I live more than a few hours away on Lake Erie and was recommend to have a stop by Gatehouse Games if I was looking for some hard to get GW merchandise. Well, not being the traveling type, I called and gave the store a try.
Not only was I treated with courtesy and respect, but I also lucked out and got almost everything I was trying to find. The store is now my first stop when my local stores claim they cannot get what I want in the GW ranges.
A hobby store cannot be everything, cover every era, time period, historical and fantasy, video games, board games, card games, comics, etc.... It just wouldn't be profitable.
But.... what Gatehouse Games does do, it does very well and after speaking with Timothy, he has earned my business as a long time customer. His mail orders are quick and dependable and I have never had an issue. I also believe his prices are very fair and competitive across the US for hobby stores, especially since he works hard to find the items you are looking for.
There may be other places that are a little cheaper, but they don't come with the overhead of having a gaming space to come and play at. Although I am not close enough to take advantage of it, like I do my local stores, I believe in supporting the hobby shop and not going on line to save a few bucks. In the end, a lot of people don't have a place to play and if you don't support your local stores, pretty soon you won't have a place to play or meet new people to play with, even if it is at your own house. A hobby store is the base for the gaming community in an area... without them, the hobby falls apart fast.
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