Coffee and Catan, anyone? Sisters set to open new board game cafe in Tacoma this fall

The shelves at Tacoma’s incoming board game cafe are already stocked with more than 320 games, from classics like Monopoly, Scrabble and Catan to modern fun like Exploding Kittens, Joking Hazard and Block Ness.

In the latter, up to four players attempt to arrange squiggly pieces of the fictional lake monster onto a peg board. You can only go over, not under, another piece, and you must always choose to attach either to your creature’s head or tail.

It’s one of those “easy to learn, difficult to master” type games, said Rebekah Waltmann, co-owner of The 15% Board Game Cafe with her sister, Hannah Waltmann.

Inventory carries the classics as well as co-op games (as in cooperative, where players must work together to win) and party games where six or more people can all jump in.

If you can’t decide, there are mystery boxes of “mini games” or card games. The Waltmanns also will be available to guide you.

“We want people who maybe aren’t as comfortable with board games to feel comfortable,” Rebekah said. “I believe, at least, that there’s a board game for everyone.”

The sisters have been working on the space at 3518 6th Ave. since mid-June and hope for an October debut, but their journey to opening a comfortable cafe where anyone — experienced and novice alike — can play dates back many years.

At Thanksgiving, they recounted, anywhere from 30 to 50 people, including family and friends, would gather for a good meal. One of their relatives has a huge game collection, they said. He would bring some along, and a tradition was born.

“There’s always board games super late into the day,” said Rebekah during a recent interview.

That relative has since gifted the new shop around 160 games from his stash (although he did save 70 for himself!). Many others have been donated, including a few from locals who saw their posts on Instagram and Facebook in recent months.

The Waltmanns are from Idaho but had family in the Seattle area. Hannah studied baking and pastry at culinary school, while Rebekah spent most of the last 13 or so years teaching English in a town about an hour from Shanghai. They had casually discussed opening their own board game cafe, they said, and eventually the idea became real.

They looked up and down Puget Sound, they said, but they sought a space that could accommodate a dedicated table-game area and a full-service cafe — an important combination to keep the business solvent.

Tacoma has a few game shops — Tacoma Games and Elegant Octopus Games in the Sixth Avenue business district, TerraCrux Games downtown — but they don’t serve food and drink. There are several in Seattle, including The Missing Piece, where Rebekah has worked since returning from China. She also gleaned intel from visiting shops and cafes abroad.

The idea is believed to have taken off first in South Korea in the early 2000s, spreading through Asia and eventually around the world, according to gaming company Adventure Together.

BOARD GAMES & COFFEE IN TACOMA

The 15% Board Game Cafe will sell a few games, but likely only those produced by local companies. Instead, the sisters hope to partner with nearby retail game shops.

In the front, the space will feel like a coffee shop, and anyone is welcome to just partake in that side of the business, featuring Bluebeard Coffee. The back tables will be dedicated to games, with a reasonable pay-to-play model: $7 gets you access to the expansive inventory with no time limit and a 12-ounce drink of your choice (coffee or Italian soda) included.

You can even play a game to pick your drink with the “not sure what you want?” menu. Roll the dice — literally — at the counter to decide your fate. Then share a photo with your rating on social media; show the post on your next visit for a discount.

They also plan to sell beer, wine and cider, as well as prepared sandwiches and baked goods by Hannah, led by the signature “muckies,” a spiced chocolate chip cookie-mini-muffin.

What’s with the name?

One of Rebekah’s friends from teaching, who also designed the logo — which adorns custom game mats to set the table for prime play experience — inspired the percentage.

“We always said, ‘We’re like 85% the same person,’ but it was the 15% that was different that made us great friends,” said Rebekah.

As she explained in response to a commenter on Instagram who also inquired: “Our mission is to celebrate and cherish the differences that make each person special while bringing them together with a common theme: games.”

THE 15% BOARD GAME CAFE

▪ 3518 6th Ave., Tacoma, instagram.com/the15percentbgcafe

▪ Planned Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

▪ Details: coffee shop and board games with dedicated play area, target opening October 2024

This story was originally published September 16, 2024 at 5:30 AM.