By Emily R. Zarevich, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
There’s nothing like board games to evoke that affectionate feeling of nostalgia. What happy memories do you unlock when you open your storage cupboards to regard your own collection of games? Monopoly, and the awakening of economic awareness, at your friend’s slumber party in grade six. Clue by a crackling fireplace in a cozy Muskoka cottage. Heated rounds of UNO with your rowdy classmates during indoor recess. Checkers with Grandpa, always a classic experience. How do you revisit that warm sensation of wholesome, harmless, screen-less fun when there isn’t a party or occasion? One answer is game cafes.
Burlington has one that has just surpassed a major milestone: its one-year anniversary. On Saturday, November 9, and Sunday, November 10, 2024, the Nostalgia Games Cafe welcomed the people of Burlington through its front door at 2178 Mountain Grove Avenue to celebrate with them its very first birthday. Anyone who joined the party was invited to purchase a special confetti cupcake and participate in a raffle to win a prize. At this cafe, everything is a game.
It’s been a successful year of family-friendly, inexpensive fun, and it’s all due to the innovation of owners George and Sophia Zeng. They saw an open space on Mountain Grove between the UPS Store and M&M Food Market and determined exactly what was needed there. A simple social venue, vivid and cheery, with well-brewed coffee and bubble tea, chairs and tables, and shelves upon shelves of recognizable and entertaining games. Where did the idea of this particular business venture come from?
George and Sophia moved to Burlington from Ottawa several years ago. George was a data scientist, and Sophia still works full-time as a construction inspector for an engineering consulting firm. After they’d settled into the city, and sensed that it was rapidly swelling in population, they decided what was missing: a casual hangout where people could interact with each other and potentially add on to their preexisting social circles.
“We were looking for a place for things to do, and we had trouble finding a place that was suitable for us,” comments George. “We wanted somewhere where we could make friends. When we came, we were in the middle of a pandemic back in 2021. We saw that there was something the Burlington community could use, and we came up with the idea because we like playing board games. It’s a nice, fun activity that we not only enjoyed doing together but with our friends and our family.”
“I guess when we moved here, we found it difficult to make connections and make friends,” Sophia elaborates further. “We thought it would be great to create a space where people could come together and have fun doing different activities. We also have bubble tea, which both of us really like, and we run different events like trivia nights and paint nights that people can try out. We just had an orchid workshop, for example. So we’re really trying to create a community hub where everyone can have fun or learn something or create something.”
During the cafe’s first crucial year of business, always a nerve-wracking set of months for any business owner, George and Sophia faced some challenges. According to these resourceful entrepreneurs, zoning issues prevented themselves and their employees for a time from preparing food and drink anywhere except for the front counter, and customers were not permitted to enjoy their treats in certain sections of the cafe. Everyone made do within the rules and regulations while the owners worked to overcome them so that the business could prosper further.
These issues are now (mostly) resolved, with the zoning issues having been updated in June 2024. The cafe now boasts a working kitchen along with a sandwich and snackables menu for patrons to choose from, to accompany an assortment of baked goods. Patrons are also now permitted to eat and drink anywhere in the cafe space and are no longer restricted to tables in a designated area. The cafe can now enjoy the privilege of feeling more relaxed and homely without the restrictions placed upon both its employees and customers.
“A lot of people come in and tell us it’s a really great place because for families it allows them to spend time together outside of home doing a fun activity. A lot of people come in here to spend quality time with their significant others,” says Sophia, on the subject of the general customer response in year one. “We get a lot of people coming on first dates because there’s an activity to do. Some people come in and just have a coffee. We’ve had a lot of compliments on the atmosphere. It’s very peaceful and bright and welcoming.”
George and Sophia have grand plans and aspirations for growing their business during the rest of 2024 and in the year 2025. “I think in the short term what we talked about was making the space cozier so that it’s more inviting,” says George. “The next thing would be marketing. Not just being here, but also reaching out to more people through flyers and posters. That will require time and investment.”
Sophia expresses a wish to make the business more event-based. The Zengs hope to fully utilize a back room for scheduled parties and gatherings. “We can only have a certain number of seats, so we need to figure out how to organize a space to make it feel not just empty. We get a lot of compliments on our trivia nights, so we would like to do some team-building packages because we have a great space here. If people want to come in and do such an activity, we could do ice-breaker games or fun party games for a social.”
November alone has a promising itinerary and 2025 is looking favorable for George and Sophia, who have no shortage of ideas. Burlington locals can best support the business by popping in and making new memories while sipping on hot beverages. Whether it’s Monopoly, Clue, or even chess, nostalgia is waiting for you.
