A FORMER town centre shop will be transformed into a cafe for gamers.
Geek Retreat’s latest franchise will open on Bridge Street, St Helens in the coming weeks.
The business is expanding across the country, offering spaces where customers can indulge their passions for everything from board games, to sci-fi and superheroes.
Ian Emery, 56, and Chris Jones, 37, from Wirral, have identified St Helens as a location where there is a keen appetite for a Geek Retreat franchise.
The venue will open on Bridge Street
They are busy putting plans in place to transform the former Game video game store on Bridge Street (within the Church Square Shopping Centre) and there are hopes it could be open by September.
It will house a cafe and seating area downstairs and games room upstairs, where there will be the potential to hold events.
Up to £50,000 is being invested in the venue as the pair look to put use their passion for gaming and their business nous to create a thriving hub and build a small team.
A poster advertising Geek Retreat
Ian, who for 25 years worked in project management - which included delivering IT change solutions - describes the venues as being like “Starbucks with games” and says there is already a buzz among the “geekdom” community in St Helens and neighbouring areas.
There are ambitions for the venue to host regional gaming tournaments.
Chris, whose background is in the fast food sector, says Geek culture is becoming more apparent and has been “popularised” by Netflix dramas such as Stranger Things and the Twitch platform on YouTube.
Games such as Dungeons and Dragons, Pokémon and the Marvel-themed superheroes comics and movies all have huge followings.
Ian, meanwhile, told the Star: “St Helens has a great history with its sport and industry and we’re excited to be coming here.
“We’ve already had a great response.”
The venue will add to the changing nature of Bridge Street, which is moving away from retail to offer more leisure spaces and eateries.
The Book Stop (an independent book shop) and the MD Creatives hub (downstairs on Bridge Street) will open nearby later this year.
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