The first board game cafe in Myrtle Beach, SC is here. See what all it has to offer

From homeschooled kids to retirees, longtime locals to first-time tourists, Myrtle Beach’s first board game cafe aims to offer something for everyone.

Since opening earlier this month at 519 Broadway St. in downtown Myrtle Beach, The Space has hosted families, friends, community organizations, youth groups and more. Owner Deborah Lopes hopes the board game cafe will “cater to every age and interest.”

“I just feel it’s so important that people have a safe place to come that they can just feel comfortable to just hang for hours and play games and not have to worry about drinking, not have to worry about spending crazy money, that they could just hang and play games,” Lopes said.

The Space offers visitors puzzles, card games, Legos, coloring, a photo corner and, of course, hundreds of board games for all ages. The selection includes classics like Trivial Pursuit, popular picks like Catan, newer games like Exploding Kittens and even the locally famous Myrtle Beach Opoly.

The pay-to-play model also lets guests try out more games they aren’t sure about buying and experience mystery-style games that lose suspense after secrets are revealed in the first play through.

“People just love the classic games, like the Trivial Pursuits. Hues and Clues is super popular,” said Lopes. “And the cool thing too is we have a lot of expensive games, so they might not be games that people want to buy to play once.”

Setting the board

Inspiration to open a board game cafe first struck Lopes years ago in her home state of Massachusetts. Although the project never got off the ground up north, when Lopes moved down to Myrtle Beach four years ago, she brought her extensive collection of games.

After mixing mocktails for Downtown’s F1rst Friday Artwalks at Kaleidoscope Artisan Collective, Lopes jumped at the chance to move into the unit when the gallery made plans to move into a bigger space down the street.

“My ears kind of popped up when I heard them say they wanted to move,” Lopes said. “So I came in and we were just going to do this as a rentable event space, and then I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I could do the board game thing.’”

A place in the community

Beyond everyday gaming, The Space hosts private functions like baby showers and parties, as well as community gatherings like a mixer for Myrtle Beach Singles.

The board game cafe also regularly offers discounted sessions, hangouts for homeschooled children, afterschool gameplay for teens and other events.

A complete schedule of happenings, including tournaments, contests, parties and more, is available on The Space’s social media. The upcoming events are part of Lopes’s plan to engage and give back to the community.

“We hope to do community outreach events where we can just be that spot that people are like, ‘We know that she’s about the community. We know that she’s about good people,’” Lopes said.

The Space is currently collecting donations for Help 4 Kids, the Homeless Period Project and Kind Keeper No-Kill Animal Rescue. Lopes says the board game cafe will continue to seek out nonprofit organizations to assist.

“I’ve been on the receiving end of a lot of help, just getting through life, and so now, it’s kind of our time to give back,” Lopes said. “So we have what’s called the ‘it takes a village corner,’ and we give back to all these different programs.”

Planning a visit

The Space is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Currently, visitors have the choice between one-time passes and monthly memberships.

Members get unlimited visits, three drink or snack tickets and three buddy passes to bring a friend every month. Memberships cost $20 a month for adults and $17 for kids aged seven through 17 years.

Visitors who want to drop in once can purchase 2 hours of play time, with the option to extend hour-by-hour. Sessions are $10 for adults, $7 for ages 3 to 17 years and kids under 3 get in free. Each additional hour is $5 per person.

While day passes don’t include food or beverages, all guests can purchase soft drinks, snacks and weekend mocktails, or bring their own alcoholic beverages.

This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 6:00 AM.