Gaming Grounds raising money and curb appeal
July 25, 2012
A local business is raising money to beautify the area around its store and help foster community via a cleanup project.
Gaming Grounds has started a page on Indiegogo.com to raise $5,000 by Aug. 31, owners Commodore and Caitlin Campbell said. Gaming Grounds sells tabletop role-playing games, card games, comics and more.
“We’ve always set out, from when we’ve opened up the store, to be this really cool center of the neighborhood, this place where people can come and feel safe and have fun, just play,” Commodore Campbell said. “We just feel that it takes it one step closer to making that possible. It’s not a bad neighborhood; it’s a great neighborhood, but we feel we can improve it a little bit, at least on this end. [We want to] make it a little safer, make sure everyone who comes here has a good time and doesn’t have to worry about anything.”
The business has become a gathering place for students, gamers and “bronies” — fans of “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” — alike.
The funds will be used to help increase security, clean up the area and repaint and improve the exterior.
“There’s a lot of things we’re trying to do,” Commodore Campbell said. “We’re going to put in some new lights so we can brighten up some of the corner. We’ll put some lights down in the alley out here, which is kind of a dark and scary place that people tend to go down. We’re going to plant some flower beds outside and create a patio for people to come and hang out on and then do some painting and clean up some of the graffiti out there.”
Donors are rewarded, based on donation amount, with gifts such as t-shirts, gift certificates and invitations to a donor thank-you party. The Campbells are also looking for people to help out with the cleanup itself, which has yet to be scheduled.
Ben Chronister, senior integrated language arts major, hopes people will donate to maintain a business that houses a great community.
“It’s probably my favorite place to just go and hang out,” Chronister said. “They have all my favorite things I like to do here and an awful lot of the people I like to do those things with, though I didn’t know most of those people until I started coming here.”
As of July 24, the project has raised $815.
“Our goal is to really add something to the street so it makes it a nicer place,” Caitlin Campbell said. “We can raise property values if people get inspired to do this in their own yards. We just want to really give back to the community.”
