Springfield math teacher wants to bring a board game café to downtown

Brian True along with his wife Kristin and a few friends are trying to make Table Talks a reality. That would be the name of the café.

True said he feels that Springfield lacks a variety of entertainment options and wants to create a space that will keep people in downtown Springfield. He is currently looking for investors to help make Table Talks a functioning business.

So far, the concept is to have a place that would have all the trimmings of a regular coffee shop and would feature local baked goods. But, patrons will also be able to pay a flat rate were they can stay as long as they want and choose from over 100 board games to play.

True said that he has been to similar places in the past, but found that they were lacking. Some only offer niche board games and appeal to specific type of customer. Others serve alcohol and are catered to the adult demographic.

True said that he wanted to focus on a coffee shop as it would attract all ages and offer a family environment. He also wants to offer a variety of board games, not just niche ones or simply the classics that can be bought at retail stores.

The goal is to have a diverse board game library, including ones that are coming from crowd-source efforts on the internet.

“Board games are making a resurgence. Kick-starter campaigns have seen over 2,000 new board games being funded each year. The market is no longer being driven by big companies,” True said.

He said that they would highlight a kick-starter game once a month and overtime they would build up their collection, eventually selling some at the café.

“It allows you to play a new board game. One that you don’t have at home. It introduces you to new ideas,” he added.

True said that he decided to take steps towards having a board game café in Springfield after finding out about the Springfield Hustles competition this year.

True decided to compete in the “Shark Tank” style competition, submitting a video and then developing a business plan. He was one of its five finalists this year.

Now, he says the plan is to make connections in the community and get investors on board. Those interested can contact True at TableTalksBGC@gmail.com.