Portland, ME Another Round, owned by Harry Sultan, will be the city’s first board game bar and cafe when it opens at 549 Congress St. in late May. Sultan worked with Cheri Bonawitz and Karen Rich of Malone Commercial Brokers to secure the lease. “Cheri was there every step of the way,” Sultan said, “I never really thought I would end up owning the space, and Cheri helped me understand what it would take to go through that whole process and spelled everything out in a very demystifying way.”
Sultan is aiming to fill a niche in Portland’s entertainment scene by “creating a place where you can swing by for great coffee or local craft beer, with a community board game space at the core - something that Portland is missing.”
The 1,397 s/f space will house numerous games, “things that are more appealing for families so you can get everyone involved through the classics like Monopoly and Guess Who and those sorts.” Sultan said that he will also include games that cater to people who are really interested in the hobby such as newer classics, Catan and Ticket to Ride, to the more advanced like Wingspan and Twilight Imperium. Patrons can grab a placard indicating that they are looking to play with a group, fostering a gaming community whether it be just stopping in or making an event of it.
Having to start from the ground up in the former downtown office space, Sultan is working with Woodhall Architects and Construction to bring his vision to life. A key feature is a massive custom pegboard shelving system on one wall to house the cafe’s 200+ board games.
The layout will also feature a beautiful wooden bar for both espresso and beer service, with seating for solo patrons to enjoy single-player games while waiting to meet others. The focus is on maximizing space with larger tables to accommodate larger scale board game setups.
Long-term, Sultan hopes to add a roastery and coffee carts. “This is the proof of concept I’m putting my full effort behind,” said Sultan. “I’m hoping we can demonstrate that there’s strong demand for spaces like this in Portland”.
Set to open after Memorial Day, hours will be Wednesday-Sunday 8am to 9pm to accommodate tourists and those with unconventional schedules. Sultan notes that this is subject to change.