UPPER LAKE— Dustin Michael Scott, 30, does not fit the mold of your typical gamer. At least not the trite image of an uncoordinated nerd or geek, awkward and/or unable to socialize effectively with others. The former Marine and Potter Valley High School graduate said he always wanted to own a table-top gaming store to bring all kinds of different people together, and that dream came true late last year as Dragons Den opened in Upper Lake.
He played card games such as Magic the Gathering while in the Marine Corps and knew a shop owner around his base in 29 Palms where he was stationed. After the service, he would play in Ukiah and for a brief time at the shop on First and Main Street in Lakeport before it closed.
His partner Aletha Willard, an Oregon native, graduated Elmire High School and went through two years of Community College at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. She said she was in grocery management for 16 years working on bookkeeping, scheduling, ordering, supervising, and more. “I learned the ins and outs of business from that experience,” said the 35-year-old who is just as into gaming as Scott.
“I have spent a lot of time in card shops throughout my life and met some really great people there,” said Scott, adding that he wanted to give others the chance to do the same by creating a safe environment for players of all ages to come together. “After using my VA home loan to purchase a home in Nice in June 2022, I realized that it was feasible to follow my dream of owning a Pokémon store.”
“I didn’t quite have the vision of exactly what I wanted, but I knew I wanted it to be very versatile,” said Willard, talking about the origin and back story of the business. “I met Dustin in August of 2021, and he turned my life around in the most amazing way. He helped me to see a purpose again, to want something more than just for myself. I wanted to help people again, to be able to create a safe space for everyone, all different kinds of people. We bought a house in June of 2022 and had big plans for it, but the urge to want something more was stronger.” So the funding went towards opening the current shop.
Willard spoke about her coming out as a gaming enthusiast, something she acknowledged wasn’t always easy to do without some derision from some non-gaming circles. Surrounded by colorful cards, play mats, dice and other gaming gear in her store, she found that as she got older, more people started to get into the hobby, and she attributes some of that change in perception to social media and the internet.
Over the years, the regional gaming community which includes card and game stores in both Lake and Mendocino County, including Game Hub in Lower Lake and Kingdom Games in Lakeport/Clearlake, has formed a network of local gamers with monthly tournaments and annual Magic The Gathering championships and mobile competitions among owners and customers of many of the stores.
“We were going to start off in Nice, knowing it would be small but definitely easier to stock,” Willard noted, “He was driving around one day and found the building we are in currently in. It is owned by the sweetest couple, very smart people, and they took a chance on us once we gave them our pitch of what we wanted for the community. We have been blessed with a community of people that genuinely want to see each other succeed.”
Although most would expect a niche retailer to cater to specific clientele, Scott said there is no typical customer profile, from kids spending their holiday vacations and weekends at the store, to the retired crowd wanting something fun to do. “We see all ages at our store,” he said.
There are plans currently for growth said Willard. “We plan on carrying a lot more in the future. We plan on expanding our jewelry section, carrying more life size statues, expanding our crystals/magical items, carrying cosplay accessories/costumes, upgrading our Dungeons & Dragons room, carrying Manga and comic books, and bringing in toys for the quarter machines, and a claw machine.”
The store, located at 9490 Main St in Upper Lake, held its grand opening on Nov. 18, 2022 and has since enjoyed a steady influx of regular customers playing Pokémon , Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic the Gathering, Warhammer, Dungeons and Dragons and other popular role playing and card games. In addition to selling games, toys, trading cards, collectibles and branded school supplies and clothing, the shop hosts events every Friday night and monthly special events for tabletop games with board game nights also open to the public.
“The Pokémon gym battles have been going very well! We made the events not thinking many would show up for the event,” said Willard. “But it turns out I was wrong! Kids love learning the game, it keeps their math skills fresh and improves their reading capabilities. That was our goal, and it seems to be working.”
Scott concurs, adding that attendance of events was not completely impacted by the pandemic. “Our events are very popular, people like to get out, especially since the pandemic. It is nice to be able to share what we love with each other at this shop, to be able to play games and get to know each other.”
Events are scheduled throughout the week. Dungeons & Dragons games happen on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 6 P.M. The store hosts the mega popular Friday Night Magic (Magic the Gathering) on Fridays at 6:30 PM. They also have Pokémon on Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m., and game board nights every Saturday night at 5 P.M.
