Here’s your TnP Friday morning coffee read. Our retail interview supremo, Clare Turner, had a long chat with Lisa Dyson, founder and co-owner of Games Crusade – the independent Yorkshire toy retailer in Ilkley and Harrogate, which is celebrating 18 years of trading. Good timing too because just recently Games Crusade was honoured in the top five in a national favourite local business competition.

So, have a sip and dip into a fantastic and inspiring read. 

Clare Turner chats to Lisa Dyson, co-owner of Games Crusade: an independent Yorkshire toy retailer in Ilkley and Harrogate, which is celebrating 18 years of trading 

What’s your background?

I used to work in financial services but once I had children, I developed a keen interest in finding toys, puzzles and games that had longevity and were fun: both for parents as well as children. I realised that there was a gap in the market – and also that these toys, puzzles and games needed showcasing to customers.  

Initially, I sourced the products and sold them in people’s homes during the evening, after giving a talk and a demonstration. I also went into schools and workplaces. But this soon became difficult to manage with a job and a family. So I decided to go full-time into the business.

Tell us a bit about Games Crusade.

Games Crusade officially launched in 2006; the first shop was in a small local village called Cross Hills in North Yorkshire. I then opened a shop in Skipton in 2010, followed by a shop in Harrogate in 2017.  

At the start of lockdown in 2020 my lease in Skipton was up for renewal, and I decided under the Covid climate not to renew. So I closed that branch in April 2020.  

Having said that, I opened in Ilkley shortly after in September 2020, as I realised that there was no toy or board game shop there and the demographic was similar to Harrogate, where we had been very successful.  

In 2021 my husband Richard left his full-time job in IT to work for the business full-time. This was a proud moment, as I realised that all those years ago my side hussle had now become a full-time family business.

We are not a member of any trade association as I don’t feel any are the right fit for us. This is primarily because while we are a toy shop, we also specialise in board games and puzzles, so we have an adult customer base as well as a family customer base.

“Being on the high street, we often can’t compete on price, so we have to offer something different – and that’s what we aim to do”

What’s your merchandise mix?

It’s quite eclectic as I’m experienced in knowing what will work for our stores, and I do rely on instinct as well as research. 

I have many suppliers that I’ve developed good relationships with over the years, and I also deal with a lot of independent suppliers – especially in the smaller board game categories – that I deal directly with. I’m very grateful for the support that I’ve received from my suppliers over the years.  

We don’t stock the traditional bestsellers that you see advertised on TV, as we find that these can be one-hit wonders. Instead, we concentrate on what we do well, and aim to do it even better.

I think that many people have spent so much time using technology – for both work and pleasure – that they are now enjoying screen-free time with their friends and family. Board games, in particular, offer them a chance to be social and interact with each other over a game.  

During the last 12 months, we’ve also focused on finding dementia-friendly puzzles and games. This is a cause close to our hearts; I visit a dementia care home weekly to visit my Dad, and I take activities to try with him and the other residents. 

We now have a dementia-friendly section in-store, and have been amazed by how much this has been needed by our customers. Our staff are well trained in being able to offer advice to customers on puzzles and games that may work for their loved ones. In fact, only yesterday we found a puzzle for a customer that would be appropriate for a relative with Parkinson’s disease.

Where do you source products? 

From trade press, listening to industry podcasts, and attending trade fairs and retail exhibitions. The major ones I go to each year are Toy Fair in London, Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg, and the Toymaster May Show.

At Toy Fair, I enjoy meeting people I’ve dealt with over the years, and it’s good to feel part of something ‘bigger’ because being in the shop on your own can sometimes be quite lonely.

I love the international element of Nuremberg: the fact that you get to speak to buyers and producers from different countries, and can often end up at eating dinner in a restaurant with Chinese visitors to your left and Mexicans to your right! 

And as the Toymaster show is held in Harrogate, it’s in the same town as one of our shops, so it’s literally on our doorstep. This event is a great chance to generally catch up with people and see interesting new products.      

How do you spread the word?

We try to highlight what we’ve been playing with, or what’s new in-store, on all our social media channels. We often find that customers will then come in based on our feedback. 

We’re very fortunate to receive demo and preview copies of games from our suppliers, as they know that we use this experience to further our product knowledge and promote their games. 

We also participate in activities from our suppliers. A recent example is a Carcassonne activity in-store linked to a competition run by Coiledspring Games.

We try to support local initiatives where possible too. The most successful one for us this year has been The Harrogate Lego Trail organised by the Harrogate BID [Business Improvement District] in August. This brought lots of extra footfall in-store, and Plus-Plus supported the event by donating prizes. 

[With the theme of Fairy Tales – A Magical Adventure, The Trial comprised 13 unique Lego models installed in town centre businesses, from fantasy characters to special structures including a Rapunzel’s Tower in Games Crusade. Players completed the trail by scanning the QR code at each location, collecting the letter displayed on the web page to find the secret word, and then collecting a prize from Games Crusade.] 

And for the past four Christmases, we have helped to support a charity initiative by providing presents to children at a local women’s refuge.

What are your thoughts on Christmas trading? 

It’s an exciting time for us, as we can showcase all our lovely products and, particularly on Saturdays, we do demo after demo in-store. We find that our website sales really increase at this time of year too. 

Our latest exciting project is a limited edition 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle that we created with the help of Ravensburger and Harrogate BID. The Harrogate BID team kindly helped us source an image of Harrogate town centre and Ravensburger has done a limited print run. 

[Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman said: “We’re thrilled to be a part of this project. This is a fantastic way to help not only put our town on the map on a larger scale, but to promote it as the ‘jewel in Yorkshire’s crown’ that we all know and love it as.”]

The jigsaw is a great Christmas gift and we are so excited that we have it in stock. It was a one-time opportunity, so our numbers really are restricted. As it’s a bespoke puzzle, Games Crusade is the only place to purchase it from. It’s been really well-received – we’re selling it in-store and online to both locals and former Harrogate residents, who live as far afield as Germany and California!

What’s your favourite part of the job?

Sourcing the products and then having the conversations and demonstrations with customers. 

During our time in Skipton, we won the best independent retailer award at the Skipton Business Awards. This was a lovely way to end our 10-year stay in the town.  

We were then recognised for our services to customers during lockdown. [Lisa won a Superhero Award at the 2020 Retailer of the Year Awards organised by the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) for going above and beyond to help her community, by ‘showing great creativity, selflessness and spirit while adjusting to keep not only the toy industry going but also helping those in need at this difficult time’.]

During this period I bought a van, had it signwritten and did local deliveries around Harrogate, Ilkley and Skipton to literally bring toys, puzzles and games to peoples’ doors.

“I try to get products that you can’t get anywhere else and we have a demo table in each store”

More recently, it was lovely to be nominated in a national UK’s Favourite Local Business competition sponsored by Miconex. As business owners, while receiving positive feedback from customers is always nice, knowing that someone has taken the time to vote for us to be the UK’s Favourite Local Business is fantastic.

We accept the Ilkley Town Centre Gift Card and Harrogate Gift Card, which are part of Miconex’s Town & City Gift Card concept, as we believe the cards are a great way to keep customers shopping locally. Children are often given them for Christmas, so we tend to see the cards being spent in the stores during January.

[At TnP went to press, it was announced that more than 4,000 votes were cast for over 1,000 different businesses in the competition, which amassed entries from towns and cities from Aberdeen to the Isle of Wight, covering all sectors including retail and hospitality. Independent retail businesses made up the top five nominated favourite local businesses in the UK – with Games Crusade taking fifth place. All the businesses are part of Miconex’s Town & City Gift Card programmes around the UK. The cards encourage ‘shop local’ and can be spent with both big brands and indie businesses. 

Miconex managing director Colin Munro commented: “The value that local businesses bring to our towns and cities shouldn’t be underestimated; a physical business that you can visit, receive tailored advice, and access unique products and services that you can’t find anywhere else. As we approach the key Christmas trading period, UK’s Favourite Local Business is a reminder of how important local businesses are, and why we need to keep on supporting them.”]

We like to stand out from the crowd by having superb product knowledge and a willingness to spend time with customers and demonstrate our products.

The products we sell, the service, and the experience are at the heart of Games Crusade. I try to get products that you can’t get anywhere else and we have a demo table in each store. Our staff know how our toys work, and can tell customers about them. So many people will come in and say they’re looking for a gift for a six-year-old, for example, and they like to have personal advice from a real person on what a six-year-old might like.

Being on the high street, we often can’t compete on price, so we have to offer something different and that’s what we aim to do. The other side is keeping our finger on the pulse of trends in the toy industry, and finding unique products. Every year, we invest in going to Nuremberg, so we can ensure Games Crusade has the best products. Communicating with customers is another thing we invest in, and I’m fortunate to have a great team.

What’s your favourite toy or game? 

It changes on a weekly basis, as there’s always something new arriving. But my current favourite board game is Gnome Hollow from Coiledspring Games. [This is a strategy game where players cultivate a vibrant garden of mushrooms and flowers using strategic tile and worker placement mechanics.]

I love this because while its main mechanic does not play to my strengths, I’ve found an alternative way to remain competitive. I also like a game that has great shelf presence and artwork, and this ticks both those boxes. 

I don’t attend Spiel Essen [an annual board game trade fair held in Germany in late October] because the timing is too close to Christmas. But I’m sure I will have a new favourite game very soon, as there are a lot of new releases on the horizon.