Gamers’ Haunt opens new Patton Avenue shop with grand opening events

Gamers’ Haunt opened its new 167 Patton Ave. shop with a free, public grand opening weekend on July 11 and July 12, giving Asheville’s tabletop scene a larger downtown home. The move from Merrimon Avenue to the corner of Patton Avenue and North French Broad Avenue puts one of Buncombe County’s best-known hobby shops in a corridor where foot traffic and small retail still matter.

The store has served Asheville since 2012 and describes itself as the city’s destination for Magic: the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop games. Its new location is set up to do more than sell cards and dice. The shop says the Patton Avenue space has three times the room for card games, RPGs and board games, a change that should help it host more players at the table and more events on the calendar.

That matters in Asheville’s downtown retail mix, where niche businesses often survive by becoming gathering places as much as storefronts. Gamers’ Haunt already leans into that model with weekly Commander, Modern, Draft and Standard Magic play, a schedule that brings repeat traffic and keeps regulars coming back between bigger events. A shop built around tournaments and open play can fill slow hours with community activity, not just transactions.

The business is also using the move as a fundraiser for the new space. Gamers’ Haunt is offering table and chair sponsorships, with plaques installed in the donor’s name or a chosen name, a sign that the shop is counting on customer support to help finish the buildout and personalize the room. That kind of small-dollar investment is common for independent stores trying to expand without losing the community feel that makes them competitive.

WNC Business described Gamers’ Haunt as a woman-owned small business, adding another layer to its local profile. The shop’s expansion follows 14 years on Merrimon Avenue and reflects a larger bet that Asheville still has room for specialty retail anchored by in-person events, not just online sales. In a city where many business headlines center on turnover, Gamers’ Haunt’s bigger Patton Avenue home is a reminder that some local operators are still growing by making space for people, not just products.