Vaulting toward fun

As Jan and Chad Martinell dreamed of opening their own game store, they started writing a wish list.

1. It has to be both cozy and spacious.

2. It has to be family-oriented.

3. It needs a large selection of games.

The married couple opened The Game Vault in the heart of Enumclaw’s downtown last Friday, and by any measure, they got what they wanted.

Formerly the site of Enumclaw’s First National Bank, The Game Vault, located on Cole Street and Griffin Avenue, gets its name from the two real-life vaults inside, which are now used for storing more than 400 games for rent out and for a place to sit down and play. ‘

The Martinells sell games from Settlers of Catan to Ticket to Ride, along with trading cards like Magic: The Gathering and roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons. There are specific sections kids games, local games, card games and roleplaying games, as well as several tables for families and friends to get together and play.

Jan said they have more than 1,000 different titles available, so even if you can’t find the one you’re looking for, “we know enough about every single game that we can help you find one really similar.”

And the Martinells, who have their own day jobs to attend to, want to bring on at least two full-time employees and currently have four to five positions to fill. They’ve found a few good candidates for the evening shift but are actively looking for more people to run the shop during the day.

ON THE BOARD

The Martinells have been playing board games with each other since the beginning, and you can see sparks of their gaming passion through their day jobs.

“I think in the back of our heads, we always knew we would eventually open a game store,” Jan, 46, said.

Jan, a manager for Pepsi, is into games that involve deep strategy and managing economic systems, as well as games that have beautiful artwork and storytelling.

“I like building something and watching the engine grow — and usually winning,” she said, smiling at her husband. “I usually win.”

Chad, 45, said he likes “a little bit of everything,” from party games to social deduction games and roll-and-write games. An engineer by trade, he’s compelled by games that present interesting mechanics or puzzles to be solved.

“She’s been a serial small businesses (starter) … and I’m a serial hobbyist,” he said.

Originally from California, the Martinells were visiting Seattle on vacation years ago when they fell in love with Blue Highway Games in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood.

“We do vacations around board game stores … and we’ve always taken notes on what we love about stores,” Jan said. “We thought, if we’re ever going to open a store, this is what it has to be like.”

Blue Highway Games was part of why they moved to Washington around six years ago. They moved a few more times before finally settling on Enumclaw about a year and a half ago.

“Once we got to Enumclaw, it just clicked,” Chad said. “The community, the businesses downtown, it just fits.”

Earlier this year, they agreed that if their current location on Cole Street opened up, they’d pounce. Two weeks later, that happened.

At the time, there were hardly any game stores on the Plateau, period. Buckley game shop Rock Paper Games (RPG) opened in 2019 and moved to a larger location this year, providing an oasis for Plateau folks used to traveling as far as Bonney Lake or Kent to get their game on.

RPG and The Game Vault both cater to similar customers, so the Martinells said they intentionally put their focus on board games and other family-oriented games to avoid stepping on the Buckley store’s toes.

That means those looking to buy Ork Kommandos for their space-faring Warhammer 40k armies will have to cross the White River.

“He’s done a great job down there, so we don’t want to encroach on what he’s built,” Jan said.

VAULTING INTO ENUMCLAW

1605 Cole Street, built in 1941, originally housed Enumclaw’s First National Bank. It lasted until 1971, when MacRae’s Indian Bookstore took over the space. That family-owned store and museum moved to Tacoma in 2011.

Over the last few years, the building was occupied by “The Nest,” a coworking company that planned to offer office space for businesses. That plan fizzled in part due simply to bad luck – the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t exactly a boon for shared office space projects.

But since 2018, The Nest had performed extensive upgrades and remodeling to the building, setting up high-speed internet, new doors, HVAC, an ADA-compliant restroom, brand new floor tiles, new columns in the central area and much more.

Their work wouldn’t go to waste, although the Nest ultimately didn’t got to take advantage of it.

“We really lucked out in being able to utilize the work they had done, and then just adding some flair to it,” Jan said. “Everything was really done in this building.”

There was still plenty of work to do. The replaced the cubicles with game bookshelves, swapped the mint-green paint for a navy blue, and called in local mural artist Jamie Ferguson, owner of Ember Murals, to create the massive painting at the back of the store.

Their parents helped paint and build the shelves and service counter, and their friends came out to build furniture and move things in and out. Jan also thanked Smart Haul and RK Graphics for their roles in getting the shop set up.

The Martinells have leased 1605 Cole Street out for five years, “and hopefully many more after that,” Jan Martinell said.

Timing-wise, Chad said, the pandemic has led to something of a mini-renaissance for board games, which are posting big profits as people spend more time at home.

“Everybody’s at home, able to play games, and they want something other than video games and TV for their families,” he said. “The big box stores have started getting more hobby games in them … (and that) gets more people looking into those kinds of games. They’ll wonder what else is out there, and they’ll come here for that.”

The Game Vault is open 11 a.m. through 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The store will be launching a website soon (it may be up by the time this article publishes) at www.colestreetgamevault.com, where the Martinells say they plan to post descriptions of all the games they have for sale.

The front of The Game Vault is dedicated to products made by Pacific Northwest game makers.

Jamie Ferguson, a local artist and owner of Ember Murals, works on finishing the large mural at the back of The Game Vault on Nov. 24, two days before the store’s grand opening.