As businesses throughout Lawrence close due to plummeting revenue and skyrocketing rents, The Dragon’s Hoard, with its free-to-use play spaces and safe space ethos, has roosted in a larger den thanks to a fiercely loyal community of gamers and hobbyists.
It’s a rare predicament when a customer has to convince a business owner to take more of their money, but that’s one way the game and hobby shop has managed to grow, despite giving away space to players for free.
“People from the community … harass me to start Patreon so they can give me money or donate money to us on a monthly basis to help cover the game room. That’s been the most wonderful part is, I mean, I know we talk a lot about community, but I truly appreciate how much the community wants us to be around,” said DJ Cooper.
Cooper has been the co-owner, store manager, product manager and bard of The Dragon’s Hoard (DH) since it opened in 2018.
“I know I’m a business and I have to make money, but when you always have a paywall to just sit down, there will be people that never come engage just because they had to pay $5 to sit down,” Cooper said. “So you’re losing potential members of a community because you’re forcing everyone to pay because some people just can’t afford that … and I don’t want to ever be the cause of that.”
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Renelle Desjardin, store manager and monk, wants to keep the dice rolling even when entertainment is a low priority in customers’ budgets.
“It’s hard to make a living wage now,” Desjardin said. “… Everything’s more expensive, rent, food, so their money has to go to their necessities. And this is actually a necessity too, to have entertainment and have fun.”
The Dragon Hoard’s staff and customer base celebrated the Grand (Re)opening of the store Saturday with a potluck and gaming galore. Once taking up 2,200 square feet in a charming building at 1045 Pennsylvania St., the shop now lays claim to 3,900 square feet at 1800 E. 23rd St., Suite B2.
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“It’s emotional for me, because this is stuff I’ve tried to do for the last two decades,” Cooper said, as he served the room and started to cry. He’s been playing the games his store caters to since he was 8 years old, and long worked as a traveling consultant, setting up competitive gaming circuits and helping independent game stores become financially soluble.
“I’ve built communities, and then I moved, and I know those communities still operate, but I’ve never been involved from every step of the way,” he continued. “And just seeing how much they support us and support each other is beautiful to me. It’s what I always wanted.”
It’s everything Ericka Cole wanted, too, although she had her reservations when her husband talked her into going for the first time. Cole said many gaming shops have a reputation for being dimly lit, unclean and catering exclusively to men.
But one trip to DH, and Cole had a spell cast on her.
She now works as a cashier and wizard at the store, where she also hosts Trans Lawrence Coalitions’ monthly board game nights. As the communications chair for TLC, she acknowledged that DH is a critical community space for the group.
“It stems from that safety,” she said. “It’s the same reason that so many women feel safe coming here, because we do have a really high population of women in our store. But then people in the trans community started coming in and realizing it’s a safe place and it’s inclusive.”
The relocation is a necessary tactical move that will likely bring even more devotees into the fold. Cooper said they had to turn players away at the old location because of limited space and elevated noise levels.
The Pennsylvania Street location beckoned deck builders and miniature painters in with punny signs out front and two gaming rooms. Folks could buy snacks from a vending machine, and peruse stock of hobby and game paraphernalia.
Now, on 23rd Street, the dragon’s kingdom spans an additional 200 square footage for retail and 1,500 square feet for gameplay. Cooper spoke like a dungeon master who has painstakingly built a map for his adventurers — but, in this case, the pieces are a communal fridge and custom-built play tables.
The two public gaming rooms are larger, plus they’ve added an events hall and two private gaming rooms.
Another, quieter room can be used for events, streaming or by folks with noise sensitivities or who are hard of hearing.
An expanse of wall in the play room is occupied by hanging gameplay maps, and a booth tucked in the back of the event hall is a treasure trove of Warhammer 40K miniatures, models and terrains amassed by the Kaw Valley Wargaming Guild.
Josh Petty helped run the KU Warhammer club before starting the Kaw Valley guild, which has a membership subscription model. Collectively, they’ve bought a host of Warhammer implements that Cooper lets them store at DH. Members of the guild can use the collection at any time.
“Big thing about college students, especially young kids trying to get into the hobby — it costs, like, thousands of dollars to just get a massive army big enough to be able to play with,” Petty said. “… It’s a way to kind of kickstart their hobby, and to encourage people who don’t have the money to play or don’t have the time to buy (everything).”
Hunter Coffman was immersed in a game using a titan model purchased by the guild for about $250. He learned how to play Warhammer from folks at DH when he was 16.
“It’s still fairly niche and a lot of people maybe are scared to ask new people to play,” he said. “I certainly was when I started. I was terrified of … asking for help. And there’s just so many people around here that know how to play or are really good at it and are really good at explaining it. It just helps people grow as players and make good habits and just become a good competitor.”
Desjardin loved how DH players, spanning games and hobbies, are open to teaching others their craft without getting overly competitive.
“I think our community is very welcoming,” she said. “… They’re willing to teach new people, take them on, introduce them to the game that they love … That’s what I’d like people to know. It’s very welcoming. They can always just come in try it out.”
The DH runs or hosts sessions for Magic: The Gathering (rotating formats); Pathfinder Society; roleplaying games; Wargaming; board games and more. Folks can also bring a group of friends with their own games, or borrow board games from the play room. Tables in the game room can be reserved for a fee. Any open tables can be claimed in person for free.
To fully tap all of DH’s resources, people can join their Patreon. The $15 per month tier bestows boon on the subscriber, allowing them to access the game room at will, 24/7.
DH is fundraising to put up a sign at the new location. More information will be released on their Discord. Donations can be made here.
The end of a campaign: Photos from the old Dragon’s Hoard location
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.
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Molly Adams (she/her), photo editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2022. She can be reached at molly@lawrencekstimes.com.
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