Beckley: Using a business to build community

BECKLEY — A large 3D-printed Pokémon welcomes people to Family Game Knight, a multipurpose gaming center, arcade, and novelty shop in Beckley. For more than two years, shop owner Danny Reed has used the space to cater to a variety of local interests, ranging from action figures and weekly Dungeons & Dragons sessions, to trading card games, old school arcade titles like Galaga and Mortal Kombat, and the nearly 400 board games available for public use.

Reed, a lifelong Beckley resident, started the business to give people in town something to do, noting that options for entertainment in the area can be slim at times. Having a space for families and friends to hang out was important, he says.

“I wanted to do something to build some kind of community for people,” he says.

Mountain State Spotlight reporters are traveling around the state, asking West Virginians what’s on their mind this primary election day. To read other stories from this series, click here.

And his business, which started as the pandemic began to wind down, has seen plenty of success. Since the space has been open, Family Game Knight has consistently outperformed itself each month. That accomplishment  is encouraging to Reed, who worked to secure funding and support for his small business from places like the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority.

Talking about the development authority is one of the few times Reed openly discusses local government, explaining that he doesn’t like to talk about politics much. But he’s far more open when discussing things like inflation, which affects his community and increases some of his business costs.

“For the past four years, the way prices have gone up is ridiculous,” he said.

Beckley: Using a business to build community appeared first on Mountain State Spotlight , West Virginia's civic newsroom.