Today we’d like to introduce you to Paraic Mulgrew.
Hi Paraic, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Brenda and I were in the ARMY for eight years. After we got out, we liquidated all our savings, cashed in our 401K, and took out a business loan to start our own business, Knight Watch Games. We knew from the start that we would have to approach the endeavor with an “all or nothing” attitude. Once we found our location, we decorated it in an immersive medieval vibe, using the furniture we’d accumulated while living in Germany. We made the rest of the fixtures by hand, including the 27′ long banquet tables and the shelf displays for the retail section. We spent three months building the ambiance to where we wanted it. Everything is customized or hand-crafted to the space.
We invited the gaming community to be involved in the build out of Knight Watch Games and they came out in droves! They brought power tools, know how, and a dream – a dream to make the best gaming store in San Antonio. We succeeded and have won numerous awards, including the prestigious GAMA Power Retailer Award for North America.
We’re now in business for six years, with each year better than the previous. Our community is over 7000 strong and we’ve expanded our store into the next door suite and called it The Sanctuary, which caters to the Renaissance Faire and Live Action Role Playing enthusiast. Both stores are unlike anything else you will find in the state.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
While success found us quickly, it was with an amazing amount of hard work, savvy business decisions, and unwavering values that let us flourish. During 2020, COVID-19 severely restricted our operations, namely the ability to gather at the store and play games. We adjusted our approach and strove to keep Knight Watch Games relevant to our community. We offered curb-side service, online commerce, robust social media interaction, and a hopeful attitude throughout. Our customers never waivered in their loyalty towards us and continued to support the store in any way they could.
We were not allowed to have staff working in the store during the quarantine but we continued to pay them as if they had worked their full week’s shift. Once the quarantine was lifted, our staff and our community were enthusiastic to get back to Knight Watch Games to connect with each other again.
Everyday is an adventure. We never know what the store, its costumers, or life has to offer. It’s not a smooth road, but it’s the one we love to walk.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Knight Watch Games and The Sanctuary?
Knight Watch Games provides what many gaming stores fail to offer. We give you a clean, well-lit, roomy gaming experience staffed by friendly knowledgeable owners. We offer a robust tournament schedule with ample prize support and professional administration. We are a full-service gaming center that specializes in board games, card games, miniature games, and role-playing games. When you walk into Knight Watch Games, you are transported into a realm of magic, might and mischief. The interior resembles a medieval castle’s grand hall, complete with rock walls, timbers, wooden floors, long tables and benches, weapons, and armor on the walls, and two of the lord’s hounds happily greeting all guests. Soft renaissance music and the glow of sconces set the tone of luxury, love, and luck. You might find all three at Knight Watch Games.
We’ve expanded our domain to now include our sister store, The Sanctuary, located next door.
The Sanctuary provides a unique medieval shopping experience. We are a full-service boutique that caters to romantics, medieval enthusiasts, live-action role players, cosplayers, knights, squires, queens, princess, and knaves alike. We will transport you to a land of chivalry, courage, poetry, and power. We help you become the master of your domain.
We’ve been voted the best game store in North America by the Gaming & Manufacturing Association (GAMA) in the year 2018. We have won the several awards from the Express News and The Current publication as the best Gaming/Toy store as voted by the community of San Antonio.
How do you define success?
Success to Brenda and I is the pursuit of happiness, exercising the values we hold dear, surrounded by those that have similar values and causing happiness in those we meet. Success is getting what you want, but happiness is wanting what you get.
Contact Info:
- Email: owners@knightwatchgames.com
- Website: https://www.knightwatchgames.com/ and https://thesanctuarystoresa.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_sanctuary_san_antonio/ and https://www.instagram.com/the_sanctuary_san_antonio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KWGamesStore and https://www.facebook.com/TheSanctuarySA
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KnightWatchGame
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8QLTsT4JqROl_Ycf6EyWyg
Image Credits
All images the property of Knight Watch Games
