The Dork Den — Local services in Mankato

I live on the western side of Minnesota and decided, based on reviews here, to drive a couple of hours to check this place out. The outside has charm and the inside of the store is charming as well. The store is well stocked with current games. When we arrived there were a couple of people in the game room and a couple shopping but nobody behind the register. We looked around for about 10 minutes and found a few games and books we were interested in. Someone entered through what I assume was a back door with their cute black dog. The person gruffly said "Excuse me", as he pushed past us, with a tone that sounded more like "Get the heck out of my way!". I figured he was a customer but he went behind the counter. We keep looking around a few more minutes and then noticed the guy behind the counter wasn't wearing a mask despite the signs plastered all over requiring customers to wear masks. It was at that point we decided to head out without buying anything.

I would have given the place 5 stars but I took off one star for the employee with the personality of a door knob and 2 points for staff not wearing masks. I won't be driving two hours to visit that...

This was my first visit and I must say I was very impressed ! Friendly and sexy staff were there to help with all my questions and took the time to explain the machanics of several board games to me .. With such a large selection to choose from I was torn between a half a dozen titles or more ! I finally settled on "Stone age" 10th anniversary addition and I'm glad I did ..My 10 year old son picked up the rules pretty easily but the game has enough complexity to also be enjoyable for my 16 year old boy and myself . We have played it twice already and had tons of fun ! Even though I haven't won one yet 😭😭😭.. I went there for the board games but they also have a ton of magic the gathering and pokrman cards (I also have tons of them ) and D&D and Warhammer miniatures (which I also have millions of ) .. I highly recommend this game shop for all your gaming needs ! If they don't have it I'm sure they would be happy to get it for you . I will be back .. probably at least a...

Came in buzzing on Turkish coffee while my wife perused a quilt shop across the street.

The play space was quiet at the moment but I could see it getting quite animated during card game tournaments.

The store space was divided into two sections, with board games near the front and tabletop games in the back.

I didn't see a used section but the tabletop section had some options besides D&D and Warhammer, which is always a pleasure.

Dice were kept in easy view of the cashier and they have an incredible variety to choose from, including what looked like a partnership with a company to sell store-branded dice sets.

While I liked the variety on display the layout felt as if it were designed for a larger floor space, and I'll admit I'm used to a more open-plan store layout.

Still, the customer service was excellent and the shop clearly seeks to keep its customers...