get engaged with the community “and get their feedback on what they would also like.”
The shop has some board games to loan out and play, but not sell. Karuta said that is because War Wizards in Buena Vista has a focus on board games, so he wanted to gear his shop more around tabletop games.
Salida Games has a wide assortment of books, miniatures, paints and different role-playing systems. Though the store has accessories such as sleeves and counters for trading card games, he said, unfortunately, they can only sell Magic the Gathering cards in bulk at the moment due to licensing issues.
Once the shop officially opens, Karuta hopes to host regular events, such as a Warhammer League, a role-playing night and trading card events such as prereleases and drafts.
The shop is welcoming to everyone, he said. “We want people to come enjoy games and get away from the modern harassment of life.” Karuta said he would also be open to doing collaborations with other groups or individuals for events in the future.
The hours are 4-8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and sometimes later, depending on if people are occupying the space. The hard cutoff is 10 p.m., Karuta said.
For the grand opening, he said he hopes people will bring along whatever they’re into and showcase it, whether it’s a model army or a trading card binder.