Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Heffelfinger.
Hi Matthew, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Having grown up and worked in so many gaming spaces, I loved being apart of such a unique community. A community where it sounds like people are speaking different languages depending on the games they loved. The passion surrounding the games always filled me with such joy, that I wanted to make a space of my own, that excelled at making sure everyone felt like that had a place to be, a Haven.
We opened in 2021 with the goal of creating the safest, most inclusive, and exciting table top gaming space in Central Florida. Now going on 4 years later, we are the busiest we’ve ever been, constantly on the move and expanding even more. Never resting on our laurels we strive to continue to have the most open doors, for anyone wanting that space to be passionate with others about the games they love.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. Starting a small business in the aftermath of COVID-19 feels like a bit of a horror story. We’ve faced challenges like hurricane flooding, occasional thefts, and some difficult customers. However, the community we’ve nurtured has supported us throughout the years, and things have gradually become easier.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Haven Games. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a local tabletop gaming store in Casselberry. The most important thing to know about us is our mission to becoming the most welcoming, comfortable and safe space for everyone. We are striving to become THE friendlest local game store everyone is looking for.
We specialize in everything tabletop gaming, including but not limited to: Board Games, Trading Card Games, Role Playing Games, Miniature Wargaming, gaming accessories, and more. We have a library of over 300+ board games and RPGs for people to rent in and out of store. We are trying to make the gaming hobby as accessible as possible with tons of free and low cost events and learn to plays.
I am most proud of our in-store experience as the biggest part of our brand. We could sell cards and games online all day, make tons of money, but when people are laughing, being passionate, excited and looking forward to the next thing, /in store/ , that’s what really make me proud to be in charge of this space.
I want readers to know that we want to be THE gaming space for you. We accomodate to all needs, and want to make sure anyone wanting a space to game and be passionate about their hobby is welcome here.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I think good luck has been a reoccuring theme. You don’t really know who will show up to the space, or how well recieved the space will be on first go. But we have been extremely lucky to have a genuninely friendly, diverse, and easy going community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thehaventabletop.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehavengames/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHavenTabletop/
