Get Off Your Phone & Get Into Northwood Game Haven
a soda float bar, multiple game-play rooms, retail goods galore and more can be enjoyed at the Chippewa Valley's latest gamer hub
Nicole Lincoln, photos by Andrea Paulseth
Third places are a necessity for community; humans deserve more than to just go to work and go home. Northwood Game Haven – which had its ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Chippewa Falls Chamber of Commerce on Friday, June 12 – is creating that kind of much-needed space in the Chippewa Valley.
We chatted with co-founder Dustin Jepperson to get the rundown on Northwood Game Haven (115 W. Spring St., Chippewa Falls) and learn what the multi-floor gamer storefront hopes to accomplish.
Maybe the better question, though, is what isn't on the table for the new shop.
“(The vision is) to create the ultimate environment for people to engage with each other interpersonally, human-to-human, instead of being tethered to devices in a solitary environment we're so trapped in these days,” Jepperson said.
“We are a board game café, retail shop, soda lounge, candy store, retro arcade, event space and overnight vacation destination,” he continued. “One word for what we hope the community gains from us (is) connection. The real, in-person kind.”
The co-founders – Dustin and Jen Jepperson, Mike and Sarah Greiner, and Chad Brauner – were inspired to open Northwood Game Haven by their own weekly game nights with friends and family.
“We genuinely love this community and we wanted to build a home for it,” Jepperson said. “We aren't outsiders to opening a shop – we're players, hobbyists and neighbors who wanted the kind of place we always wished existed here ... so we built it ourselves.”
The business itself has many, many offerings for all ages to explore. Its main floor hosts a retail area with games and everything adjacent to gaming – including candy and snacks, fidget toys, unique beverages and more.
Northwood Game Haven also buys, sells and trades trading cards for games such as Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Arcana, Riftbound, One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh!. Soon, Jepperson said, they will offer a custom “float bar” that will make various combinations of – you guessed it – root beer floats.
The most unique thing about Northwood Game Haven's brick-and-mortar space is its five individually-themed playrooms, all of which are open use during business hours. There are two rentable apartment-style suites for use at any time (like, 24/7. Just ask for rental availability!).
The breakdown of Northwood Game Haven's five themed playrooms:
The Holt: The flagship playroom named after the shop’s otter mascot, Stash. The Holt is built for tournaments and card games but can also be used for business meetings.
The Depths: A basement dungeon built for Dungeons & Dragons. It features the only table official designed by Wizards of the Coast for D&D, vintage CRT televisions, retro video game consoles, a private bar, and full sound system.
Stash’s Den: A raised-table room for private karaoke, movies, video games and tabletop play. These rooms include access to the back deck overlooking the river and dam, for those who enjoy a nice view while gaming.
Lastly, The Lodge and The Adventurer’s Rest are the two overnight vacation suites. These aren’t like the playrooms; they are full apartments themed around gaming culture! The Adventurer’s Rest is centered on D&D style table campaigns while The Lodge features a poker table for a familiar vacation feel. Both include a coffee bar and snacks!
Another big part of its business's plan will be to host events of all different kinds: card and board game tournaments; “teach-and-play” events where the shop will demonstrate how to play a specific game, then offer discounts or giveaways related to that title; gatherings for chess, cards, Mahjong or Crokinole; multiplayer video game competitions; game designer and artist meet-ups; arts and crafts events and more.
The sky is really the limit here, folks.
“Basically, any excuse to dive into a new game theme,” Jepperson quipped.
Check out the Chippewa Valley's newest gaming shop – plus candy shop/soda bar/event space/vacay destination – and be prepared to get transported to total gamer haven.
Northwood Game Haven (115 W. Spring St., Chippewa Falls) is open daily: 5-9pm, Monday-Thursday; 4-10pm on Friday; 10am-10pm on Saturday; noon-8pm on Sunday. Keep up with the small business on Facebook and learn more by checking out www.gamehaven.guru or calling at (715) 861-3214.