If you’ve ever wanted a night out, something more than dinner and less than just drinking, a game cafe might be just what you’re looking for — and the best part is Abbotsford is about to get its very own.
Husband-and-wife team Darin and Gabby Graham had a recent experience on a trip to Edmonton that set them on a path towards becoming business owners in downtown Abbotsford.
“We went [to a gaming cafe] and we just had such a good time that we went back the next two days and when we came back we were like, ‘This would be such a cool thing for Abbotsford,’” Darin Graham said.
The concept of a gaming cafe is a simple one: you pay cover ($5 in the case of Boardwalk) and then are allowed to stay and play as many of the games they have for as long as you like while you may also enjoy the food and drink they serve.
The shelves at the back of the cafe are crammed from top to bottom with all styles of games. They range from board games such as Settlers of Catan to Betrayal at the House on the Hill, and on to card games like Dutch Blitz and Coup.
“We’re hovering probably just below 250 games and we’re going to get over that 250 line shortly,” Graham commented about their games collection.
For the fiends who want to play Cards Against Humanity without affecting their reputations with neighbouring tables, or for those who were hoping for a more personal experience, there will be a private room at the back of the cafe.
“It will also be reservable so people can book ahead,” Graham explained. “So hopefully it will be a popular part of what we do here.”
The couple have plans to open the location sometime in early December and hope to offer a variety of food and drink options.
“We’re going to be doing a lot of espresso-based drinks and coffee and tea, as well as other non-alcoholic beverages like soda and Good Drink, which is out of Langley,” Graham said.
The cafe hopes to eventually become licenced to sell alcohol and offer local craft beer and wine, but don’t expect the liquor licence to clear before they open. Graham hopes that the hours of the cafe will be something around 2-3 p.m. until 11 p.m. and 12 a.m. on weekends to accommodate a night out in downtown Abby.
“Really there’s no better time than now with what’s happening in the downtown area, and the official community plan that’s out there and the intentions by the City of Abbotsford to really grow the different sectors into something vibrant, into hubs of the community,” said Graham. “There’s no better time to do something like this than now.”
Boardwalk Cafe and Games faces various start-up issues yet, one coming in the form of a building code compliance that requires them to build a second washroom. They’ve started a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the various unexpected costs and at time of publication they have achieved and surpassed their $5,000 goal by over $1,000.
“We’ve had a really overwhelming response to what we’ve been doing and that’s been really encouraging,” Graham said. “It’s not just from people who want to come and play games but other businesses are excited for what we’re doing. They see the value that hopefully we can bring.”
“The biggest thing for us that’s been central to the theme of what we’re doing is that we want to make Abbotsford an even better place to live. For a long time Abbotsford was not viewed very positively within the Fraser Valley, and a lot of people who lived here wanted to get out and no one really wanted to move here, but they had to if they wanted to go to bible college or something,” Graham said, reflecting on Abbotsford’s history. “Abbotsford is quickly becoming a very desirable place to live and our goal is to contribute to that.”
