GoodFellas Games is Moving!!
Donation protected
GoodFellas Games is a small, family owned gaming store that specializes in Magic the Gathering. We have been open for just about 8 ½ years. Since opening (under budget) we have struggled to keep our doors open and have contemplated closing multiple times, only to be reminded that we aren’t just here for us….we are here for you too.
With that being said we have come to yet another breaking point for our little store. With the size of our location we are unable to grow and attract a larger customer base. We can’t run “premier” style tournaments because we can’t feasibly hold more than 20 people at any given time and therefore cannot run P.P.T.Q.’s, TCGPlayer or Star City events.
Without these staple events we will inevitably be forced to close our doors for good as most of our competition slowly peels away customers that although they WANT to remain loyal, cannot do so because we do not offer the events they want.
And so, with your help, GoodFellas Games is moving!!
Not far mind you, just a few doors down. But to much larger, nicer space that will allow us to host upwards of 50 people comfortably. With this space we can host all of the above mentioned tournaments as well as have ample room for larger prereleases with better prizes, weekly/monthly large tournaments for booster boxes/cash, as well as have room to support multiple games at once. (The Spoils and a dedicated space for roleplaying groups are the first things that come to mind)
So why do we need your money? Well simply put we just don’t have enough to accomplish this on our own. Business has been slowly getting worse and we need to do something to jolt it back. All the space in the world won’t matter if people don’t know we are here and one of the first things we need to do is get a QUALITY, PROFESSIONALLY INSTALLED sign out on the road. The last one was nice….but it lacked the aforementioned traits. (Hence the reason it was blown out of place by the damn wind)
Your funds will also help cover the increased rent for the first few months as we work to get the necessary customer base to keep the doors open.
Some of you reading this may not quite understand why a RETAIL store is on here begging for money. So at the risk of boring you allow me to tell you a bit about the history and meaning of GoodFellas Games….
“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster...”
That line, from the movie “GoodFellas” fundamentally changed my entire family’s life. (And many of yours) That line, was the title line on the first ever tournament report written and posted to Thedojo.com by one of the founding members of “Team GoodFellas” way back in 1997. (As well as the opening line from the movie “GoodFellas”)
It set a tone for our team from that moment on and became a calling card that was instantly recognized by anyone reading our reports.
The GoodFellas team (for the many that don’t recall ancient history) were one of the most dominant teams in the south eastern region of the US for about 3-4 years between 97-01. During that time the team racked up multiple Pro Tour appearances and high Grand Prix finishes, as well as being a virtual lock to place multiple members in the top 8 of any given small event. (PTQ, Cash Tournaments, States and Regionals)
The team was founded with one very basic concept: We are FRIENDS first, Teammates second. We genuinely liked each other and each of us brought something essential to our success to the team. As with all groups of friends we had our issues, and for some points in time those issues drove our friendships apart. But even to this day, the four original “GoodFellas” remain friends. A true testament to what that concept of “friends first” can do.
It was with this concept in mind that the original location for GoodFellas Games opened. Our goal was to have a cool, classy, clean place for Magic players to play. A place they could go where they didn’t feel the constant dirtiness of the typical Magic store. A place where they could take their girlfriends and be somewhat comfortable knowing they wouldn’t be totally grossed out by their surroundings (other than the gross Magic nerds of course)
In my humble opinion, we succeeded. Our original location was perfect in many ways and we had a very solid base of customers that thoroughly enjoyed how comfortable and spacious our store was. However that particular location had a HEFTY rent on it and despite all the begging and borrowing we could do….it was just too high to sustain.
So, on the eve of our last possible day in that location (before they literally threw us out) we were able to find a new place and sign the lease. Beggars most certainly could not be choosers and in the matter of 24 hours we had moved our entire store to the location many of you know of now.
With the direction of the economy and the sudden downturn in people with money to spend, the store we have now was ideal for the time. We had just enough room to hold some small tournaments and work on getting our website up and running. And despite a low number of folks actually walking through our doors we have been able to (barely) keep the doors open and keep a place for all of us too get away and just play Magic for a while.
But times (and Magic) have changed in the 6 years we have been in this spot. And for a store to remain relevant it must be able to run some of these high level events. Players from all over the state travel to these events and they are quite simply one of the best sources of income for game stores possible. In order for our store to survive we must make a move that will enable us to grow.
We believe that this new location will give us the perfect blend of the first two stores we have had, on one hand it will be spacious and nice; a cool store with a good vibe. On the other hand it will still be in the realm of affordability that will make our long term survivability more feasible. And who knows, with enough help and support from all of you we may even be able to make some improvements that will make our store not just a cozy, family store, but a pretty awesome tournament location that we can all call our home base.
In closing, I have already mentioned the “friends first” mentality that made our team so great all those years ago. And I want you all to know that no matter what happens going forward, that will always be the way we run our store. Nothing is more important to us than making the best possible place for all of our friends and family to hang out, play cards and have a good time. So if you have something extra you can throw in please do so, if you don’t just do us a solid and pass this on to some of your friends, every little bit will help to get us in this place and make it F’n AWESOME.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Daniel, Gabriel, Anakin, Monica and Angelina
**Reminder: It is not necessary to donate in the preset increments. We appreciate ANY amount you can help out with. The different reward levels are there just to give the option.
With that being said we have come to yet another breaking point for our little store. With the size of our location we are unable to grow and attract a larger customer base. We can’t run “premier” style tournaments because we can’t feasibly hold more than 20 people at any given time and therefore cannot run P.P.T.Q.’s, TCGPlayer or Star City events.
Without these staple events we will inevitably be forced to close our doors for good as most of our competition slowly peels away customers that although they WANT to remain loyal, cannot do so because we do not offer the events they want.
And so, with your help, GoodFellas Games is moving!!
Not far mind you, just a few doors down. But to much larger, nicer space that will allow us to host upwards of 50 people comfortably. With this space we can host all of the above mentioned tournaments as well as have ample room for larger prereleases with better prizes, weekly/monthly large tournaments for booster boxes/cash, as well as have room to support multiple games at once. (The Spoils and a dedicated space for roleplaying groups are the first things that come to mind)
So why do we need your money? Well simply put we just don’t have enough to accomplish this on our own. Business has been slowly getting worse and we need to do something to jolt it back. All the space in the world won’t matter if people don’t know we are here and one of the first things we need to do is get a QUALITY, PROFESSIONALLY INSTALLED sign out on the road. The last one was nice….but it lacked the aforementioned traits. (Hence the reason it was blown out of place by the damn wind)
Your funds will also help cover the increased rent for the first few months as we work to get the necessary customer base to keep the doors open.
Some of you reading this may not quite understand why a RETAIL store is on here begging for money. So at the risk of boring you allow me to tell you a bit about the history and meaning of GoodFellas Games….
“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster...”
That line, from the movie “GoodFellas” fundamentally changed my entire family’s life. (And many of yours) That line, was the title line on the first ever tournament report written and posted to Thedojo.com by one of the founding members of “Team GoodFellas” way back in 1997. (As well as the opening line from the movie “GoodFellas”)
It set a tone for our team from that moment on and became a calling card that was instantly recognized by anyone reading our reports.
The GoodFellas team (for the many that don’t recall ancient history) were one of the most dominant teams in the south eastern region of the US for about 3-4 years between 97-01. During that time the team racked up multiple Pro Tour appearances and high Grand Prix finishes, as well as being a virtual lock to place multiple members in the top 8 of any given small event. (PTQ, Cash Tournaments, States and Regionals)
The team was founded with one very basic concept: We are FRIENDS first, Teammates second. We genuinely liked each other and each of us brought something essential to our success to the team. As with all groups of friends we had our issues, and for some points in time those issues drove our friendships apart. But even to this day, the four original “GoodFellas” remain friends. A true testament to what that concept of “friends first” can do.
It was with this concept in mind that the original location for GoodFellas Games opened. Our goal was to have a cool, classy, clean place for Magic players to play. A place they could go where they didn’t feel the constant dirtiness of the typical Magic store. A place where they could take their girlfriends and be somewhat comfortable knowing they wouldn’t be totally grossed out by their surroundings (other than the gross Magic nerds of course)
In my humble opinion, we succeeded. Our original location was perfect in many ways and we had a very solid base of customers that thoroughly enjoyed how comfortable and spacious our store was. However that particular location had a HEFTY rent on it and despite all the begging and borrowing we could do….it was just too high to sustain.
So, on the eve of our last possible day in that location (before they literally threw us out) we were able to find a new place and sign the lease. Beggars most certainly could not be choosers and in the matter of 24 hours we had moved our entire store to the location many of you know of now.
With the direction of the economy and the sudden downturn in people with money to spend, the store we have now was ideal for the time. We had just enough room to hold some small tournaments and work on getting our website up and running. And despite a low number of folks actually walking through our doors we have been able to (barely) keep the doors open and keep a place for all of us too get away and just play Magic for a while.
But times (and Magic) have changed in the 6 years we have been in this spot. And for a store to remain relevant it must be able to run some of these high level events. Players from all over the state travel to these events and they are quite simply one of the best sources of income for game stores possible. In order for our store to survive we must make a move that will enable us to grow.
We believe that this new location will give us the perfect blend of the first two stores we have had, on one hand it will be spacious and nice; a cool store with a good vibe. On the other hand it will still be in the realm of affordability that will make our long term survivability more feasible. And who knows, with enough help and support from all of you we may even be able to make some improvements that will make our store not just a cozy, family store, but a pretty awesome tournament location that we can all call our home base.
In closing, I have already mentioned the “friends first” mentality that made our team so great all those years ago. And I want you all to know that no matter what happens going forward, that will always be the way we run our store. Nothing is more important to us than making the best possible place for all of our friends and family to hang out, play cards and have a good time. So if you have something extra you can throw in please do so, if you don’t just do us a solid and pass this on to some of your friends, every little bit will help to get us in this place and make it F’n AWESOME.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Daniel, Gabriel, Anakin, Monica and Angelina
**Reminder: It is not necessary to donate in the preset increments. We appreciate ANY amount you can help out with. The different reward levels are there just to give the option.
Organizer
Daniel Mondragon
Organizer
Apopka, FL