So when his wife, Chandra Womack, suggested he finally open his own store after his game room began to overflow at home, he readily agreed.
Today, Third Coast Games in Friendswood aims to provide a family-friendly experience for gamers of all ages.
James had been a teacher for 27 years at various public schools and is an adjunct professor at the College of the Mainland in Texas City. He started playing tabletop games in 1980, starting with the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, which led him to discover miniature war games and hobby board games, which he has played for decades.
“This has been my hobby for 42 years,” he said.
He opened Third Coast Games in September 2021 after he saw there were no nearby hobby game stores in the area. The store offers board games, cards and miniature figurines for sale.
“There was not a place in this part of town that carries all of the different things we do,” James said.
Hobby games are a way of bringing people together for James, which is why he was focused on making the store a comfortable space for everyone, including women and families.
“I wanted it to feel like some place that people would like to ... hang out and be here,” he said.
The store also offers various game nights and classes on topics ranging from painting miniatures to learning new games.
Most classes are taught by James, but some are taught by volunteers. Classes are typically free, he said.
“I like having people in here playing games,” he said.
The store’s two rules are to not be a jerk and tell a friend if you liked the store.
“I think we provide the nicest, friendliest venue for people to play games [and] shop,” he said.
Game nights
Third Coast Games offers weekly game nights.
Board games are played on Thursdays. Popular titles include:
Superfight
Nemesis
Happy Little Dinosaurs
Card games are played on Fridays. Popular titles include:
Metazoo
Magic the Gathering
Yu-Gi-Oh
Board games are played on weekends. Popular titles include:
Warhammer 40K
Flames of War
Gaslands
Battletech
Third Coast Games
3208 FM 528, Ste. 100, Friendswood
832-569-5986
www.thirdcoastgamestx.com
Hours: Mon.-Thu. noon-8 p.m., Fri. noon-10 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. noon-6 p.m.
