Not Just Goin' Down Without a Fight

com·mu·ni·ty

/kəˈmyo͞onədē/

noun

1. 1.

a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

.

2. a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals

I would like to add a third definition:

3. Not Just Gamin’

When I got hired at NJG, the first lesson I learned is NJG is a very literal story name. There’s more to it than just gaming. There’s hobbying. There’s gathering. There’s talking. There’s hanging out. There’s feeling safe. Jason and Diana explained to me when they set out to open the shop, they wanted to serve the community. They wanted a space where like minded people could gather and share ideas. A place to explore new hobbies. A place to trade ideas. A place free of judgement. A place where they could materialize a life long dream. So, about a year and a half ago, they took the plunge. They found a location in Downtown Greer and sank all that they could to open the store. A venture most people dream of but very few attempt.

The next thing I learned as a new hire is their belief if fairness. They vowed to never overcharge for merchandise. The promised to keep everything as cost friendly as possible even providing a heck of a discount on Games Workshop items and comic subscriptions They never increased the prices on MtG products while every other space was increasing the cost 10%-20%. They even decided to pay their employees a livable wage which is unheard of in most retail locations. I asked them why they didn’t follow suit of the rest of the LGSs and I was told they weren’t in it to get rich. Yes, make some money but more importantly, they wanted to be servants to the Community. Needless to say, my mind was blown.

So, here we are. A couple of folks taking the plunge to bring something good to the neighborhood. Brick and mortar with an online store that ships worldwide. Lots of sacrifices being made to get things going and keep them going. Long hours. Full time job while still running the store. Nights spent sleeping in the store so that the space could stay open late to accommodate players. Early mornings. No pay sometimes. Basically, volunteer work just to keep the gears turning. Things were going decent. No one was getting rich but things were on the verge of turning green Well, in May 2023, disaster struck and NJG took a big hit. It’s not something that can be openly discussed but just know it was massive especially for a small business still in its infancy. More sacrifices were made. Many more. The doors were staying open but just barely and at a great physical, financial, and emotional cost. Things were day to day. They’ve been day to day for a while. Unfortunately, some of those days were really bad so here we are. Jason and Diana have made the announcement to close. I’m gutted. NJG has been one of if not the best thing that has happened to me. A new sense of family. A community that I love. A great space to work and hang out. I’ve met so many awesome people. I just can’t fathom losing it all. Which brings me to now

What kind of community servant would I be if I just quit? Rolled over and let things play out? Nah. I’ve lost sleep thinking about that. Nah. I can’t do it. I’ve got to fight. I’ve got to give this community everything I can because I believe in it. I believe that we are in the cusp of being golden. I believe in Jason and Diana. I believe in their dream. GoFundMe is weird. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. They are a tricky thing to ask of people because once you donate, there’s no getting it back. “Well, if I donate, what do I get in return? “. You get to continue having a safe space to play and explore hobbies. You get to keep the dream of 2 wonderful people alive. You get to give back to the Community. You get to be a part of something bigger. You get to make a difference in people’s lives.

The goal looks huge, I know. I get it. I’ve looked into trying to find the cash on my own but I simply can’t. Not many can. That’s why I’m coming to you all. I’ve had numerous people reach out to me wanting to know how to help. Well, here it is. This is the first opportunity. There’s going to be more but this is the first step. Just doing some simple math, if everyone in the server donated $6.50 a day, we would reach the goal. It’s not much but it adds up. Every little bit helps. The next thing is sharing this on all your socials. If you stream, share it there. Make Tik Toks. Tweet it. Put it on Facebook and Instagram. Make a Reddit thread. Whatever it is that you use to communicate with the world, get it out there.

I truly believe in this Community and I believe that all of you do as well. Let’s keep the dream alive. Let’s keep the doors open. Let’s come together and show Jason and Diana how much they are loved and appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I love and appreciate every single one of you.

~Chuck

Not Just Gamin'