"Historic Minis in Austin Tx pt 2 (and a mini-comment)" Topic

I'm starting this so it will be on the front page and those who answered me, and those who are interested will see it. First off, again, thanks for the advice. I went by Great Hall here in Austin. I will say that yes, they indeed have a lot more than is on their website.

Now the mini-comment (pun intended), I wonder why they, and other stores, don't at least list what they carry on their website? I almost didn't go because it seemed that they didn't have whatever matched my interests. I'm interested in getting some 15mm ACW again, they carry Old Glory. I currently do 28mm ACW, now while they didn't have much they at least had three boxes of Perry. They also have a bunch of 10mm ACW stuff, (oh, if only my eyes were good enough). They had some GHQ Napoleonic Naval and also a few IIRC NavWar, oh if only they had Langton. They had what at least appeared to me to be a good selection of Napoleonics, again I'm not into them but they are maybe missing out on those who do. And they had other stuff of interest as well.

Okay, maybe this is a mini-rant and the folks there probably think that it's none of my business, but as I say they almost lost any chance at me even coming in but for the advice of the good folks here at TMP. Look, I'm old enough to have been in retail back when you lived and died by your Yellow Pages ad, and believe me you learned to be sparing with your words because the Phone Company really stuck it to you price-wise). Still you tried to get everything in that you could.

I've seen this in a few companies and I don't get it. Your web presence is your new Yellow Pages ad. Great Hall is a store that is much better than it's webpage.

Anyway thanks for the help here on TMP, you guys need to hit the owner of Great Hall up for a discount or some freebies.

They had major internet outage recently, I wonder if some content got lost? Their website used to list more things, IIRC, particularly the webstore portion of it.

Your points about listing what a store has are good. But I would advise you not to be too hard on Great Hall. It is a beloved local store, with a great community of gamers.

Ivan, it's more of a web criticism in general. I actually liked them and was happy to see that they carry some stuff I need/want. Where I come from, El Paso, you never see Historicals in the flesh, it's strictly something you order. The only place that I have seen historical minis in those quantities was in the old days at Compleate Strategist in NYC. Instead of smacking them I thought that I was

a)Complimenting their stock
and
b)complimenting the fine folks of Austin for telling me that there was more than met the eye, internet-wise

Sure I'll still have to get some stuff off the net, who doesn't? But at least I can get a start on my 15mm ACW project.

Oh, one more thing, it's the most orderly gaming or hobby store I have ever seen.

It's a great store and now that I'm moving back to Texas I'm looking forward playing some games there.

I live close to Great Hall Games, which is within easy driving distance of King's Hobbies (also on North Lamar), Dragon's Lair, Jerry's Art-o-Rama, Hobby Lobby, and Half Prices Books (almost next door to Great Hall Games.)

This isn't a boast or a scolding; I'm just grateful! I've lived in at least one place where the stuff sold by stores like these just wasn't available.

I'm thinking of stopping by GHG Sunday (when they have mini's being played). Agreed on the website, it is very lacking and to be brutally honest, quite amateurish looking but they are very thinly staffed and I imagine that they just don't have the resources to keep a complete listing of their stock up to date on the site. Plus, I think that they rely heavily on word of mouth advertising – if you're a gamer, wargamer, mini's player and are looking for gear in the Austin area, you'll find GHG.

Heck yes, Ed! When you get back let's set up some sessions of 5150/ATZ/5150FC!

I have a bunch of painted up Wing Commander fighters and ships ready to fly!

Sounds like a deal Mike. Should be there before July 1st.

Having shared a wealthy amount of time both in the community, and behind the counter at GHG, I am happy to hear your realization as to how special it really is!

While I no longer work there, and cannot speak for their current policies, I am good friends with the owner. They had a website switch recently to make it cleaner and easier to order for the future. However, this has taken far longer than expected. I imagine it will be remedied soon, but as you said, they are VERY thinly staffed and still do a remarkable job of running the store and keeping its orderly fashion while continuing in their excellent service to the community.

On the subject of the historical miniatures, that was always a problem. It is hard to stock everything someone would want, and so they only stock what is being played around the group or what new rules were coming out. It was very hard to make a living on the Historical Figures alone, and that fact remains so here today. I can't say exactly, but keeping the miniatures roughly stocked as you saw them was an enormous task that was a large portion of my job there.

I am very pleased to hear the support for the store however, and for your objective post. The webstore has always been a rocky road, but they are trying their best to change that problem. Living out of town it is harder to come by some of the more 'unique' lines unless you live here and can put in a special order. Many of the companies require a large minimum (which is respectable) so when a new line is introduced you have to lay a large amount of precious funds on the table and hope that there is a set of rules that will drive the sales.

I am no official, but just a gamer who loves playing at the wonderful store of GHG in Austin, Texas. The atmosphere and support has helped me endure my academic adventures at the university and hobby level. The benefits enjoyed at a good store like GHG are priceless, and we all hope that it can stay that way. Hopefully y'all can stop by on a Sunday or watch the forums to join one of the participation games and reap the benefits of a loving and 'tight nit' community that is welcoming to everyone.

Actually on my way there now! :)

When stationed at FT Hood 2000-2004, I would make a monthly trek to SA and Great Hall Games (at thier old location near the college) They always treated me with open arms and a smile. While they did not always carry what I played they were more than happy to let me run (GM) one of my own games at thier store. I went more for the game comradiere and talk than purchase figs…but I always seem to spend a few dollars at the store and I did broaden my gaming interest with new items they did stock, for ex WWI aeroplanes, FoW etc… I hope it is the same still?

SFC Retired