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A New Board Game Coffee Shop in Shorewood: The Critical Grind

 Noëllie Inard


Credit: www.criticalgrind.com 


On Thursday, November 10th, a new cafe named the Critical Grind Board Game Café opened in Shorewood, Illinois. This coffee shop is a little different from cafes already opened in the Joliet, Plainfield and Shorewood areas. Situated on 852 Sharp Drive in the Sharp Center off Black Road near Route 59 in Shorewood, the coffee shop, previously owned by a kickboxing studio, is close to the Bliss Hair Studio. The owners, Dana Buxbaum and her husband Shaun Tenant, mixed what they loved to create their idea of the perfect coffee shop. “I always wanted a coffee shop,” said Dana Buxbaum, “My husband and I combined our love of gaming with my vision of the coffee shop.” The coffee shop has made available bookshelves full of games such as Clue, The Serial Killer Trivia Game, Sorry, Dragoon and many more. In an interview with Patch editor, Buxbaum stated that they have “[...] about 400 games in [their] library” with family-friendly and inclusive games. The owners’ goal is to create a friendly and comfortable atmosphere that would make people feel like “ [...] they are hanging out at a friend’s house,” said the owner. 

The coffee shop is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 7 AM to 9 PM, on Friday and Saturday from 7 AM to 11 PM and on Sunday from 7 AM to 11 PM. Board games are available for free to play inside the coffee shop, however, the owner asks to purchase something from the coffee shop among their selection of teas, coffees, smoothies and refreshers, as well as their assortment of 14 different toasts. They also made available a rental system that allows people to take the board games home for only $4 per day for up to one week. They are also hosting different game nights like Dungeons & Dragons on Saturday, Magic the Gathering on Monday or open game night on Tuesday. The owner said that they always wanted to open a cafe in the place they would settle in and “be a part of the community.” The coffee shop is also accepting public donations and more information can be found on their website:www.criticalgrind.com.

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