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Matt Butterfield, left, and Andrew Schneiders, both of Waterloo, play a game of Anachronism, a card game involving historical figures.
JESS LIPPOLD / Courier Staff Photographer
JESS LIPPOLD / Courier Staff Photographer
~ADVERTISING~
Pandora's Box gives youths a place to play
By JENS MANUEL KROGSTAD, Courier Staff Writer
WATERLOO --- Girls are definitely welcome at this boys' club. After all, they run the place.
Caroline and Holly Boehmer own and operate Pandora's Box. Don't let the name fool you --- if the video game "Guitar Hero" and the card game Vs. System mean anything to you, this is your paradise.
Sure, the typical customer is the high school- or college-aged male, but girls are welcome.
"We get lots of looks when we say we're two girls that run a gaming shop," says Caroline Boehmer. "It's very much a guys' shop, but girls are always welcome, and usually very fawned upon when they come in."
Being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated world can have its perks. For the Boehmer sisters, that means being a "targeted small business." By virtue of their minority status as female small business owners, they are eligible for state grants. With them, the sisters plan to expand their after-school programming.
They offer a "Good Grades Program," in which a student receives $1 of in-store credit for every "A" he receives on a report card. If a student shows up with straight-As, he receivez an $8 in-store credit. The store also offers an after-school tutoring program.
For the uninitiated, "Guitar Hero" is a video game in which the player becomes a rock 'n' roll star using a guitar-like game controller. The Vs. System is a card game based upon superheroes from the Marvel and DC Comics universes.
Nevertheless, these games can be serious stuff. People from around the country descend upon the shop every spring for Weekend-O-Buffy, a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" card game tournament. Riley Akers regularly competes in Vs. System card game tournaments, including ones in Des Moines and an annual professional event in Indianapolis. He recently traveled to Boston to compete in a two-day tournament, taking home a $575 prize for winning his age bracket. That's pretty big money for a 15-year-old, though he admits it's usually just enough to cover his travel expenses and buy some new cards.
Though people come to Pandora's Box because of the games, they keep coming back because of the people. As one of the club's regulars said to Caroline Boehmer, it's like a Boys and Girls Club for nerds.
"Especially in high school, boys can be kind of 'grrr,' 'arrrgh,' and this is very not a 'grrr,' 'arrrgh' place," she says.
In other words, this is a place for those who get picked last in gym class, and don't have a problem with it.
Because the people who come here have a passion for whatever game they're playing, Pandora's Box also becomes a second family for those who spend hours here every day after school.
"We know them by name, we know them by face, we know their life stories and where they are at all times," Caroline Boehmer says. "The cool thing is it becomes this big dysfunctional family that you adopt into your own."
Justin Francis, 16, stops by nearly every day after school to hang out, he says while taking a break from "Guitar Hero" after dominating the classic rock song "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath. Sometimes he and his friends don't even play the games offered at the store. They just reach into their pockets and play each other in Mario Kart via wireless Internet on their Nintendo DS video game systems.
"I don't think I ever don't have it in my pocket," he says, displaying his white, hand-held Nintendo.
After a while, a buddy comes in and joins him for a game of "Guitar Hero." Things start getting intense, and the guys become still as they concentrate on not missing a note.
"How are you guys going to get style points if you're all huddled up?" chides Holly Boehmer.
"Lots and lots of hair gel," Justin jokes, between guitar riffs.
Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.
Pandora's Box
Where: 1010 E. Mitchell Ave., Suite 9
Hours: Monday and Tuesday --- Closed
Wednesday and Saturday --- 2 to 10 p.m.
Thursday, Friday and Sunday --- 4 to 10 p.m.
Contact info: 287-9387; online at www.pandorasboxonline.net
Caroline and Holly Boehmer own and operate Pandora's Box. Don't let the name fool you --- if the video game "Guitar Hero" and the card game Vs. System mean anything to you, this is your paradise.
Sure, the typical customer is the high school- or college-aged male, but girls are welcome.
"We get lots of looks when we say we're two girls that run a gaming shop," says Caroline Boehmer. "It's very much a guys' shop, but girls are always welcome, and usually very fawned upon when they come in."
Being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated world can have its perks. For the Boehmer sisters, that means being a "targeted small business." By virtue of their minority status as female small business owners, they are eligible for state grants. With them, the sisters plan to expand their after-school programming.
They offer a "Good Grades Program," in which a student receives $1 of in-store credit for every "A" he receives on a report card. If a student shows up with straight-As, he receivez an $8 in-store credit. The store also offers an after-school tutoring program.
For the uninitiated, "Guitar Hero" is a video game in which the player becomes a rock 'n' roll star using a guitar-like game controller. The Vs. System is a card game based upon superheroes from the Marvel and DC Comics universes.
Nevertheless, these games can be serious stuff. People from around the country descend upon the shop every spring for Weekend-O-Buffy, a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" card game tournament. Riley Akers regularly competes in Vs. System card game tournaments, including ones in Des Moines and an annual professional event in Indianapolis. He recently traveled to Boston to compete in a two-day tournament, taking home a $575 prize for winning his age bracket. That's pretty big money for a 15-year-old, though he admits it's usually just enough to cover his travel expenses and buy some new cards.
Though people come to Pandora's Box because of the games, they keep coming back because of the people. As one of the club's regulars said to Caroline Boehmer, it's like a Boys and Girls Club for nerds.
"Especially in high school, boys can be kind of 'grrr,' 'arrrgh,' and this is very not a 'grrr,' 'arrrgh' place," she says.
In other words, this is a place for those who get picked last in gym class, and don't have a problem with it.
Because the people who come here have a passion for whatever game they're playing, Pandora's Box also becomes a second family for those who spend hours here every day after school.
"We know them by name, we know them by face, we know their life stories and where they are at all times," Caroline Boehmer says. "The cool thing is it becomes this big dysfunctional family that you adopt into your own."
Justin Francis, 16, stops by nearly every day after school to hang out, he says while taking a break from "Guitar Hero" after dominating the classic rock song "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath. Sometimes he and his friends don't even play the games offered at the store. They just reach into their pockets and play each other in Mario Kart via wireless Internet on their Nintendo DS video game systems.
"I don't think I ever don't have it in my pocket," he says, displaying his white, hand-held Nintendo.
After a while, a buddy comes in and joins him for a game of "Guitar Hero." Things start getting intense, and the guys become still as they concentrate on not missing a note.
"How are you guys going to get style points if you're all huddled up?" chides Holly Boehmer.
"Lots and lots of hair gel," Justin jokes, between guitar riffs.
Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.
Pandora's Box
Where: 1010 E. Mitchell Ave., Suite 9
Hours: Monday and Tuesday --- Closed
Wednesday and Saturday --- 2 to 10 p.m.
Thursday, Friday and Sunday --- 4 to 10 p.m.
Contact info: 287-9387; online at www.pandorasboxonline.net
More Stories from Pulse » Coverstory
Proud to be a "Nerd" wrote on Jan 9, 2007 11:57 AM:
" I think "Respect? Or just name calling." has missed the point by focusing on the negative as so many do when they simply do not understand things. If one actually reads the story, the majority of the portions that caused "Respect" such anguish were never actually stated by the business owners, and were part of the article writer's impression. Reading into the words "dysfunctional family" that the people involved are then inherantly dysfunctional as well is flawed logic of immense magnitude. Though, since "Respect" obviously finds "nerd" to be a derogatory term, they might not understand what that means. Let me help clear that up:
Traditionally, having a love of Sci-Fi, table-top gaming, comics, or computers and electronics qualifies you as a "nerd." Nerds are adored. The arguably most popular character on the hit show "Heroes" is Hiro Nakamura, a self-professed "nerd" who even placed role-playing game statistics for himself on his online blog. The top box office movies for the past few years (including X-Men, Superman, V for Vendetta, and more) have all been based on comics. People like Curt Schilling, Todd Pratt, Doug "Bingbong" Glanville, Eric Bloom, Vin Diesel, Lexa Doig, Robin Williams, Wil Wheaton, Elijah Wood, Dave Chappelle, Redman, Matt Palmer, Mike Myers, Henry Thomas, Ben Affleck, Terry Pratchett, Marilyn Manson, Trent Reznor, Glenn Danzig, James Woods, and Jon Stewart are all publicly announced gamers. For the last thirteen years, Bill Gates, possibly the biggest computer "nerd" of all time, remains the richest person on Earth according to Forbes. This makes the appelation "nerd" into a badge of honor that says "one day you shall rule the world".
These girls are a miracle in this day and age where the television is the impromptu babysitter, and the apathy level of people in general is out of control. They actually care enough to offer programs to encourage kids to excell, both in education and in life, and accept them even if others wouldn't. I find nothing about them to be dysfunctional or disrespectful. The dynamics of people in their shop may resemble that of a "dysfunctional family," but try sticking the next Robin Williams, Bill Gates, and Curt Shilling in a room together and see how "normal" a family they seem to make. This shop appears to give a healthy alternative to all the teen vices that kids get into so easily these days, and I'm proud to have it in our community. "
me wrote on Jan 10, 2007 1:28 AM:
" A well deserved standing ovation for "proud to be a nerd," Caroline and Holly! "
Buffy&Riley from Virginia wrote on Jan 29, 2007 11:12 AM:
" I've been to Pandora's and its an awesome, amazing place. The owners care about their customer base and actually give rides to them making sure everyone gets home safe— I've never seen that done anywhere else. 3 Cheers to RJ, Holly, and Caroline! "
Jesse wrote on Feb 6, 2007 4:32 PM:
" I'm willing to bet the labels given in the article would be labels the patrons and perspective customers of Pandora's Box would admit to. There are certain people who are stereotypical nerds and in many circles it isnt inherently bad. Likewise, being a jock can be seen as an insult in some instances.
In fact, such terms that used to be derogatory are now typical parts of speech - with an extended video game session being known as "geeking" and bumper sticks proudly proclaiming "the nerds shall inherit the Earth."
And dysfunctional? If you are upset by that light-hearted comment you better lock your child up right away, lest you become unable to shelter them properly. Any "family" consisting many races, age, background, taste and opinion that comes and goes as they please and in the end serve as a business unit is in fact, dysfunctional. As amiable as a unit as it may be.
- Jesse "
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Respect? Or just name calling. wrote on Jan 6, 2007 10:58 AM: