Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian McMeans.
Brian, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
There are actually two stores that make up the Space Cadets family; Collection and Gaming. In 2012, I began taking my girls to Space Cadets Collection to play Pokemon on Wednesday evenings. Having always been a huge comic book and gaming nerd, I enjoyed hanging out and talking with the owner, Miss Jen.
After a couple weeks of attending, I started asking if I could help out with anything. Bagging comics, sorting cards, straightening up, etc. My very first task was creating runs of comic books. Three weeks of doing that and I asked to be a regular employee. At first, she said they weren’t hiring, but after another couple of weeks, she agreed to bring me on for Wednesdays from 6-8.
Shortly thereafter, I asked about starting up a Heroclix league on Saturdays. Heroclix is a miniatures based game with primarily super heroes that move around a 2×3 grid map and as they do damage to each other, the dials rotate to reveal new combat values and abilities. The league attracted new players, both young and old and experienced rapid growth. So too did my time working at the store.
In 2014, after a store expansion that saw us double our space, Miss Jen asked if I would be willing to take on the role of games manager. This included maintaining the game inventory, running demos, helping establish new leagues and more. We added a regular Family Board Game Night, Star Was X-Wing and Armada leagues, Cardfight Vanguard and eventually the mega popular Magic the Gathering collectible card game.
All of these activities led me to begin contemplating opening a store of my own. I always figured it would be many years down the road, however more store changes in 2016 afforded us the opportunity to make some rearrangements and me to open up Gaming within our existing location. We figured that being in the same place and utilizing a similar name would help us to retain our already growing customer base as well as attract new players. In November of 2016 we officially launched Space Cadets Gaming; just in time for Black Friday and Christmas. Since then, we have added more leagues and regular game times. Every Saturday is still Family Game Night and we feature Dungeons and Dragons groups nearly every night of the week.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There hasn’t really been anything too difficult to overcome. We had some trouble in the very beginning getting the paperwork pushed through. Because we share a portion of our name and address with our parent store, the forms were getting sent back. We had to try multiple times and convince them that it was approved and to finish the process. Otherwise, no major hurdles.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Space Cadets Gaming – what should we know?
We are a games store. We sell and play games from all genres; collectible card games, miniatures, board games, Role Playing Games and everything in between. We specialize in fun! We want every one of all ages to feel comfortable coming in to play a game. Whether you know how a particular game works or not, we will either teach you personally or find a great teacher to instruct you.
To have players come back and tell us how welcome they felt or share a memory of a favorite game is what we’re most proud of. Big sales and high event turnouts are nice, but we want the players to have a great experience most of all!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There are three people I recognize as huge influences in this endeavor.
1. Tiffany Franzoni was the owner of Roll to Play in Denton, TX. I met her through my business partner Miss Jen several years ago. We did some inter store events and I’ve worked for her at a convention. She’s a highly intelligent business owner as well as friend whom I’ve looked to for advice.
2. Jennifer King, aka Miss Jen. She’s the one who has given me every opportunity for advancement at Space Cadets. She has mentored and counseled me from the very beginning of this process. In addition to being a fantastic boss and business partner, she’s also a dear friend and fellow believer.
3. Nothing is possible without my amazing wife, Laura. When I first presented this crazy idea, she didn’t scoff or attempt to deter me. She recognized the desire and ability and encouraged me every step of the way. I can’t do anything without her.
The rest of the staff at Space Cadets also deserves credit for our success. They willingly jump in and help out whenever possible and are as well versed in the games we carry so anyone can address questions.
Pricing:
- Quck and easy card games under $10
- Moderately priced games from $30-$60
- Giant big box games with lots of miniatures around $100
- Lots of collectible cards games $4-$10
Contact Info:
- Address: 27326 Robinson Rd.
Suite #115
Oak Ridge North, TX 77385 - Website: www.spacecadetsgaming.com
- Phone: 281-298-1111
- Email: info@spacecadetsgaming.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spacecadetsgaming/
- Twitter: @CadetsGaming
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/space-cadets-gaming-gaming-oak-ridge-north
Image Credit:
Warren Buck
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