Jourdin and Tristen Somers opened the Black Cat Board Game Library on Tuesday.
The business at 137 South Central Ave. has more than 100 games for customers to play. The cost to play games is $5 per person.
The Somers took over the space from La Finca Coffee, which is now across the street at 104 S. Central Ave.
Jourdin, 27, said she and her husband, Tristen, 28, worked at La Finca for several years and jumped on the opportunity to lease its space.
“We had moved on and gotten new jobs and saw it was up for rent and we were like, this is our moment,” Jourdin said. “We started playing Dungeons and Dragons in 2020, and we found a group of friends and really came to love not only the tabletop role-playing games but board games as well. Something we’ve been wondering for years is if we could play games professionally, like what a life that would be.
“We saw this as an opening, our way into doing what we like as a job, which is really exciting.”
The library is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Jourdin said they are working on building a website with information about the library, and a way for visitors to make reservations. Updates will be posted on the library’s Facebook page, facebook.com/black.cat.bgl, or Instagram, instagram.com/black.cat.bgl.
Tristen said the library is a great way for people to explore new games without the high purchasing cost. He said some of the most expensive games in their collection cost more than $100. A few of their games include classics like Monopoly, Candyland and Sequence, and there are more recently released games such as Lords of Waterdeep and Everdell.
Jourdin said the playing cost will be prorated if the player finishes before the hour is up.
Library staff will help teach visitors different games, Tristen said.
“Even though we’ve played all these games, it still sometimes takes us an hour to figure them out,” he said. “We’re going to help people get fully set up, ready to play the game, read through the rules, all that, and then we’ll start their time. We’re not going to charge people for just walking in the door.”
Jourdin said they sell snacks, including chips and candy, plus beverages such as soda and bottled water. She said they eventually want to sell more niche snacks that are harder to find in grocery stores, like Japanese matcha and strawberry-flavored Kit Kat bars.
Tristen said they are allowing visitors to bring in food and drinks from other businesses on South Central Avenue.
“I really want to encourage that cross-business,” he said. “I want people to go to La Finca and bring a drink from there, even bringing over food from Joe Boccardi’s. We’ve got chips and snacks, but feel free to go to any of our neighbors and bring stuff in here.”
Jourdin said the couple repainted the floors and walls and installed new ceiling tiles and lights. Large tables fill the room and shelves with different games are off to one side.
“Our biggest thing was wanting people to step into an escapist, fantasy portal and get away from the real world,” she said. “We’re very much inspired by Studio Ghibli animes and Dungeons and Dragons fantasy imagery. We’re going to have some cool art hung up on the walls to kind of push that forward.”
Jourdin said she sees the library being a hangout spot for young people who can’t go to Eureka’s bars or expensive restaurants.
“I know when I was in high school I would have loved something like this,” she said.
She said the goal of the space is to bring people together and build a community of game enthusiasts, regardless of the player’s age. In the near future, the library will hold event nights like trivia, miniature painting and card trading. Also in the works are PlayTest nights, where people can test games they have been working on for player feedback.
“Board games are this meet-in-the-middle situation for younger generations who like video games and older generations who can’t get into it but love to play card games,” Jourdin said. “It’s a great way for families to meet in the middle and do something without screens and just spend time together.”