From Seattle to Florida, New-York to Los Angeles, there are hundreds of wonderful gaming stores with thousands of hard workers that are waiting for you. Some places are old and some are new, some have demos and some just know what you are exactly looking for, but all of them have one thing in common and that is sharing their passion for games. In one page, there will be everything you need to know about a place that you should have had already on your To-See list.

This month we present you Cat & Mouse.

Tell us about your store; how/why did it start?

Cat & Mouse opened in 2008, partly because we were frustrated with the lack of a good game store in Chicago.  We were looking for someplace where we could get great Euro strategy games for us in addition to smart and fun games for our kids.  We’re also fans of brainteasers and puzzles, and had a hard time finding anything out of the ordinary at local shops.  Sure we could buy those things online, but we live in a vibrant, interesting part of the city, and we want it to stay that way!  So, we decided the time was right to open the kind of game store where we wanted to shop and hang out: one with a fantastic inventory, lots of demos, a pleasant atmosphere, and friendly and knowledgeable staff.

What plans do you have for the future?

Business has been great despite the recession, and we’re hoping to open a second store in 2011!   We’ll also continue to expand our schedule of events, adding even more tournaments and special events such as an annual game auction.

What kind of products do you carry?

Cat & Mouse Game Store specializes in games and puzzles for all ages and interests.  We carry a large selection of family and strategy board games, particularly European-style games, card games, war games, and classic games such as Chess and Go.  We also stock some miniatures games, collectible card games, and a wide variety of jigsaw puzzles and brainteasers. 

We stock almost all of Asmodee’s titles here at Cat & Mouse.  Our favourite family games are Dixit and Jungle Speed, but we’ve also recently become real fans of Mow.  Our favourite Asmodee strategy games are Jaipur, Dungeon Twister, and Mr. Jack.  We still haven’t tried Mr. Jack in NY and can’t wait to get it to the table!

What makes your store special? 

A lot of people are surprised by the atmosphere of our store.  It’s bright and cheery, and isn’t at all intimidating to people who aren’t serious board gamers.  And yet, we have the best selection of board games and classic games in Chicago.  All of our staff members are avid game players, and we make a real effort to give people personalized recommendations, and maybe introduce them to fun games that they’ve never heard of before.  That’s one of the reasons why Dixit out-sold Apples to Apples in our store last year!

In addition to weekly open gaming and D&D Encounters, we host special events such as Catan and Dominion tournaments, which are really popular.  We also have a lot of fun during the summer, when we demo outdoor games and kids’ games at park events and street festivals.

 2212 W. Armitage  Chicago, IL  60647

 Tel:   773-384-4454
  Website:  www.cat-n-mouse.com