"Game Parlor - Chantilly" Topic

Heard a rumor that it is closing.

If so, this will be a blow to NoVA gaming in a very significant way.

The election of historicals is a mess of course but the odds and ends in SciFi and Fantasy were fun to poke through.

I did buy paint and steel bases there and the gaming area was the biggest I've ever seen and always seemed to be bustling.

This is another "everything and the kitchen sink" operation where that strategy was supposed to be a defining feature of a successful thriving gaming store – comics, board games, ccgs – you name it – they still have remnant of every hot game that ever came down the pike in the last 20 years.

This store also dedicated a lot of retail space to GW that, as has been long discussed, basically pulled the plug on what had to be a significant source of revenue for them and it's participating vendors.

There's a chance this isn't true of course but it's an unsettling rumor nonetheless that a large suburban regional store with a large and diverse inventory can no longer thrive.

I hope the rumor is incorrect, for you all back there, but in the current economic climate, I'm surprised even more businesses haven't folded.

Local strip malls in my area are vast wastelands of unused space.

Not sure how the owners of the properties continue to survive with 50%+ vacancy rates in many locations. Perhaps they aren't and have been gobbled up by others.

Hope it's just a rumor – I play Lord of the Ring there once a month. My impression is that lots of the gamers come to game, but make purchases infrequently. I always try to buy something to finance my afternoon of dying or slaying orcs. They definitely have a little bit of everything from the last 20 years.

That is a shame. I haven't been there in years. The store just was not run well. There was plenty of old stuff that no one wanted, but sometimes hard to find things you did want.

I have stopped in there about twice a year whenever I was in the area. Last couple times I didn't buy anything as it seemed like the same old stuff was there with nothing new added.

Heard a rumor that it is closing.

Where did you hear the rumor? The owner went back to work full time so you don't see him there during the week usually. His wife runs the place now. Those things are true. Other than that, the place seems to be running fine, at least as a month ago.

In my experience, their inventory was rarely updated. They had the same worn out historical minis for nearly ten years. Most people I observed were just playing, not buying. So, I'm not surprised.

In my experience, their inventory was rarely updated.

Like most shops, GP makes most of their money on cards. You can still order and they still get in the new items. But yeah. The rest is old inventory.

I've been going there for well over a decade and while I don't visit much anymore I would still miss it. I used to stop by Faron Betchley's Little Wars shop then head over to Games Parlor on the weekends. I frequent Huzzah more often now which thankfully seems to be a growing bobby center.

I'm hoping it isn't going anywhere, as I play there most weeks. I am also one of those that mainly use the tables but I always buy something to support them each month, be it some paints, a 28mm reaper mini to paint up ( did a fire giant a few weeks back ).
As the hobby is so diverse I imagine it's hard to keep stock that everyone needs, if I need something I generally see if they can order it for me rather than the easy online way, as where else can one play? The other places around are a little out of the way for me to get to otherwise.

Game Parlour is still the best hobby shop I ever visited. When I live in No. VA I made a point of going at least every couple of months. I hope they are around a lot longer.

Nothing on the website. But last update I see is Sep 19. Game calendar is full of games for rest of the year.

Nothing on the website. But last update I see is Sep 19

Website updates are generally sporadic. The calendar is generally well attended.

Was out there tonight. The Game Parlor will officially close on 25 November. Cindy and Rob are retiring. The stock and furnishing will be sold with steeper discounts as we get closer to the end.

Yes this is a great loss to the No VA community. A place to meet and talk with people of all sorts of backgrounds/interests: War Hammer, WWII etc.

Well, that is terrible news. So much for being positive.

One assumes they considered selling the business – faster and easier than selling off 20 year old inventory at any discount.

One then presumes it was worth less as a business than a liquidation. Translation, they were keeping the lights on but not making anything.

Meanwhile, here in Oregon, it seems new hobby shops are popping up like friggen mushrooms.

Maybe it's highly regional.

Every couple of years this rumor seems to come up. With Internet discount sales and the statements about there inventory it must be hard to pay the rent buying a paint or a figure isn't going to keep the doors open. I would like to see them update the inventory to make the trip worth it. Wish them well.

and the statements about there inventory

Their inventory is clearly the problem. If you don't update from time to time and clear a backlog of old stuff so that you can stock the "shiny and new" then you are inevitably going to fail …

I lived in Fairfax VA for six years, 19987-2003. This used to be a fabulous place to play and to buy. Well stocked with historical rules, miniatures, terrain, and boardgames -- plus a lot of other stuff I did not particularly cared for. I kept returning during my visits to the DC area, and disappointment followed disappointment. Historical miniatures have disappeared. Rules have virtually disappeared, if not for some old stuff. Terrain was long gone. And the boardgames stock got smaller and smaller. Last time I was there in July, and I felt I was wasting my time. Realities have changed. It is already difficult to run a store in 2015, and you can't run a store in 2015 as if it were still 1998. It is sad.

Lack of space for new stuff was not the issue. They may very well could carry on for sometime. It's a retirement issue not a failed business we've now learned.