While we never fully closed down during the past year-and-a-half, there were times when it was just the showroom performing curbside delivery. For a few months the play space turned into a mail fulfillment center, then a rudimentary office, then there was that month where it was just two brothers playing Magic… or was it Pokémon? It’s all fading into memory at this point.

Like a hibernating creature emerging from a very long nap, life is slowly getting back to a semblance of normalcy and that includes gaming events at Petries. Some things have changed, but mostly it remains the same. Before we had to limit space there were some nights when traditionally we had 3 or 4 events happening simultaneously. Then occupancy caps and 6-foot rules came into play and in order to keep those events going we had to shuffle them around. Now, those new nights have become the tradition. X-Wing is a good example of this in that it has gone from Tuesday to Thursday. Which means that Board Game night on Thursdays is going to have to share some space. This is one example of our new normal.

Right now we are still trying to keep week nights to no more than 2 events at a time with a little more wiggle-room on Sundays. Saturdays has a few reoccurring events but for the most part is still our open day for larger one-time tournaments and special events.

Tuesday: Magic Commander and KeyForge
Wednesday: Dungeons & Dragons and Flesh & Blood
Thursday: Board Game Night and X-Wing Fighter
Friday: Magic FNM and a second slot for store tournaments (right now we’re looking at KeyForge and a few other titles using this time for a monthly big event).
Saturdays: Armada, D&D, Pathfinder, HeroClix, Battletech, WarHammer and a few other surprises that we have in the works are gearing up for once-a-month or bi-weekly events.
Sundays: Cardfight Vanguard, WarCry and soon-to-return Pokémon

Be patient with us as there’s a lot of work to do to get calendars back up-to-date, special events to plan, and general organization on the events at Petries that are already running. Watch the store calendar as it grows and follow us on Facebook to keep up with the latest updates.

As always, we encourage anyone that needs to practice caution to continue to do so. Wearing masks is at your discretion and encouraged for mixed large groups. If you don’t feel like you’re ready, we’ll see you when you do. There is no rush to return, but we want to be ready for you when you do.

With the release of Magic Strixhaven coming up fast, mixed with Colorado’s various statements of restrictions becoming a bit more lax, we’re getting a lot of questions on what is the status of Magic and other events.

The honest answer is “we don’t know.” Wizards of the Coast has maintained a clear message that no in-store events are allowed for North America (regardless of state status), just like it was for the previous prerelease Kaldheim. However, a quick call to the WotC retail support has given me the information that things may be changing on the 14th of April.

Similarly, Pokemon has maintained a strict no event status for more than a year, however, they started allowing it in other countries like Australia and New Zealand. Other companies have refrained from putting down any hard rules, with a few stating that it is up to the store owner to regulate safety and follow the guidance of their individual state and county.

Petrie’s is still holding fast to the guidelines give by our county’s “yellow” status. We require masks on when moving about the store, for customers and employees. We encourage 6-foot distances. We also are adhering to the 50% occupancy based on the retail and indoor events guidelines in the yello-status updates.

However, we are also planning ahead. With the potential of changes coming, we have put Strixhaven events on the calendar with the understanding that they may be cancelled. If Wizards does not change the North America status by April 14, Strixhaven will be a take-home only prerelease event.

We encourage you to watch our calendar as it gets repopulated with events, but we also encourage you to call in before events to ensure that nothing has changed. If you do not feel safe playing games with strangers, cannot wear a face mask for long periods of time, or are showing symptoms of any kind, we are still encouraging you to stay home — that has not changed.

Petrie’s is still committed to staying safe, but we also want to be there for you as things progress toward a rough sense of normalcy. If you have any questions or concerns, we encourage you to reach out to us and let us know.

We hope to be able to see you all soon.