The downtown Skokie space that was once occupied by 7th Heaven Cafe is now home to a different kind of a community experience.
Aw Yeah Games sells board games, card games, role-playing games, gaming miniatures and anything else a group of people can play at a table. It also holds game nights, when game enthusiasts can come and play together.
The store is the spin-off of Aw Yeah Comics, a comic store that has been in downtown Skokie since March 2012. Aw Yeah Comics co-owners Marc Hammond, Art Baltazar, and Franco Aureliani co-own the store with Randy Field, who handles most of the day-to-day operations.
The store opened Jan. 24, and it will have the grand opening on March 14, to coincide with Aw Yeah Comics’ three-year anniversary. For now, Field said that Aw Yeah Games is focusing on growing its customer base, expanding inventory and getting more events up and running. Field feels that the store will have something for anyone that comes through the door — and he will be happy to help the customers find it.
Since it opened, Aw Yeah Comics left a mark on downtown Skokie. Baltazar is a comic book artist, and the store signage and interior reflect his art style. Last year, Baltazar took part in art projects around downtown, painting several fire hydrants to look like superheroes and drawing panels from his kid-oriented comic books on utility boxes.
Aw Yeah Games shares a lot of aesthetic elements with its comic book selling counterpart, down to similar signage and Baltazar’s characters painted on the walls. But the store is different in one important way — it offers something Aw Yeah Comics would never sell.
“[Hammond] got a lot of request for games like Magic the Gathering and Heroclix,” Field explained. “We were already buddies, and [Hammond and Aureliani] already knew I published some games, so they asked me if I would be interested.”
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In 2012, Field co-founded Split Second Games, a board and card game company, with his brother-in-law. The company created Quicksilver, an airship racing themed board game, and Paradox, a science fiction puzzle game. Hammond approached him about opening a game store in 2014, and the idea was too enticing to resist.
Aw Yeah Games opened across the street from Aw Yeah Comics, less than a block to the east. Field said he and the other co-owners always wanted to have the stores close together.
“That was really important too for the convenience of our customers,” he said. “Plus, it’s a great location. There aren’t any other gaming stores within four miles.”
Aw Yeah Games opened next door to Old Magazine Store, a long-time downtown staple. The two retailers have been trying to help each other out. Old Magazine Store is currently holding a sale on comics and game magazines, and Aw Yeah Games has been promoting it on social media.
The game store currently has a mix of board games, card games, tabletop role-playing games and miniatures games. Field said that he tried to have something for both long-time gamers and newbies. The store already has classic games such as Risk, Dungeons & Dragons and Magic the Gathering, as well as board games based on Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, and Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh and My Little Pony card games.
Field said that he always welcomes anyone who wants to learn more about games.
“First thing I’d ask you is — what kind of games you enjoy, what kind of movies do you like,” he said. “Do you want something that requires deep strategy, or do you want something quick to just sit down and have fun?”
Whatever a person may want, Field believes he’ll be able to find something they’ll be happy with.
“There’s definitely a game for everyone,” he said. “I absolutely believe it.”
Field said that the he’s planning to greatly expand the store’s inventory. But there’s one type of gameAw Yeah Games doesn’t plan to carry.
“We don’t do video games, because there are other people who do it better,” said Field.
Besides, he wants to see his customers play together and interact — the kind of experience that he believes video games can’t provide.
“I think people are really hungry for interaction, more so than staring at a TV together,” said Field. “I think there is a lot of power in that.”
Igor Studenkov is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
An earlier version of this story misquoted Field and contained factual errors. This update was published at 5:46 p.m. on Feb. 4.