Toyworld Bunbury announces collaboration with Beyond Games and Hobby to create gaming megastore
One of Bunbury’s most well-known stores is set to undergo a makeover as it joins forces with another business.
Toyworld Bunbury will become the city’s gaming-megastore as the decades-old institution welcomes Beyond Games and Hobby to its Victoria Street premises.
The collaboration was announced on social media early last week, with plans to have Beyond set up shop within the store as a secondary location to their Homemaker Centre base.
Beyond owner Matt Denham said the feedback from the announcement has been overwhelming.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW
“It’s been universally positive, it just makes sense as far as business partners go,” he said.
“It’s been really wonderful, now that the cat’s out of the bag, to hear from people in town who have memories of going to Toyworld as a kid.
“Talking to owners Harvey and Rick (Baker), they don’t want their legacy to just disappear, they want it to stay relevant and strong - a business people will be coming to in the next 20 or so years.”
Beyond is a gaming shop specialising in social, strategy, table-top role-playing, and board games.
It regularly hosts tournaments for games such as Warhammer 40K and Pokemon, alongside family-friendly events where people can learn how to play new games.
Beyond is one of only five stores in the nation certified by Wizards of the Coast, the publishing giant responsible for properties such as Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and the Pokemon trading card game.
It also has the bragging rights of being the most isolated Wizards-certified store in the world.
Mr Denham said the community atmosphere is the reason behind the store’s success.
Beyond Games and Hobby owner Matt Denham and store manager Sam Overton are excited for the changes. Credit: Supplied
“You can come here and expand your horizons, meet new people . . . obviously gaming and nerd culture has become more mainstream over the past few years, so we’re getting a lot of new faces in that before wouldn’t have thought to try it out,” he said.
“People find so much value in it because they make new friends, and a lot of the time people who are into gaming are the people who may struggle to make friends in other ways.”
Bunbury Toyworld’s legacy in town is well-known, being owned by the Baker brothers for decades.
It made headlines last year when an anonymous benefactor paid off the entire waiting list of lay-bys at Christmas, which were valued at $12,500.
The move is set to take place in the coming weeks, with a grand opening to be announced soon.