CARLSBAD — Longtime Carlsbad residents expressed excitement about The Boarding Home, saying it offers something they feel has been lacking in the community: “good, clean fun.”
The cafe and board game playground in Village Faire hosted a ribbon-cutting event on May 22, where Councilmember Melanie Burkholder said it was nice to welcome the business to her district.
“When you walk into this place, you feel like they’re community-oriented and that’s what it’s all about — bringing people together,” Burkholder said.
However, rather than centering on alcohol, as many other late-night options in Carlsbad Village do, this “third place” aims to build community and encourage people to appreciate time together through board games.
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the phrase “third place” — as opposed to the home and workplace — as “a generic designation for a great variety of public places that host the regular, voluntary, informal, and happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work.”
“I think it’s great for Carlsbad because a lot of people want to come here to live, work and play, but we don’t have a lot of good clean fun options,” Burkholder said.
She told The Coast News her favorite games to play are Pictionary and Catch Phrase.
The cafe portion of The Boarding Home sells local pastries, teas, coffee and other treats to fuel gameplay.
The ribbon-cutting event was also attended by representatives from the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, Councilmember Kevin Shin, and representatives from the offices of state Sen. Catherine Blakespear and U.S. Rep. Mike Levin.
Lauren Jennings and Riley Slater said they were unaware of the occasion and had simply wanted to spend the afternoon playing board games. They settled on “7 Wonders Duel.”
Jennings said the game wall made it easier to try new games and that she was excited to find a community built around physical games.
“It can be hard to find other people to play games with as an adult,” she said.
The Boarding Home was the brainchild of co-founders Anthony Boyajian, Matthew Young and Evelyn Avanesian.
“We are a space that looks to bring together a community around gaming, elevate the experience and overall lower the barrier to entry to play,” Boyajian said. “We expect that all of our customers will come to enjoy a unique experience around play and fun and really interface with one another.”
Jess Levy, marketing and communications manager for the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, said she lives three blocks from The Boarding Home and looked forward to having it as part of her social life.
“It’s really hard to find places that you can go on the weekends — like on a Saturday night — that you can be creative at and that isn’t a bar,” Levy said. “I’m excited that The Boarding Home is opening to offer something new and different to residents of all ages and bringing a different nightlife to the area.”
