Nexus

Mark Blaschke and Nicholas Murray, the partners behind The Nexus Arcade and Gaming Lounge, wanted to create a place that brought the local gaming community together around their shared passions. They brought a lot of enthusiasm to the project but not much knowledge about the business side of things. Mark knew he needed help making sure he was doing things correctly.

He connected with Peter Piconi, business advisor at the Maine SBDC at Coastal Enterprises, Inc (CEI). They worked for several months to develop a strong business plan and a better picture of the financials. Their initial vision included a large space that would require a sizable loan. They found that the risk was too great for a commercial lender and they would need to explore different options. Over the course of several more months, with help from friends and family, they successfully crowdfunded over $15,000!

Located in Winslow, The Nexus Arcade and Gaming Lounge is a combo arcade and hobby shop where gamers can come play, browse and buy a large selection of tabletop, trading card games, collectibles, and figures. It is also a place to hang out with other like-minded individuals and try new games. With this strong start, they hope to eventually expand into a bigger space and offer more gaming products and services to the community.

Mark added, “I would tell [other small business owners] to reach out even if they had the smallest of questions. With our experience with Peter and the SBDC, it’s always good to grab a 2nd opinion even on things you think you are 100% solid on.”