According to an article from Bridgetown Bites, The Paladins League aims to debut in the Rose City Park area at 4765 NE Fremont Street.
“We hope to be open for a grand opening celebration around Halloween. It’s our favorite holiday and we love seeing our neighborhood come together with their imagination and creativity front and center,” owner Jess Monsey told What Now Portland.
“The Paladins League was born to create a true third space where people of all ages can gather together and play more. We’ll have a large board game library and an ongoing series of programs, classes, and events for the community to participate in all of which will revolve around games, storytelling, and creativity. We’ll also have space for private parties.”
“From an aesthetics standpoint, it’s important to us to work to create a warm and fun space that people look forward to spending quality time together in. In the past the space has primarily been a brewery or bar- but we’re working to create a gathering space with more of an ice cream parlor and soda fountain vibe (and with a lot of fantastical reference points in the mix).”
“Menu-wise, we’re focusing on classic family-friendly options that go well with gathering together and playing games. Burgers, fries, and ice cream will be on the list. Drink-wise, our main focus will be on providing delicious non-alcoholic options for our guests- although we will still have some alcoholic beverages available as well.”
“I’ve wanted to create a space where young people, families, and friends could gather together for a long time. We’re a family that loves tabletop games, high fantasy, and being creative together, and when you’re around other people who love to do the same thing it can be an amazing feeling. Especially for young people.”
“That feeling of finding your people and connecting over the things that bring you joy is incredibly important. In the past few years, I’ve read a lot of research about how social isolation and loneliness are affecting our kids and entire community and I just knew it was time to leap. I have two children approaching middle school, and they have been a huge source of inspiration and motivation on this quest.”
“The name is a reference to Dungeons & Dragons, which we play a lot as a family. During the pandemic, my husband and his D&D group invited me to join a campaign in which I played a character who was a paladin, and that campaign lit a big fire in me to finally do this. So, The Paladins League is a tribute to how much that game- and the character I played in it- gave me when the world felt like it was upside down.”
“But importantly this won’t only be a space for Dungeons & Dragons or experienced players. We want to be a place where more people can play more games, more often.”
“That means that whether you love (or are just curious about) Chess, Uno, Scrabble, Catan, Frosthaven, Azul, Mahjong, Clue, Exploding Kittens, Werewolf, What Do You Meme?, Betrayal at the House on the Hill or Monopoly, we will have something for you.”
