Blue Bridge Games — Local services in Grand Rapids

Went to this store today with my kid. Got racially profiled with the co-owner following us around the store (while our White friends were allowed to peruse in peace) and was ready to yank a puzzle out of my hands while I was trying to set boundary with my kid LOL. She even told my kid that he should only touch a box of NPS puzzles with two hands because it cost $80. Not surprised. Didn’t buy anything because why would I pay to get racially profiled? A sign saying you welcome people no matter who they are, doesn’t mean your heart does. Lol.

Update: when you read the store owner’s response please note the following: Gaslighting my experience. She didn’t check in with me. She followed us around. When I was setting a boundary and offering my child a choice, she jumped in to yank the puzzle away. I was talking with my child, not her. No need for interjections. If a child cannot be inquisitive in a toy store, then I am not sure where they should be. When she says “I mentioned the price so it's recognized how expensive it is”, she outlines her assumptions of what we could and could not afford. The most disgraceful assumption that I wouldn’t pay for a game my child damaged or rather couldn’t pay because of the color of my skin. I could have easily bought many toys but I am trying to teach my child the value of money.

I don’t say these things easily or frequently. But when someone profiles you and then turns around and gaslights you, it’s hard to stay silent. My child reads and counts at a second grade level at age 6. There is nothing he cannot read or understand. He is trying to understand what monetary value means and how it’s calculated vis a vis toys. His experience at this store told him that he should get used to being followed around by owners because he wants to understand why things cost as much as they do and/or because he’s curious. He understood for himself what it means to be a person of color here.

God forbid a curious child walks into a toy store. Lord save us. For the record, let me clear, not only were me and my child racially profiled, I am being gaslit by the owner in her response where she’s trying to change the timeline and her intent to make it sound supportive when we both know it wasn’t.

Good luck to this store....

You should know, going into this review, that I'm highly biased toward the owners of the store. Highly. They're completely lovely people, provide great customer service, including making great recommendations if you need help picking out a game. They're also family. So there's that. But I think if you look through the other reviews you'll see that I'm far from alone in these feelings.

Here are some specifics about things that I really appreciate about Blue Bridge Games: -The vibe. It's bright, clean, welcoming, and Margaret and Ken only add to it -- it's the exact sort of place you want to check out if you're new to gaming or could use help picking out a gift or a game or puzzle to grab to bring along on vacation. -The 2-player section: I appreciate having those games separated out to make browsing them easier - my wife and I game a lot with just the two of us, so that's super-convenient. -Membership: being able to rent games as well as to consign games for store credit is awesome. Totally justifies the annual fee. -A big role-playing section and as other reviewers have mentioned, a super-giftable/splurgeable selection of dice.

Love Blue Bridge - not just because they're family. They're legitimately one of the very best retailers in Grand Rapids. They...

This is THE place to find boardgames in Grand Rapids. This is an easy 5-star rating to make. This is an excellent shop for everyone from the casual to cultivated board gamer. The retail selection is impressive, and expands within what appears to be a modest storefront. Plenty of tables in the shop and with just $5, you can play as many games as you wish from a large library of games for the entire day. Many of the games in the library are also for sale new, so if you don't like one particular game, put it away; if you do like it, consider buying. Come and go as you please, and the $5 still gets you all-day access. The staff had GREAT suggestions for lunch ideas nearby, and a watering hole two doors down also had excellent and reasonably priced potent potables. My wife an I spent a couple hours here this weekend, and enjoyed playing games and chatting up the friendly owners. Stop in some time just for your curiosity's sake; you'll end up lingering because of how well you...