RSS
Home
Retailer profile: Hwæt! Books and Games - Beaver Falls
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
There is a significant amount of intellectual commonality between books and board games. Both are constructed by a combination of words, symbols or illustrations. Neither hold the flashy spectacle of video games or the rush of athletic competition. Both engage the theatre of the mind. With such harmony, it was a natural fit to bring these related pursuits together in the Beaver Falls, PA store, Hwæt! Books and Games.
Simply appreciating the name of the store takes a level of literary understanding. Hwæt! is the first word in Beowulf; the first story written in the English language. It means “Lo!”, “Hark!” or “Attention!” It is an interesting name for an interesting store.
Moving from the back of the store to the front, the used book selection is diverse and of good size. It may not be the largest used book selection you'll find in the Greater Pittsburgh area, but the collection is growing and well worth your perusal when you stop in.
The middle of the store contains a collection of antique books and a carefully chosen selection of brand new board games. The game section consists mostly of the greatest hits from Mayfair Games and Rio Grand Games, including Settlers of Catan, Power Grid, Carcassonne, Bohnanza and Puerto Rico. In fact, Hwaet! Books and Games is where I purchased my personal copies of Pillars of the Earth, Power Grid, and Balloon Cup.
The front of the store is the heart and soul of Hwæt! Books and Games. Empty tables and chairs fill the room waiting for gamers and readers to arrive. Can't wait to try out the game or read a chapter of the book you just purchased? Pull up a chair! Want to demo or playtest a game you have been designing? Grab a table!
Hwæt! Books and Games doesn't just sell to gamers; it caters to the hobby as a whole. If you want to try a game, rent it first for only $5.00. Wednesday nights from 7:00PM to 9:00PM are game nights where they wave the rental fee and you can play for free! How many stores promote their products or support their customers like that?
Hwæt! Books and Games may be a young store in a small town, but it has huge potential. The owner has great taste in game publishers, the selection of board games is growing, and by providing their customers a place to gather and play, Hwæt! Books and Games fosters a clubhouse like atmosphere that says, "Gamers welcome. Sit and play while."
Hwaet! Books and Games
Beaver Falls, PA, 15010
Phone: (724) 581-4016
Summer Hours
Monday: 9am to 6pm
Tuesday: 9am to 6pm
Wednesday: 9am to 9 pm (game night starts at 7 pm)
Thursday: 9am to 6pm
Friday: 9am to 8 pm
Saturday: 9am to 12pm
As always, closed on Sunday.
For more info: Check out the Hwaet! Books and Games facebook page or visit their website.
More About:
Retailer profiles
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
At the end of my article about Scrabble Apple, I made an off-hand comment that someone ought to make a pear themed word game to go with my Bananagrams …
The Flower of Life is a geometrical figure comprised of several overlapping circles. As the circles repeat in an evenly spaced pattern, six petal …
- Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG)
- Days of Wonder
- Fantasy Flight Games
- Kvale Good Natured Games
- Mayfair Games
- McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds
- Out of the Box Publishing
- Paizo.com
- Rio Grande Games
- Slugfest Games
- Steve Jackson Games
- Tasty Minstrel Games
- Think Fun
- Titanic Games
- Twilight Creations, Inc
- Z-Man Games
