Shall We Play? The Games and More Store is crammed with popular board games, divided into sections so customers can easily find a new favorite—from classic family games to two-player games for date night, and from an array of dice and card games to an entire nook with games for kids.
Peppered among game displays on the Las Vegas store’s colorful shelves are miniature paintings completed by one of the store’s two owners, Derrick Taylor.
“I actually like painting it more than I do playing it right now,” Taylor said of one of his favorite board games. “So, I’ve really gotten into the miniature painting. It’s just kind of relaxing. I’m old, so now I get to paint little minis and have fun with it.”
Shall We Play, which recently marked its 10th anniversary, came about not long after Taylor—who called himself a “comic book guy” at heart—began playing board games with his daughter, as a way of teaching her the benefits of both winning and losing.
The shop, located at 7575 Norman Rockwell Lane in northwest Las Vegas, has become more than a store—it’s also a space for the community, Taylor said. Fans of popular multiplayer games like Magic: The Gathering play regular tournaments there, homeschooling groups meet there weekly and the store also hosts local bands for packed shows.
Ultimately, Taylor said, Shall We Play is a space for local Las Vegans who may want an alternative to hanging out at the casinos and resorts. “Until you’re 21 in Vegas, there’s absolutely nothing for you to do,” he joked.
Shall We Play has grown exponentially since it opened more than a decade ago, which Taylor attributes to listening and responding to customers and their needs. Most of the games brought into the store have been recommended or requested, he said.
If one new person comes into the shop every day and feels like they can come back, he said, then that day’s been a success. “Your store is going to be what your customers want it to be,” he said. “You’ve just got to listen.”
Amanda Rael, a Shall We Play customer who also participates in the weekly home-school group with her daughter, said coming to the store has become one of her favorite parts of the week.
“We find the coolest games,” she said, noting that her daughter’s latest interest is Wingspan, a bird-themed board game. “And it’s like, ‘I never would have thought to look at this game.’”
The shop is so unique, Rael said, and she loves being able to rent games or just sit down in the middle of the store and try them out before buying—something she certainly wouldn’t be allowed to do at Target or a similar chain.
“It’s a super inviting environment,” said Rael, who emphasized the importance of how welcoming Shall We Play is to all groups and particularly her daughter and other home-schoolers, who meet and hang out there each week.
One of his favorite aspects of playing board games is the community involvement, Taylor said. “The thing I like the most is … you’re sitting across from somebody, or sitting with a group of people and you’re talking and you’re helping, too,” he said, adding that his current favorite item in the store is an intricate board game called Twilight Imperium.
As an avid board game player himself, Taylor said, he also has a unique perspective on a variety of games—which comes in especially handy with customers who are looking for something new to play.
He always asks customers to pick a game out on the shelf, bring it to him and he can tell them what it’s about, Taylor said. He also helps them just based on their preferences—if they prefer card or dice games, or if they are interested in space, animals or conquering the world.
Chain stores may carry board games, he said, but there’s just not that same guarantee of knowledge.
“I don’t want you to buy a game and just take it and it just ends up in the closet,” Taylor said. “I want you to enjoy it. … That’s one of the things that I think we do a really good job at.”
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