The friendly local games store is a great place to buy new games and accessories, but it also much more than that. It is a place where you can build new friendships and get great advice and ideas that could lead you to your next awesome gaming experience.
Maybe you get your games through Amazon or a big box store like Target or Walmart. This could be because you have a limited budget, or there just isn’t an independent game store near you. I get it. But if you can afford to support a small, independent business, try to find one near you. Especially now, with the pandemic situation, they need your help to survive far more than Jeff Bezos or any of the large corporate stores.
With that in mind, we will be presenting spotlights on some small independent stores that we like! This means that they are all in Ontario, but they do also have online stores and can ship to you!
This series of blogs does not represent a ranked “Top” list, and the stores are presented in no particular order.

Lords of War Games and Hobbies

Lords of War is the place to go to for miniature games in Oakville. This is another store that builds a great community of players and hobbyists around games. You can go in for a game on their tables, or sit and do some building and painting of your army. They’ve got Games Workshop, Marvel Crisis Protocol, Tanks! (and the modern version, Team Yankee), Star Wars Legion and anything else you might need, including all of the paint and other hobby accessories. Check out the amazing painted models they have in just one of their cabinets:

There is a lot of communication with their community through their Facebook page, so make sure you check that out. While they were closed during the COVID situation, they set up a Twitch channel to keep in touch with the regular customers and still share the hobby. Those videos have been moved over to their YouTube channel, so you can go there and watch some painting and modelling to get some tips and ideas.

But what if you’re not a painter or miniature gamer yet? What if you are more of a board game player? No problem, they’ve got a good selection there too, and most importantly, a friendly and helpful staff that will take care of you.

And you know what else is cool? It’s in a nice location. There’s a small parking lot right at the back of the store, which is super-convenient. Their address and phone number on on the website, so check that out, and plan a trip to visit the store!