Every game store owner knows the feeling: you’ve poured your savings into inventory, fought through permits and construction delays, opened your doors at last… and then realized that getting people through those doors is a whole different challenge and a different skill set is needed to get the job done.
Recently, I heard from a store owner who had done almost everything right. They’d built a beautiful space — thousands of square feet dedicated to play, with private rooms, a snack bar, and a library of games ready to go. They even had a unique edge: a workshop full of custom-made terrain and miniatures that set their store apart from the competition.
The only problem? Hardly anyone knew they existed.
Despite good signage, Facebook ads, and a strong local player base, the vast majority of their traffic came from people who stumbled across the store by accident — even neighbors who had lived nearby for months.
Sound familiar?
I think pretty much every store owner I’ve spoken to over the years on the podcast has experienced the same thing. It’s funny in a way that your business can be in the same location for years, and you’ll still get people coming in for the first time saying “This place is so cool! I had no idea you were here.”
This is one of the most common challenges I hear from game store owners, and it’s completely solvable with the right mix of strategy and consistency.
The Challenge: You Can’t Sell to People Who Don’t Know You Exist
The store owner told me, “We’ve got great staff, great events, and great energy — but we’re not marketing people.”
That’s true for a lot of stores. The passion is there. The execution is there. But the local awareness just… isn’t.
Your future customers are busy. Life is happening rapid fire, and you can’t expect people to know what’s going on at your store on any given day, let alone what you sell or even what the hobby is all about, without putting in some time and energy on marketing.
So here’s the advice I shared — the same roadmap I’d recommend to any store trying to build traction in their community.
1. Start With Local Awareness Ads
The most cost-effective way to get noticed today is still through Facebook and Instagram.
Start with a $5/day awareness campaign targeting people within a 20-mile radius of your store.
Keep it simple: one campaign, one ad set, and several ad variations with different photos and short, punchy copy that capture your store’s energy.
Use pictures of your people in your store, products on the shelves, and the community in action. Ads don’t have to be complicated or highly produced to be effective.
The goal isn’t sales — it’s awareness. You want as many people as possible to see your name, your logo, your community vibe. At this level, you can reach tens of thousands of people a month for a few hundred dollars.
It takes around seven impressions before someone really remembers a brand. So the goal is repeated exposure, not just one flashy ad.
Ideally, your future customers get a sense of what you do, what you sell, and how it can help them solve their problems. Namely, their desire for entertainment, connection, and community.
2. Build a Simple Website — Now
Even if you’re selling through TCGplayer or Etsy, you still need a home base online.
A basic site with a few core pages — About, Events, Products, and Contact — goes a long way. Add an event calendar and some photos of your space to give people a feel for the experience.
Once you have that, install the Meta Pixel so you can track visitors and create custom audiences. It’s the foundation for smarter campaigns later on.
A side note to having a homebase in the form of a website for your business, make sure you set up your Google Business Profile too. Google is still the number one search engine, and Google maps is a massively popular way people find businesses they want to buy from.
You absolutely want your game store to show up for searches like “game store near me”, “board games”, “magic cards”, and “warhammer store”, and having a fully fleshed out GBP is essential, so make sure that’s on your to-do list.
3. Show Up in the Community
Not everything has to happen inside your store.
If you want to increase the awareness of your game store in your local community, get out and interact with your local community!
Reach out to libraries, schools, and community centers about hosting learn-to-play events, after-school clubs, or board game nights. These organizations often help promote the event to their audiences, giving you exposure to families who might not otherwise know your store exists.
If you want an easy win, start with Pokémon. Parents understand it, kids love it, and it’s a friendly introduction to the tabletop hobby.
Find out what else is happening in your local area, and how you can facilitate more events outside your own four walls.
4. Partner Locally
Sponsoring local events, sports teams, or fundraisers is one of the oldest tricks in the book — because it works.
We’re talking awareness and brand recognition here, and seeing your store logo on a parade float or the local baseball team’s uniforms are great ways to pique curiosity and establish your business in the community.
Another idea: write.
Local newspapers and blogs are always looking for stories that fill space. Offer to write a short recurring column about tabletop gaming, community events, or how games bring people together.
Become the friendly neighborhood expert on fun.
5. Don’t Ignore Email
Even with a small budget, email marketing is one of the most powerful tools available to game stores.
A regular newsletter keeps your store top of mind and turns casual visitors into loyal customers.
If you don’t have the bandwidth to manage it yourself, outsourcing is possible. We work with several clients on writing and publishing weekly newsletters, as well as writing sequences and automations that drive sales.
Start build that email list!
The Bigger Picture
This store owner’s story isn’t unique — and that’s exactly why it matters.
Most new stores struggle not because their products are bad, but because awareness takes time and repetition. The goal isn’t to go viral — it’s to become familiar.
If your store is struggling to grow awareness, remember this:
Start small, but start advertising.
You need an HQ, a Facebook alone isn’t going to cut it.
Engage your community beyond your four walls.
Stay consistent — because marketing is about winning the long game.
Every great store begins as a hidden gem. The trick is making sure people can find it.