Hasty Gamers - Gaming Community

Hi,

My name is Rowan Clarke, Owner of Hasty Gamers Internet/Network Gaming lounge in Hastings Victoria.

It has always been my dream to open an Internet Gaming Lounge. I grew up in Redfern in Sydney and practically lived out of Gaming Lounges since a young age, it was always cheap, affordable entertainment for a young kid, clean, safe and filled with individuals of a like minded nature. The interenet cafe I attended inparticular (since closed down) would play host to a bunch of street kids each night as for $10 they could stay all night in the warmth and be entertained rather than being out ranging the streets.

I joined the Navy at age 19 and served for the next 8 years of my life on various ships and at various ports throughout Australia. at which time I met my now wife Cassandra, mother to our beautiful daughter Sophie.

The day before my daughter was born I was given an ultimatum, either I went back to sea on a ship (missing the birth of my daughter) or I leave the Navy, I knew I could not leave my family at this time and so began the separation paperwork and made the transition into civilian life.

I had some capital saved from my time in the Navy and with some help from my wonderful parents I managed to fund the startup for the shop with little more than a dream and some basic computer knowledge I had gathered from years of gaming and some limited scripting experience.

Hence Hasty Gamers was born.

It has been a wonderful journey, I have learned an incredible ammount! I have grown as a person, made a myriad of new friends and developed an amazing community at my new shop.

Unfortunately the town I am in is quite small and can only barely afford to support my store... never the less business was good. Within two months of opening, the shop was paying its own bills and life was good.

Since then I have faced down the challenges all businesses face, slowly building and building with the continued, loving support of my wife.

Unfortunately several months ago while doing some physical training my wife suffered a terrible injury giving her what we now believe is TMJ a muscular strain in the Jaw leading to a permanent headache she has carried for the last 7 months.

My wife is studying a Masters of Social Work and works full time helping re-integrate young people with psychological disorders back into society. This is highly stressful work. She deals with people who are sucicidal or facing challenging court battles day in day out.

Ontop of this we of course have our beautiful 2year old daughter Sophie who adds to our stresses in her own weird and wonderful way.

I have recently suffered through some of the most quiet months I have had since opening and the business is behind two months rent as a result. 

I have been working on new angles to grow my business and create different revenue streams. Against my own better judgement I went and bought some stock in Magic Cards which some customers recently proffessed to an interest in and thankfully it looks like my risk is paying off.

Unfortunately I am crippled by being two months behind in rent... with the business finally starting to build again I just need a little help in order to get back on my feet with the rent so I can continue to support the Gaming Community here in Hastings.

I urge you to have a look at our Facebook page www.facebook.com/hastingsgamers and see the consistent 5 star reviews.

We are well loved in the community here and it pains me that I have to look at options to sell the business and find someone to take over the lease, because even though I can see a light on the horizon the present situation is pretty grim.

I dare not take from our home finances as those are thin enough as it is and the stress of my business failing is absolutely killing me and my wife, her because all she wants is for me to be happy and she knows that this shop is my pride and joy.

I hate asking for help but I am running out of options and I figure if someone is willing to help it could really save our community here at Hasty Gamers.

I wouldnt ask if I didnt think things were going to be okay in the future... I am not asking you to keep my store open, just to help me get my feet back on level ground and I'll take it from there.

This shop is everything to me, and after having invested so much money in it and investing so much of my life in the Navy I do not have many other career prospects, my buiness failing means I would likely re-join the Navy and end up leaving my family to go back overseas for months if not years at a time.

That is a last resort and I would do just about anything to stop that from happening, I guess that is why I am here asking for help.

Thank you so much for hearing my story. 

Anything you can offer to help would be GREATLY appreciated.