I visited Miniature Market this weekend, and I’m not sure it met my expectations

So during our visit to St. Louis this past weekend, we couldn’t help but make our way to Miniature Market, as anyone who is a Tabletop gamer knows visiting this place is like making a journey to Makkah. It was raining when we made our visit Saturday and before I stepped through entrance in to the hallowed halls of MM, I was filled with joyful anticipation of what would greet me as I passed through the front doors.

My first impressions after stepping through was…meh!

I had asked more than a few buddies whether going to one MM location over the other was preferred? The answers I got back were all the same, either location (in Manchester or St. Charles) was the same in terms of store size, inventory, etc. So we decided to visit the Manchester location as it was closer to where we were staying. Don’t get me wrong, the Miniature Market store is impressive, with a long and deep inventory.

I’ve shopped their online store for years, as they usually have what I’m looking for at a good discounted price. But for whatever reason, I think my expectations were at a level that when I finally made a visit, it couldn’t possibly live up to what those set expectations were. And that’s not MM’s fault.

I will say their Ding and Dent and discount tables had some good stock, but nothing that I couldn’t live without. And they did have a very nice mini display case setup, something I always enjoy and appreciate at stores as that seems to be a thing that doesn’t happen much anymore. Also, their play area was very large and impressive in size. And they had a nice game library that was sponsored by the Geekway to the West convention that was very robust.

All that and I still left a tad underwhelmed. Does this mean I’m finally reaching that cantankerous age, where I always find fault first in everything? I hope not. Even as I write this, I’m reanalyzing my critiques of MM and rethinking my initial feelings after making my visit.

I will say this, as someone who is a firm supporter of brick and mortar game stores, if you do find yourself in the St. Louis area, making a stop to one of the two Miniature Market locations is indeed worth it. If for nothing more than to do a little window shopping and bask in the aura of your tribe.