Community Survey 006 Results: Waystone 2.0
As you may have heard, the building that Waystone currently occupies is being sold to a developer in late 2025, and we’ve started the process of looking for a new home. Making a move isn’t simply a matter of finding a similar space, though–it involves clarifying what we’ll want and need in the next 5-10 years.
A “busy day” on Waystone’s opening weekend.
We selected our current space when we believed Waystone would be a niche interest even among Warhammer players, but outgrew it in under two years when it became clear that a lot of people thought it was a really great idea. For Waystone 2.0, we’re hoping to be proactive about identifying exactly where we see Waystone going (and where we want it to go), then occupying a space that aligns with that vision.
Identifying Priorities
A critical part of this process is actually getting clarity about what our priorities are, which is where this most recent Community Survey came in. Prior to opening the survey, we had an open ideation period where members could brainstorm about important criteria for the next space, and these were some of the most popular ones:
More space between tables
Drink service throughout the entire space
Space for a dedicated hobbying area
The ability to continue offering 24-Hour Access
Accessibility via public transit
A sense of safety in the neighborhood
Parking accessibility
Nearby food options
In the formal Community Survey, we asked everyone to rank these from 1 to 5 (with 5 indicating they strongly agreed it should be a top priority, and 1 indicating that they strongly disagreed). Here’s how the average scores hashed out:
Notably, our community didn’t feel any of the options should be ignored. While some (such as a dedicated hobby area, 24-hour access, and nearby food options) came out relatively neutral, each had an average score of 3 or higher, indicating that they should be prioritized to some degree, if possible.
That being said, one goal of conducting this survey was to help us identify the top priorities we can use when distinguishing between spaces that are actually worth pursuing, and those that aren’t. The clearest priority for the community in this regard was neighborhood safety.
Over 70% of participating members marked this at least a 4, clearly indicating that it’s something Stefan and I can’t ignore when looking at new spaces.
The next challenge will be decoding how to define “a sense of safety in the neighborhood”, and weighing this against our other priorities. Does this just mean neighborhoods more removed from major roadways? Neighborhoods that are more expensive? And how will that conflict with other priorities such as proximity with public transit lines, or the affordability of the space? All things we’re going to need to consider.
Open Comments
We also wanted to be sure to get some more qualitative information from the community about what really makes our current space special. This is what we learned:
By far the most comments had to do with the atmosphere—especially when it comes to the ambiance, the lighting, and how Waystone embodies a comfortable place to play games. (38 comments).
Despite our question being explicitly about the space itself, many focused on the warmth of our community (13 comments). This was heartening because it means that no matter what, the space we land in is going to be special because of the people in it and the ethos behind it. On a more practical level, it also means we can keep an eye out for ways that a new space might enhance that sense of connection.
Comments regarding what members liked least about our current space mostly had to do with size limitations (16 comments), table availability (9), noise (7), or that there isn’t enough space to simply hang out and socialize (10).
“You probably won’t find a new spot that ticks all the boxes but I know the community will accept the compromises you come to. The biggest draw of Waystone isn’t the physical space, it’s the community that’s been built around it.”
A test render of a potential future Waystone, with a taller ceiling, a larger bar, a unified space with all eight game tables, and added storage areas.
Final Thoughts
Something obvious but worth saying aloud, is that one of the most difficult parts of our search will be balancing the priorities that our community has identified with the long-term needs that Stefan and I have identified as owner-operators.
Chief among those is staying true to the core vision behind Waystone—no matter how many comments we get saying we should begin catering to Magic: the Gathering or board game players, a driving factor for what makes Waystone special has always been that we know we can connect with one another over miniatures games. We don’t ever want to dilute this core mission, even if it would mean being able to afford a more spacious location in a nicer neighborhood.
Other more boring but contemptible examples include the cost of things like rent or renovations: Even if we find a space that’s perfect in every way, an inflated rent could force us to compromise in ways we don’t feel comfortable with, such as focusing more on moving retail products and drinks.
A heat map of where we’re interested in searching for new locations, based on ours and the community’s criteria.
Get Involved!
If it isn’t clear already, searching for and evaluating new spaces on top of just operating Waystone is going to be a huge task for our team of two full-time and two part-time staff. One way our community can help is by keeping an eye out for potential new spaces, and sharing them in the new #space-search channel in the Discord. I’ll be posting a list of search criteria there, based on the results discussed in this blog post, and you can use those to help us identify possible good fits for Waystone 2.0!
The prospect of completely uprooting the business we’ve been patiently nursing to health over the last three years would be especially daunting if we didn’t know that we had the support of such a passionate and caring community.
Your presence and engagement is comforting beyond words. Thank you!
Cheers,
Dustin
