Couple turn love of board games into a business

Despite being married for more than 30 years, local business owners Aileen and Elliot Kloss still remember the board game they played on their first date: Monopoly.

“To be honest, there wasn’t that much to play in those days that a group could play,” Elliot said. “But I have nothing against Monopoly.”

The couple has since moved on to more unique board games and into downtown Grafton. The Klosses opened Board in Grafton, a new board game store at 1230 11th Ave., on Sept. 30. The store has hundreds of unique games, from single-player games to card games, storytelling games and everything in between.

The Klosses proudly identify as nerds and are as passionate about board games as anyone. When you walk through the door at Board in Grafton, a friendly — and knowledgeable — face is ready to direct you to your next favorite strategy game, a pair of Dungeons & Dragons dice or a card game to entertain the family at Thanksgiving.

They can also tell you all about their trips to Gen Con, America’s largest tabletop gaming convention, which used to be hosted in Lake Geneva but recently moved to Indiana. Regardless, the Klosses will make the trip to check out the newest games, find out who wins a Dice Tower award — essentially the Oscars for board games— and to meet their favorite board game YouTubers.

That kind of passion can be a bit overwhelming for someone new to the board game world, they admit, but bringing the local community into their world is the Klosses’ goal with Board in Grafton. Behind their passion for board games comes a belief in the benefits of human connection.

“Sometimes when you’re really craving that one-on-one connection with a person, which I think is so much of what we have been lacking, that’s where these games help,” Aileen said.

They both developed a love for board games in childhood, years before they met during high school in Shorewood, but playing games together became a cornerstone of their relationship and something to share with family and friends.

“We really tried to push that with our kids growing up,” Elliot said. “They didn’t always want to play, but I think they have good memories of us doing family board game night.”

Those family board game nights have expanded into the couples’ store, which not only sells games but has a library for visitors to use. With four tables spread throughout the space, visitors can take a game from the lending shelf and sit down to play with friends, family or even the Klosses themselves. The store has hosted a Yahtzee tournament and a two-player game night and has open game nights on Thursdays, all to encourage the local community to play together.

Aileen said that even if someone comes in alone, that doesn’t mean they have to play a game alone.

“Let us sit down with you and play a game,” she said. “If you come in by yourself, one of us can stop what we’re doing. We’ll help you set it up and play.”

Their most popular game so far is one called Bring Your Own Book. Each player has a novel in front of them and must answer a question written on a card using a line from that book. The questions are silly, —  “Name a rejected ice cream flavor” or “What is your pet thinking?” — and players must flip through their book to find a line they can use as an answer. The player who chooses the card picks the best answer.

There are other unique games in the store, like King of Tokyo, which uses the same mechanics as Yahtzee to help players defeat monsters from Japanese classics like “Godzilla,” and another called Tokida, which takes players on a tourist journey through Japan, with the player who has the most experiences in the end winning.

“People who tell me, ‘Oh, I just don’t like board games,’ I beg to differ,” Aileen said. “I think you just haven’t met the right game.”

The Klosses have lived in Grafton for 16 years and both have full-time jobs in the community. Board in Grafton is open evenings Wednesdays through Fridays and has expanded hours on the weekend. The couple hope to hire additional employees to expand their weekday hours and accommodate children during the summer. For now, though, they’re happy to be able to share their passion with the community they love.

“Just talking to some of the other small business owners in town, everybody seems to have this same mentality. Let’s have events. Let’s bring people in. Let’s bring people together,” Aileen said. “I think that is something that is going to set Grafton apart in Ozaukee County because there really is this bringing-people-together mindset right now.”