Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Castellow.
Hi Scott, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I, along with the other owners, Tommy and Josh, were coworkers at another job, and had a passion for tabletop gaming and models. Our current needs were not being met by the stores currently in the area, and we began working on the idea of starting our own store as a joke. Next thing we knew, we had a storefront and were working to build it up nicely for our opening day.
Our philosophy has always been on supporting, and building the community. We quickly grew with the community’s dedicated support and are extremely grateful for all of our fantastic community members. We are about to hit our two-year mark and are very happy with how much we’ve grown and how much the community has grown with us.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The main struggle for us was always time. All three owners still work full-time, so finding the time to balance our work schedule, and the store’s schedule was a real challenge. We’ve had to adjust our hours as we have progressed, but our community has been very understanding whenever we have needed to make a change or adjust.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As mentioned before, all three owners have a passion for painting and playing with our miniatures.
I have been painting for around 8-9 years, and started it as a small hobby to paint Star Wars miniatures. It quickly spiraled as I’ve always been an artist. I have painted most of our store demo armies that our customers can pull out of our display case and join in the fun if they don’t have an army.
I am most proud of Josh, Tommy, and I for the work that has been done to make us successful. Our approach of “Community-first” policies has really helped us to stand out from the competition. We really focus on supporting everyone in the hobby, from beginners to experts. Each owner will happily help teach any newcomer with any aspect of the hobby, and even many of our great community members with different experiences will jump in and help with questions.
We have our own hobby area in the store that is regularly used by community members to just hang out and enjoy the time together with each other and us at the store.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson that we have learned along the way is probably that community is the core of a business like this. Fulfilling the community’s needs becomes the surefire way to be fulfilled.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.forgeandfactions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forge_and_factions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Forge-Factions-61569476551931/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ForgeandFactions
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/forge-and-factions-chesapeake
