Welcome to the Manaverse Podcast
The Manaverse Podcast is where we explore what it takes to build a successful friendly local game store! Since 2015, I’ve been interviewing a wide variety of game store owners and industry professionals doing some really interesting things in the world of trading cards, minis, games, and more.
If you want to learn how some of the best game retailers in North America have built their businesses and local communities up from the ground floor, you’ve come to the right place!
MVP024: Bampot Tea, The Trendiest Board Game Cafe In Toronto
Today’s show features Alex Moore. Alex is the chef and board game manager at Bampot, a board game cafe in Toronto. Bampot, or the full version: Bampot: Bohemian House of Tea and Board Games is a trendy place that offers loose leaf tea, vegetarian and vegan food and...
MVP023: Nerdish Haven – The Story Of How To Start An LGS With $500 And A Laptop
Today's episode of the Manaverse Podcast features Aaron Tillman. He’s the proud owner of Nerdish Haven in Coffeyville Kansas. In this episode we explore an LGS in the very first days of it’s existence. That’s because Nerdish Haven opened it doors for the first time on...
MVP022: How Your LGS Can Crush It With Player Progression
Today's episode of the Manaverse Podcast is a little different from the usual show. In this shorter than average episode I talk about the different stages in a Magic player's career and how each stage relates to an LGS owner's business. We explore how a player begins...
MVP021: The Crazy Squirrel Game Store Is Plotting World Domination
Jennifer Ward comes onto the Manaverse Podcast this week to share with us the future: A world dominated by crazy squirrels.Ok, that's not true, but she has come to share with everybody what makes Crazy Squirrel Game Store in Fresno, California so awesome. We dive into...
MVP020: Black Diamond Games, Gary Ray, and the Magic Bubble
Gary Ray on the Magic: the Gathering bubble On today's episode, my featured guest is Gary Ray, the store owner of Black Diamond Games in Concord, California. Gary is a purveyor of board games, card games, and all things fun and has been around the block when it comes...
MVP019: Games of Berkeley, California’s Premier FLGS
Erik Bigglestone and Games of Berkeley are the focus of this week's episode of the Manaverse Podcast. Erik shares his experience as part of a gaming family and the story of how he came to be the owning manager of Games of Berkeley, one of the oldest friendly local...
MVP018: Pat’s Games And The Castle That Magic Built
Today's episode of the Manaverse Podcast features a woman whose store is literally a castle. Pat Johnson comes on the show to talk about her aptly named store Pat's Games. Pat has a fairly unique business. Most local game stores put a lot of emphasis on the games part...
MVP017: Pistols at Dawn! Wayne Mittlestead on Dueling Grounds
Wayne Mittlestead comes onto the Manaverse Podcast today to talk about life, love, and happiness as an entrepreneur... sort of. Wayne built Dueling Grounds in Toronto, Ontario from the ground up. With 11 years of experience Wayne has a lot to share with regards to...
MVP016: Redcap’s Corner with Benn Roe and Adam Friedman
Have you ever wondered what might happen if you opened a friendly local game store with a $20 000 credit card limit? Benn Roe and Adam Friedman come on to the Manaverse Podcast and share how it worked out for them. Spoiler alert: they're doing great despite the tiny...
MVP015: Exploring The Little Shop Of Magic With John Coviello
Today's episode features John Coviello as the man of the hour. John is the mind behind Little Shop of Magic in Las Vegas, Nevada. Don't let the "little" in the name fool you. It may have once been little but 3000 square feet of games would hardly be called little by...