Starting Our Local Game Store Reviewing Adventures

Hello there! Welcome to The Best Third Place where two partners explore friendly local game stores across the east coast and rate them on various metrics.

We've naturally developed the past-time of visiting all the local stores selling Magic cards, Warhammer, board games, or anything else nerdy that we can. Often we'll spend a Saturday visiting 5 or more shops, especially investigating ones we have yet to explore.

Currently we live in north Jersey where LGS' are plentiful. We're visiting Cape May, NJ tomorrow, and plan to kick off this blog by visiting 6 different LGS' as we meander our way to our destination.

Our hope is that through this blog we continue to find wonderful stores and communities, and that we can share some insights to the LGS-frequenting community at large. And who knows, maybe one day we'll have enough data and crown one LGS as The Best Third Place.

Comments

Review of Warhammer Store, Matawan NJ

Our second stop on our trip to Cape May lead us to the Warhammer store in Matawan, NJ. We've visited the Warhammer store in Concord, DE before, but I wanted to see how this one compares. Address: Colonial Drive 1121, NJ-34 Suite 1121-N, Matawan, NJ 07747 Website: https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Warhammer-Holmdel Selection Let me be clear - a Warhammer store is exactly what it is supposed to be: a Games Workshop proxy for Americans to buy and peruse their models. Are these stores still LGS'? Yes. Do they get a pass on not having MTG products et all? Yes. If your hobby of choice is Warhammer (40k or AoS, Blood Bowl, Warcry/Kill Team, or anything else GW related), the Warhammer stores provide a lot of services other LGS' simply can't. If you want something AoS or 40k related, this store has it or can acquire it easily. Other Games Workshop product is sort of random, with more KT/Warcry than any sort of Blood Bowl support. They also keep a healthy amount of codexes an...

Review of Peninsula Games, Fair Haven NJ

Our 3rd stop on our LGS jaunt was to Peninsula Games in Fair Haven, NJ. It was getting to be dark outside by this time, so we knew we may not be visiting these stores at the most lively times. Address: 775 River Rd, Fair Haven, NJ 07704 Website: peninsulagamesnj.com Selection Peninsula Games has a decent selection of Magic sets, Magic Secret Lairs, and board games. Their selection of Magic singles was robust with several well-organized binders with staples and cards of interest. "Their Warhammer selection seems somewhat eclectic and random. There wasn't a clear focus on newer or older figures, but not enough of either to cover the full gamut completely. Their Warhammer products are heavily focused on 40k with a lack of AoS." -Hskae Cleanliness Peninsula is a small store, and opposed to other newer stores, you can feel the history of the 4 years they've been there. I certainly wouldn't say the store is dirty per se, but its far from immaculate either. Peninsula...

Want for a Review of Trader's Legion Games, Forked River NJ (And the Call for Public Health)

Well, I wish I could write a comprehensive review of Trader's Legion Games in Forked River NJ, but unfortunately I only have one thing to say: Almost no one was wearing a mask. Address: 118 N Main St Unit #1, Forked River, NJ 08731 Website: traderlegion.net We wanted to visit Trader's Legion as our 5th stop as we visited LGS' on our way to Cape May. After coaxing Google to navigate us to the right place, we walked up at around 8:00PM on a Friday. We saw perhaps a dozen or more patrons playing games, along with staff in the store through the glass, however I counted 1, maybe 2 masks among them total. We turned around and left before entering. We can go into details of the cleanliness, the value, and the friendliness of stores we visit, but an important prerequisite is that you value my health and safety as your patron, and the health and safety of your community. Trader's Legion have stellar reviews on Google, and they seem like they may be an otherwise great plac...

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