The Rolls Royce of RPG Tables is done. Gone. Kaput. No more is Geek Chic.
I could never afford one of these tables but damn, I so wish I could. I guess I should be thankful the temptation is gone.
If you read the Boardgame Geek thread on this, you find some interesting backstory:
and posts like this:
The tread survived 6 pages before being locked.
In any case, if you are still in the market for gaming tables, there are a number of manufacturers linked throughout the thread.
One of the guys in my gaming group just got his table and chair set like 2 months ago. Seems he narrowly dodged a bullet! I hope all the people with in-flight orders get their tables or money back!
ReplyDeleteLike Grandpa Riley always said "everyone is reputable till they screw you".
ReplyDeleteSad story all around.
ReplyDeleteBummer
ReplyDeleteThat's a super bummer. I haven't read the whole thing, but it sounds like crash really screwed them (if they didn't do due diligence research, they are culpable as well, of course, but stealing their truck and fleeing the nation? WTF?)
ReplyDeleteJust a crap sandwich for all involved.
It also might be that too many people are making their own, themselves. There are a lot of videos and blog posts on doing just that.
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe if they didn't charge thousands of dollars for tables that a local craftsman can make for less than a fourth of the cost...
ReplyDeleteIt is not the price that is charged, yes they are over priced, but in the custom furniture business it is all about the cost to produce those pieces and how efficient you can be at it. GC had 50 employees but still had a 7 month production time. That means the demand was there but that doesn't mean that they could turn a profit.
ReplyDeleteI know because we have faced this same proposition several times over the past few years. We make custom gaming tables and have done so by word of mouth for the past several years. The temptation to go bigger has been there but we have decided to stay small and only focus on the Southwestern United States. By doing this we keep our production time down to about 6 weeks and are able more than busy enough to keep the shop humming.
Robert
Uniquely Geek
It's a tough deal for everyone, but to be honest, I feel worst for the customers. As awful as it is to lose one's business, I cant even imagine being out 5k+ through no fault of my own and with little recourse. I hope for all involved that GC can reopen or at least have the owners able to satisfy their customers and creditors and break even, or close to it.
ReplyDeleteFor myself, I live overseas and so there is no way that any of these US shops would be an option. However, I'm tempted as we get ready to build out our new apartment, if a custom table like this is a option.... I think where our flat is, work can be had for quite cheap.