So we don’t necessarily feel this way–to say that these shops felt tremendously unwelcoming for some of us here at the Gutter is an understatement–but it’s an thoughtful piece and people’s sense of loss and nostalgia is real. “In the last few months of 2022, I started playing Magic: The Gathering again for the first time in about a decade. I got into it with Arena, the fully-digital version of the game, but then began going to weekly drafts at a local game store in Brooklyn. I haven’t spent much time in game or hobby stores in a long time — again, probably about a decade. And what struck me most about the experience was how nice these places are now. When I was a kid, hobby shops were poorly-lit, gnarly little spots with grim carpeting run by balding guys who looked like somebody’s childless uncle. As a rule, they didn’t serve coffee.”

Read more of Merritt K’s thoughts here at Other Strangeness.