Logan Miller and his family have taken over ownership of Off the Charts Games in Downtown Gresham. 

A local family had been shopping at a beloved Downtown Gresham board game shop for a decade. So when they heard about its imminent closure, an idea sparked.

Logan Miller was among the many regulars gutted to hear that Ron and Lynn Brown were closing Off the Charts Games.

“My mom first heard about it and I was super bummed,” Miller said. “We went the next day during the clearance sale to support them.”

But then they had an idea — would the Browns considered selling the business so that folks across East Multnomah County would still have a go-to, local destination to enjoy board games and puzzles.

The answer was yes, thus granting Off the Charts Games, 30 N.W. Second St., a new lease on life.

“My main goal was getting those doors open for people again,” Miller said.

Off the Charts Games

Off the Charts Games

Where: 30 N.W. Second St.

Hours: Tues.-Thurs., Sat. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fri. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Facebook: Off The Charts Games

Online: offthechartsgames.com

The shop celebrated its official re-grand opening on March 15, and has been focused on slowly getting word out to regulars who fell out of the loop.

“Everyone who learns we are still here gets so excited,” Miller said.

Off the Charts Games was opened 14 years ago as a haven for tabletop gamers in East Multnomah County. From the jump it had a wide array of unique games and puzzles for people to enjoy.

“This is the only place in East County that has a board game selection like this,” Miller said.

There are other hobby shops, but their inventory is often muddled with Magic and Warhammer and other offerings that take up valuable shelf space. Off the Charts Games was created with a focus on that European-style strategy tabletop game, and that hasn’t changed with the new owners.

“That has always been a hallmark of this business — the variety of board games is insane,” Miller said.

Off the Charts Games also can special order anything not currently in stock.

“Talk to me, I can get games for you,” Miller said. “That is a way to support the local community and a small business, because we offer the same services as Amazon.”

Passing the torch

The decision to step away wasn’t easy for Ron and Lynn Brown, the former owners, but they had other things they wanted to enjoy in life — visions of traveling and crossing more ski mountains off their ever-growing list.

“We are so appreciative of the support we have gotten over the years,” Ron said. “We are sad to be closing and moving on, but excited to do the other things we love to do.”

“This was never meant to last forever,” Lynn said. “If we were striking out on a new venture when we were younger, it would have been different.”

Then came Miller, who embodies that younger, passionate energy Lynn spoke about.

This is his first time owning a business, but he isn’t going in with eyes closed. He spent weeks chatting with the Browns during the transition, and has support from his parents, who have both worked retail for more than 20 years.

“This is a good one to start with, I am really excited,” he said. “I have so many ideas I want to try, but my main plan is keeping this store here in Downtown Gresham for people.”

Perhaps most importantly is that love of board games, which powered the Browns through several difficult stretches.

“Ron always told me there was never a day he woke up and wasn’t excited to come into Off the Charts — that sounds pretty amazing to me,” Miller said with a laugh.

He grew up playing classic games like Monopoly and Life. It was when he started working as a staffer in training at Camp Merriweather as a 15 year old in the summers his scope expanded. Miller’s new friends invited him to join in game night. The first was Space Base — one of his favorite games to this day, though he admits it is a bit hard to sell people on.

“You roll the dice, pick the numbers, and get that reward,” he said with a smile. “We had a blast doing that.”

That snowballed into all sorts of tabletop fun, a new passion he brought back home to his family.

Connecting with regulars

A must for the new owners was reengaging the regulars at Game Night, held every Friday at Off the Charts Games.

“When the transfer was official that was the first group I made the announcement to, and the response was resounding applause” Miller said. “We have become good friends with those guys, they are amazing.”

Game Nights are open to anyone. Just go in with a board game and enjoy. There are also a few games available to borrow off the shelf (all of which are in stock in the store). Miller plans to expand that in the coming months.

The Game Night group has also helped expand his own horizons.

Most recently Miller joined a game of Seti: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, which a regular had custom ordered a few weeks before. It is a solar system board game, where the playing surface can be rotated, with the goal of finding alien life.

“It is a lot of fun,” Miller said.

Going forward Off the Charts Games wants to build back up the stock (the Browns sold everything during that initial closing sale). They have been reconnecting with distributors. There will also be a few new additions — some board game accessories, box inserts, a vending machine for folks during Game Night. They also want to add more events, like a puzzle day on Saturday and other get togethers.

“We want to liven this place up and get more people in just to hang out,” Miller said. “There aren’t a lot of options in Downtown other than a coffee shop.”

“Come in, grab a game, and try something new,” he added.