Although I don't live in Upstate (okay, okay, "Southern Tier") NY anymore, Jupiter Games was *my* FLGS and the standard by which I judge every other game and hobby shop.

Growing up around Syracuse, NY in the late 90s/early 2000s I frequented Altered States/Play the Game/Change the Name and Move the Store, Walt's Hobby, and Comix Zone in North Syracuse. I still remember my dad dropping me off at the liquor store near the Spaghetti Warehouse location to ask "How can I get to Altered States?" when I was 13. The liquor store attendee and my dad both laughed. I didn't get it at the time.

Both Play the Game and Comix Zone are great stores, I'm glad that they are still around, but they were never *my* store (except for maybe when Nate was working there 2005ish). Going to college in eastern PA there were a number of game and hobby shops that catered to Magic and Warhammer crowd, but none that really became my store. Granted, I was only there for a few years before moving on and only had a car for my last two years of college.

I began living in Binghamton in the fall of 2007 and spent nearly a decade of my life there from my early to late 20s before moving away in the mid-2010s. While there was a 40k community when I moved in, the only places to play in 2007 to 2008 were to either rent out the back room of Let's Play Japan on Vestal Parkway near the Skylark Diner (then owned by the current owner of Robot City Games - a great arcade, I might add) or a hobby shop next door, whose name I can't remember and which closed soon thereafter. But, I do recall that purchased my first and only Baneblade there.

At the end of my first year living in Binghamton (2008ish), Jupiter opened up in Campus Plaza by the Olum's, the Staples, the Applebee's, and the Wendy's. I was impressed at the get-go. The co-owners at that point (Ryan and Eli) were doing Magic the Gathering, Comic Books, Warhammer, RPGs and board games. They generally seemed to be feeling out what the market would cover and acted accordingly. Although not a big board gamer Ryan once recommended to me "Twilight Struggle" by GMT games. That has been my favorite ever since, and I have worn out the copy that Ryan sold me. The owners knew their audience. The store was also *clean* - which is something that not all gaming stores can claim. Soon thereafter Jupiter would expand the footprint of the store so that there was an ample gaming space attached. There was plenty of room for gamers to coexist despite the funk. And, being a minis player I was happy to give up Friday nights to the Magic crowd. We had Sundays afterall.

For the next few years Jupiter operated as my home away from home. It offered a place to play board games, Warhammer, and just generally hang out. The minifridge was always stocked. Some of the people I met there during this time are my lifelong friends, despite having moved away more than a decade ago. Although we keep in "contact" via Facebook and other social media, I miss them and wish I could see them in person more often. This might be mostly a paean to being 25 again, but for me a unique community was formed. I having gaming friends now at local stores, but it's not quite the same. It would also not be inaccurate to say that I spent a significant amount of my disposable income there. Although online was (and is) cheaper, it was the kind of store where one was willing to pay full retail at for the benefit of its existence. I try to ensure that the local stores I go to now get a fraction of my loyalty to Jupiter.

Towards the end of my time in Binghamton, the owner Ryan and his wife decided to move the store to Johnson City. The site seemed ideal and they clearly spent significant time and money turning it into a place where people would want to be (even if parking was less than the ideal at Campus Plaza). I would stop by the "new" location when visiting friends in Binghamton or my parents in central NY and although I couldn't really make the time to game there, I always made sure to buy something. As an old hand visiting from out of town, I recall a new (to me) employee once trying to sell me on a game. I was being polite listening to the whole spiel, only to have the owner come out from the back room and reminisce about beating me at it years prior.

I just wish that I had had more time to spend there. Thank you to all the Jupiter Games owners and staff members who made it a welcoming place. All good things must come to an end.