Community rallies to save a Shorewood board game cafe

A Shorewood café is now staying open after asking for help on GoFundMe and receiving some surprise support in return.

On Nov. 21, Dana Buxbaum, who owns Critical Grind Board Game Café in Shorewood with her partner Shaun Tennant, announced on Facebook that Critical Grind was struggling and that she’d started a GoFundMe account.

As of Thursday, Buxbaum had raised $8,571 of her $15,000 goal. Although donations still are needed, Buxbaum said Monday that Critical Grind was staying open.

“We’re not just a place for gaming. And we’re not just a place for coffee. We are a community space.”

—  Dana Buxbaum, co-owner of Critical Grind Board Game Café in Shorewood

That’s because raising awareness of Critical Grind’s plight inspired another business to step up and help out – although Buxbaum can’t share the full details right now, she said.

“We have had an offer of another business investing in us and partnering with us,” Buxbaum said. “That has been a huge, amazing opportunity that has come out of all the hardships.”

Buxbaum said that now, instead of closing, Critical Grind will be expanding its offerings.

“We’ll be making some changes in the new year,” Buxbaum said. “We’ll be adding more to our menu, changing our hours and adding more events.”

This was the second time Critical Grind turned to GoFundMe. “GoFundMe empowers business owners to connect directly with a supportive network of donors eager to support new ventures and innovative ideas, whether you are beginning a startup, expanding your small business or overcoming financial hurdles," according to the fundraising platform’s website.

Buxbaum first turned to GoFundMe in 2021, when she and Tennant were converting their current space into a coffee shop environment.

“We need the money primarily for plumbing and electrical updates to the space, though any money raised over that amount will be used for things like our sign, shelving and general incidentals,” according to the “Help Take Critical Grind to the Next Level!” GoFundMe page.

Buxbaum said Monday that Critical Grind had “unexpected construction costs” that extended the timeline for opening the board game café. But it still had expenses for various fees, licensing and rent on top of the construction costs – even before opening its doors to the community, she said, which was in 2022, according to the GoFundMe page.

“Without having any sort of income, we were basically hemorrhaging money for the first nine months before we ever even opened,” Buxbaum said.

Then, when Critical Grind did open, “we were not as busy as we anticipated” and struggled with meeting expenses, Buxbaum said.

“So we reached back out then, and it kept us going for a while,” Buxbaum said. “We were able to catch up on some of our previous bills and make up for that loss. It really helped.”

What makes Critical Grind unique

Critical Grind Board Game Café hosts a variety of diverse and inclusive events, including trivia, art classes, bingo, board game events, writer networking, homeschool meetups, a silent book club and pop-up bakeries. Critical Grind also hosts queer coloring events, queer trivia and its quarterly all-age queer variety show.

[ Shorewood cafe can hold all-age queer variety show, Village Board says ]

“We’re not just a place for gaming,” Buxbaum said. “And we’re not just a place for coffee. We are a community space. We’re for meetings and for working remotely, for reading, for writing, and for making friends and forming that community. I think it’s an important distinction that we’re a board game café and not a game store. A lot of people have compared us to local game stores and how they run things. And we have adopted the board game café model, which – all around the world – is a pay-play structure.”

Buxbaum said “the last few months have been really tricky” in terms of decreased sales, rising expenses and low attendance at some events.

“And I know a lot of our community here at the café has been vocal about what the café means to them,” Buxbaum said. “So the idea of closing and not being there is unfathomable.”

Buxbaum said she discussed Critical Grind’s plight with friends and other small-business owners, who suggested Buxbaum “talk to the community that wants it here so badly and ask for help.”

“So when I started the GoFundMe, it was to appeal to our community here – the people who love us and want us to stick around – to help in any way they can,” Buxbaum said. “They can come in and grab a coffee, tell their friends about us or throw a little money at GoFundMe.”

Critical Grind is located at 852 Sharp Drive #L in Shorewood.

To donate, to the “Help Critical Grind Stay in the Game” GoFundMe, visit gofund.me/435c069d.

For more information, call 815-630-4235 or visit criticalgrind.com.