Daisies and Dragons to Focus on Entertainment

Sometimes in life the fun and recreational avenues present ways to become business ventures.

That is what Eric and Nicole Bertrand are hoping.

In 2018, the Bertrands took over the Daisies and Dragons clothing store in downtown Sidney. In February 2020, they decided the store was not as busy as they wanted. That lead to taking a chance at community outreach, a little hands-on market research and doing what they enjoy: having fun.

“Let’s bring in board games,” Eric Bertrand said.

He found a distributor, built a business relationship and soon were stocking board games and accessories as well as the racks of clothing. The outreach included “Game Night” when the public was invited to stop by.

“I’ve always wanted a place people can hang out, he said.

He said the store stayed open during the COVD pandemic.

“I take a lot of pride. We were one of the few that was open through COVID,” he said.

He added one of the silver linings in the pandemic is people wanted to spend more time together, which lead to interest in board games. He said the store sold more than 300 copies of board games between February and December of 2020.

Since then, the Bertrands have converted part of the basement into a “smash room” with visions of possibly expanding it.

The Bertrands are planning to move a little deeper into the entertainment world, changing the Daisies and Dragons focus from outerwear to fantasy and adventure. There will also be foosball, virtual reality, pingpong and they are considering a billiards table as well. The vision is for the Daisies and Dragons Game Room to be unique from the typical or traditional game centers. The back room will have tables for board games, while the east side of the building will be more electronic and virtual. Costs for using the games will be on the honor system. Prices will be posted and participants will be expected to pay at the conclusion of the game; no coin slots. There will also be affordable snacks and soft drinks.

“What we want to do is being a place people can rent for birthday parties,” he said.

The plan to keep the name Daisies and Dragons and incorporate “Game Room” to the name. The reason: Daisies and Dragons is inclusive.

Bertrand said Geeks, gamers, “computer nerds,” and such are more accepting than some groups.

Beginning July 26, Dailies and Dragons Game Room will have new hours: 12 p.m. To 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 12 p.m. To 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.