White Knight Games and Hobbies has been a part of the Helena community for over a decade.
“That’s wild. It does not feel like 10 years,” said Jon Ring, a co-owner of White Knight.
From fantasy, sci-fi and historical games, to puzzles, Legos and RC cars, White Knight caters to all types of hobbies.
From their start at a small building on Lyndale, to their current home on Euclid Avenue, White Knight has grown with the community.
“We started further down the street in a much smaller place. It was only 1200 square feet and then we got this. This seemed huge and of course, now this seems tiny,” Ring said.
The pandemic changed the way people played and that brought new people to White Knight.
“After COVID it actually went up drastically. A lot of people really got in the habit of playing games because they needed something to do while they were all kind of shut in,” said Ring.
Beyond selling games, the store has become a place for people to gather and play no matter what their skill level is.
From board game introduction nights to tournaments for popular games for more experienced players.
Ring says players have packed the store not just to play but to be part of a community.
“We have people come in and they come in every week. They play every single week. It’s just like bowling leagues for them,” Ring said.
He also says the staff and the regulars are always ready to help people looking to get started with a game.
“You should come down because everyone is friendly. They really want to be helpful to new people,” said Ring.
Ring says a game store is a huge part of a town's culture, especially in a smaller place like Helena.
“One was that we keep on seeing shops like this come and go and I love games, and a game store is really important in a town because it kind of gives you that focal point where you can meet everybody else who is interested in your stuff,” Ring said.
