Hobbyists delve into other worlds, eras with miniatures

Rob Welch diligently paints an Italian officer miniature at Empire Game Shop, 5447 S. Rainbow Blvd., Suite E-5.

Between slices of pizza, he refers to history books to verify that the pieces look as authentic as possible.

“These are for the game ‘Flames of War,’ which is my favorite tabletop game,” Welch said. “I’ve been playing tabletops for about 15 years, but I now focus mostly on World War II, Napoleonics, historic-type games.”

Empire Game Shop opened in March and focuses on selling and hosting miniature tabletop games.

“These tabletop games represent anything from historical periods to science-fiction to fantasy,” said co-owner Steven Holowienko. “We also sell board games, card games and role-playing games.”

The idea of running a game shop started when owners Holowienko and Julian Huehl contemplated purchasing a competitor’s shop two years ago but passed on the opportunity.

“I worked for a manufacturer in the industry for about six years in New Mexico, and I was in the hobby before that,” Holowienko said. “(Huehl) was in the hobby, as well, though he never worked in the industry.”

In January, Holowienko mentioned to Huehl that he wanted to open an online store but needed a brick-and-mortar store to receive the same manufacturer discounts.

“I commented offhand that the easiest way to do it was to open a store, and (Huehl) just said, ‘Well, then, let’s make a store,’ ” Holowienko said. “It kind of started that simply. Granted, we had talked about it almost two years before, so we had a rough idea what we needed to do already.”

The duo wanted the shop to operate and feel more like a recreation room than a retail establishment.

“We tried to make it warm with the paint and arrangement,” Holowienko said. “We tried to make it more of an atmosphere and experience rather than just a place to buy games.”

Empire Game Shop hosts generic game nights on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. “Magic: The Gathering” is reserved for Tuesdays, and “HeroClix’” is played on Thursdays.

While the shop typically closes by 9 p.m., Holowienko said his staff has stayed later so customers can finish playing their games.

“As gamers, you want to cater to gamers,” he said. “We’ve been here past midnight many times and once or twice after 2 a.m.”

In addition to a venue, the shop also serves as a place for hobbyists to assemble their own games.

“Most of these pieces come unassembled, unpainted, unprepared, so it becomes a hobby putting them together,” Holowienko said. “When you get into the historical games, you have about five areas of hobbies. There’s the history, strategy, collecting, building and finally playing.”

Welch said he met Holowienko and Huehl about a year ago at another shop. When Welch heard the men were opening their own shop, he followed.

“I’m unemployed and semiretired, so I’m down here almost every day painting miniatures or playing games,” Welch said. “If you’re a money-saver, this hobby is probably not for you.”

Although Holowienko and Huehl are still developing the shop, they plan to create after-school clubs with nearby middle and high schools and helping the Boy Scouts of America members earn their gaming badges.

“We’re here to help people learn,” Holowienko said. “We’ve got a lot of people into gaming or into the hobby in general just by taking the time and teaching them how to play.”

Empire Game Shop is open from noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, visit empirecomicsandgameslv.com or call 702-220-5014.

Contact Southwest View reporter Caitlyn Belcher at cbelcher@viewnews.com or 702-383-0403.