The Uncommons is a board game café in New York City established in 2013, located at 230 Thompson Street in Greenwich Village. It has claimed to be the first board game café in Manhattan,[1] and the largest board game library on the East Coast.[2]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment/Restaurant |
| Founded | August 2013 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Greg May (CEO) |
| Website | www |
Visitors pay a $10 cover charge to access the cafe's lending library of games for 3 hours,[2] and can be served coffee, tea, beer and wine. Despite this, the venues are promoted as a less alcoholic "bar alternative" for New York nightlife.[3][1]
The cafe caters to high school students, hipsters, elderly people, and tourists. It has previously provided space for Bronies NYC and school chess clubs, and hosts regular events for role-playing games as well as tournaments for Magic: The Gathering.[1][3]
History
editOpened in 2013 by founders Greg May, Jeff Cassin, and Henry Chang,[4] and inspired by Canadian chain Snakes and Lattes,[2] The Uncommons occupied the space of the former Village Chess Shop.[1][5] It was funded in part by a successful Kickstarter campaign.[1][6] Upon its opening, visitors could pay $5 per hour to stay and play games as long as they like. In August 2014, the café held more than 475 games.[1]
By September 2022, the cafe's business model had changed to a cover charge of $10 for three hours of access to the venue's alleged library of over 1000 games. However, many of these games were on a "semi-permanent loan" to Hex & Co., another board game café in Manhattan co-owned by Greg May.[2]
The Uncommons has been featured on television shows, including NickMom and Take Me to Your Mother.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Pilon, Mary (2014-08-29). "At Play in the Cardboard Jungle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ a b c d Tanenbaum, Isaiah (2022-09-12). "Long live the friendly local tabletop game store". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ a b Carmel, Julia (2022-04-15). "Nightclubs? They'd Rather Play Shuffleboard and Jenga". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-10-19. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
- ^ Epstein, Kayla (2013-11-18). "Board Game Cafe Makes Play for New Audience at Closed Village Chess Shop". DNAInfo. Archived from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2015-06-27.
- ^ Jahromi, Neima (2018-11-09). "Beer and Board Games at the Uncommons". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
- ^ Carlson, Jen (2013-09-27). "Greenwich Village Board Game Cafe Opening This Fall". Gothamist. Archived from the original on 2014-03-30. Retrieved 2015-06-27.