Next Frontier Hobbies opens with family’s creative touch
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LEWISTOWN -- Nearly two weeks after Next Frontier Hobbies opened at 54 Chestnut St. in Lewistown, Dan Romig said the early response has been good.
His daughters have handled much of the shop's daily work since the July 8 opening while Romig continues moving to the area. He's heard enough to know people are finding their way inside.
"It's been very positive," Romig said. "We're not just a hobby shop."
Next Frontier Hobbies carries collectible card games, board games, supplies, toys, and hobby items. But Romig said the shop also draws on the skills of his daughters, Emily and Isabella, who bring their own creative work into the business.
Emily, his older daughter, does artwork, 3D modeling, 3D printing, and 3D art cards. Isabella, his younger daughter, does tailoring and alterations. Romig said Isabella studied those skills in a high school program and took part in a fashion show where she created 12 designs and dresses.
Romig hopes the sisters can combine their talents. Emily could use 3D printing and design work. Isabella could handle fashion pieces. Together, they may create cosplay outfits, helmets, wedding items, prom dresses, children's dresses, and other custom pieces.
His pride comes through quickly when he talks about them.
"They definitely have way more talent than I do," Romig said. "I have the easy part of the business. I just buy stuff and then sell it. They actually have to use their skills and abilities to do it."
The idea for a hobby shop had been with Romig for years.
He played Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons at Penn State University. He knew the feel of a hobby shop: shelves full of games and cards, and tables where people could sit down with strangers and leave with a shared interest.
He wanted to open one when he was younger, but it didn't seem practical then. The thought stayed with him anyway.
A couple of years ago, Emily brought it back.
"Why don't we open a hobby shop?" she asked.
Romig didn't need much convincing. He had wanted one for years, and the shop gave Emily a way to use her art. Over time, the family picked a place, bought the property, and worked through the details of opening a business.
Lewistown made sense for a personal reason. Romig has family in the area, including his mother, two sisters, a brother, aunts, cousins, and uncles.
Next Frontier Hobbies carries collectible card games such as Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Disney Lorcana, and Yu-Gi-Oh!, along with binders, boxes, protective supplies, and single cards players can use to improve their decks.
The shop plans to offer organized play, where local players can come in, play rounds, and meet other players.
For Romig, the internet can't ship that in a box.
"You can buy the cards online, but you can't buy the experience of playing in-game with other people," he said.
That's part of the bet behind the business. A customer can order cards online. A big-box store can sell basic games. But Romig said a local shop can offer product knowledge and a conversation.
A customer might need a game that works for kids, a cooperative game, or something for four players. Romig said a shop owner who knows the games can guide them in a way a larger retailer often can't.
The board game section will follow the same idea. Romig said Next Frontier Hobbies doesn't plan to focus on the same games people can already find at Walmart. He wants to carry games customers may not know yet, the kind they might hesitate to buy without someone explaining how they work.
He pointed to Settlers of Catan as a game that once seemed unfamiliar to many casual players but became widely popular.
The store also has a limited toy section, with plans to expand. Romig said he has ordered items similar to Transformer Legos and hopes to sell vintage G.I. Joes and Transformers. He also plans to add sports cards, starting with individual cards before going deeper into that market.
The store doesn't plan to focus on model cars, battleships, or radio-controlled cars. Romig said other businesses already serve those areas.
Romig hopes Next Frontier Hobbies grows into a community. The business is using half the building now, with renovations planned for the other half. Over time, he would like to expand and hold special events, including days built around G.I. Joes, Transformers, and organized card play.
He sees it as a place where people can come together around hobbies that happen face to face.
"In today's society, there's a lot of people, especially kids, who play computer games," Romig said.
He said tabletop games and card games can give young people something different: face-to-face interaction.
Romig grew up in a time when his mother told him to get out of the house and come back when it started getting dark. He remembers older board games, including Avalon Hill titles, that required patience, rules, and a willingness to sit at a table long enough to figure them out.
Now, he said, small board game designers can raise money through the internet and produce games that may never land on the shelves of a big-box store. That gives a shop like his a role.
Next Frontier Hobbies is open from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, and from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday.
For now, Romig is watching a long-held idea become a real shop, with cards to protect, games to explain, and a family's skills behind the counter.
The frontier in the name isn't only about hobbies. It's about seeing whether Lewistown still has room for a store built around people who like to make, play, collect, and gather.