Area 51 Gaming — Local services in Whidbey Island

If your looking for 40k stuff and like death metal over the speakers check them out I guess, if you're ooking for anything else skip this joint they wont have it, none of rhe staples of a friendly local game store are here. I always look for something to buy when I visit an LGS but it seemed like they actively didn't want to sell me anything, I asked about singles for mtg they said they had a binder but I couldn't flip through it because they had theft issues, okay....tell a potential customer you think they might be a thief because they wanna look through items every other store would be happy to let a customer look through, I didn't even buy my customary set of dice from this place. Weird hours, location is not in a convenient area, guy behind the counter lets you know they think you might steal from them if they let you look through what are supposed to be the cheapest items in the store.....I'll keep looking for some place local to spend my...

A lot of the times i have gone into hobby stores lately it seems everyone is on high alert because you are not a regular, or just dropping in to check out the store, and that is an uncomfortable feeling, and honestly does not help other people get into the hobby. The Employees at Area 51 were awesome , and a few of the patrons that were there, were great as well,they struck up a conversation with I and my Family,and just generally made you feel comfortable. So when I got home my kiddos were lit up with excitement,and told me how cool going down there was, because unknowing to me one of them bought them a soda just to be kind and it made them feel welcomed.

The little stuff like this goes a long way in creating a great experience for people in the hobby ,especially for people that are interested or just getting started. I Highly Recommend Area 51 if you are even just curious about...

Avoid! Unless you love the worst of toxic gaming culture. I came in today to trade in a couple cards and throw down on some singles. Shop was no open when I arrived at 12:15 when I arrived so I came back later in the day. The staff and the other guys in there could not have been ruder. Over heard a convo that was close to a deck I was building and the staff turned their back and ignored me. Head over to Jesters Keep or wait for the Book Rack to move to...