Nearly 12 years ago, Isaac Beavin opened Game Pulse, a game store located on Main St. in Rexburg, as a haven and community for enthusiasts of Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering and Warhammer to come together and create memories.
“A lot of people, they will come here for their college, and they'll be here at BYUI and then graduate, or they go back home for their off track, and they'll go to these other stores, and they'll come back and be like, ‘I missed your store. There's no store like yours,’” Beavin said. “And it just brings so much joy to my heart seeing that and being able to bring that experience to other people as well.”
When Beavin opened Game Pulse, he wanted to create a space for gamers to use where they could meet new people and play the games they love for free.
“A lot of places, especially with a lot of game store owners, there's a rent for that space in their store, and they see that that space needs to be making money,” Beavin said. “And I see, with these free events, I'm like, well, I'm seeing that these people are able to become friends with each other and learn about some really fun games and have a good time.”
Tables are set up throughout the store for customers to use whenever they like, but Beavin also hosts scheduled game nights throughout the week, like Magic Night and Star Wars Night. But one of the most popular weekly events held at Game Pulse is the free paint a miniature workshop.
“So, you can come in, paint a miniature up for free and take it home with you,” Beavin said. “Or if you have a miniature, you can paint it up. Or if you want to buy one, we have them for sale as well. We've been doing that for about eight years now, ten years, something like that. It's been really great. A lot of people got into that hobby and it's a very enjoyable experience.”
Along with his passion for games, Beavin says his favorite part about owning Game Pulse is the community.
“Just seeing people come out of their shell, seeing people being able to communicate and socialize and have a community, have new friends. And it just brings something to me that it's worth more than gold,” Beavin said.
To learn more about Game Pulse and its weekly events, you can find them on Facebook, or go to their store located at 52 East Main St. in Rexburg.