New Milford business owner aims to get people unplugged with game store

NEW MILFORD — Stephen Carpenter, 41, is trying to reinforce good, oldfashioned game nights with his new store, Nutmeg Games.

Carpenter — the previous owner of Gamer’s Gambit in Danbury — closed his original store in March when the pandemic struck, anticipating business would rapidly decline. He decided to give it another shot almost nine months later when he found a new storefront in New Milford.

Nutmeg Games — located at 178 Danbury Road — is open every day from noon to 8 p.m. Carpenter plans on extending those hours in February once he begins hosting game nights and tournaments at the store. Customers can visit the store in-person or online and opt for curbside pickup or delivery.

He says business has not been spectacular but hopes that it will do better in the new year if COVID-19 cases drop as the vaccines are distributed. Carpenter sells traditional board games, card games, puzzles and toys but purposely avoids video games.

“There’s something missing

when it comes to social interactions that are face to face compared to digital interactions,” Carpenter said. While he thinks video games make it easy to stay in touch with those farther away, it doesn’t provide a “real personal experience.”

His mission is to help people “unplug from the digital world and play face to face” with their families. Despite knowing it’s a tough sell during the pandemic, he thinks it’s a good business model. Carpenter sees how traditional games can bring people together, not in an artificial way, and he wants to replicate that over and over.

He mostly loves how the business builds a community through bonds over familiar hobbies. Carpenter’s father — a Navy man — played card games when he was on submarines to pass the time. Whenever he came home, he did the same with Carpenter and his siblings.

They played hearts, spades and poker. Naturally, Carpenter became a serious gamer. Now, he wants to share the positive impact it had on him with others.