Ball State University's Village is a notoriously bad location for small businesses. Over the years, restaurants, record stores and specialized retail stores have tried to stake claim to part of the Ball State student market, only to be run out of the neighborhood within their first year.
But on the corner of University Avenue and Martin Street is an independent business that has survived for more than two decades while attracting an ever-expanding network of loyal customers. Located in the basement beneath the Giant Locker Room, Wizard's Keep has gained a modest reputation as the Ball State community's premiere gaming and hobby store.
Store owner and operator Dave Barnette attributes much of Wizard's Keep's success to the fact that it appeals to a specialized, niche market. Wizard's Keep is one of the only game stores in Muncie, and is the only one located just off of the Ball State campus, he said.
"The nature of small retails is that a lot of them get put out of business because of Wal-Mart type stores," Barnette said. "But this is such a niche market. Wal-Mart doesn't sell things like Dungeons and Dragons."
The fact that Wizard's Keep is such a specialized store has given it the opportunity to attract a loyal customer base of gaming enthusiasts.
"The first week of school, I asked if there was anywhere around to play Magic, and I was told to come here," Ball State student Keaton Wooden said. Wooden is now a regular at the Wizard's Keep Friday night Magic tournaments, which, according to Barnette, usually attract about 25 gamers.
"These types of crowds are usually a little bit more dedicated," Wooden said. "It's not really a fad thing."
Store employee Nathan Roberts said that Wizard's Keep gains most of its customer base through networking between gamers.
"There's a lot of passing of the torch where people graduate, but they tell their friends about the store," Roberts said.
Stan Stevens, who opened Wizard's Keep in 1984 and sold it to Barnette in 2004, said part of the reason Wizard's Keep has been able to stay in business so long is the money and hard work he devoted to the store. At the time of the store's opening, it was located in a ten-and-a-half foot space in what is now the front room of The mt cup. Two years later, the store relocated to the space above The Chug. Wizard's Keep moved to its current location in 1991.
"Honestly, for a lot of years because I didn't have to make a living off of it, I always had other work," Stevens said. "That 40-hour work week - that's after you retire. If you're self-employed, you're working more like 65 hours a week."
Though Stevens knew it would initially take a lot of work to keep the store afloat, he anticipated its long-term success, he said.
"I started another one in Fort Wayne, and it's still open," he said. "I didn't start it to be short-run."
Eventually, Stevens was able to attract a solid enough customer base to Wizard's Keep that the store became self-sufficient.
"There was already a customer base established, so I was able to keep this as my only job," current owner Dave Barnette said.
Another reason for the Wizard's Keep continued success is its close proximity to campus, Davenport said.
"Comic books and cards and board games are generally targeted toward college students, which ideal when you're located right next to a college," Davenport said.
Though Wizard's Keep has been successful in its current location for the past 15 years, Barnette said that he hasn't ruled out the possibility of moving the store to a location that's not in a basement and has a more convenient parking situation.
"The only other options are Tillotson and McGalliard," Barnette said. "Game stores are so rare in Muncie, so people might tread off the beaten path, but you don't want to be hard to find, either."
Though Barnette thinks that Wizard's Keep can still be successful farther away from campus, it will be difficult for him to move the business out of the Village, he said.
"There's a lot of nostalgia of being down here, but sometimes I think I'd like to have a window," he said.
"The current location allows for people to come down and hang out and play games between classes," Barnette said. "Ideally I'd like to stay in the Village because I've had such a history here, but then again, I don't know."
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