The Kraken’s Crate offers community space for gamers at Legacy Plaza

Cody Soehnlen and Jess Stewart are rolling their 20-sided dice on an opportunity that they hope will result in a critical success for the Newton community.

The husband and wife moved to Iowa from Ohio at a time when it was nearly impossible to make new friends or be social with people outside of work. But when pandemic restrictions lifted, they found themselves in a game store in the Des Moines area and discovered the kind of vibes they had been searching for.

Then they got an idea. Soehnlen and Stewart envisioned a space that replicated the environment of the game store they stumbled upon in the metro. A place where people regularly meet to play board games or Dungeons & Dragons with friends or make new friends while playing card games like Magic: The Gathering.

Legacy Plaza is now the area where that dream has become reality. Soehnlen and Stewart call it The Kraken’s Crate, and it has officially opened for business at 309 W. Fourth St. N., next door to Mahaska Communications Group’s Newton office and across the street from the county administration building.

Equipped with a wall of board games, paint and figurines for role-playing games, trading card game packs, all different kinds of accessories and enough tables for two-player games and group games, The Kraken’s Crate fills a niche for gamers looking for the latest products and gives them a place to actually play them.

“We really want people to feel that this space is just as much their’s as it is our’s,” Stewart said in a recent interview with Newton News. “That’s kind of why we’re here and doing what we’re doing. We really want to create connections and community and friends and we want laughter.”

The shop is a passion project. Soehnlen and Stewart are both keeping their day jobs — a mechanic and an employee at Grinnell College, respectively — and they hope to at least break even. Soehnlen admits he would be OK if the store didn’t make a profit so long as it is creating community and friendships.

“If someone meets their friends here or their core group here and five years down the road they decide to do this in Grinnell, that would be awesome,” he said.

Stewart added, “It’s the community piece and creating connections that weren’t already there before or strengthening connections. That is our main priority. The money is secondary. It’s really about creating a hub here in Newton that maybe isn’t around alcohol or a racecar track. Something with a bit more variety.”

The Kraken’s Crate is a space for all ages. While the owners are playing with the idea of collaborating with Gezellig Brewing Co. for adult game nights, the shop does not sell any alcohol. Pop and snacks are available for gamers, and pizza orders at Murph & Mary’s are highly encouraged.

“This is something you can do with your family, and you can do date night here over at the two-person tables,” Stewart said. “I think it’s a space that anyone can experience and enjoy. Our No. 1 priority is making sure it’s an inclusive space that anyone can access and it allows for some fun to be had.”

BACKGROUND WITH BOARD GAMES & RPGS

If Soehnlen knew he would be having so much fun playing Dungeons & Dragons, he would have started playing much earlier than 2013. For years he had tried to get his wife and his sister-in-law to join in, too. Eventually, Stewart offered that they go to Dungeon’s Gate in Ankeny to play Dungeons & Dragons.

“I about fell out of my chair because I had been wanting to get her into D&D,” he said. “We started with Adventurers League there, which is a program through D&D, and that is where we met our core group of friends. From there we played board games, done a surprise birthday party. It’s been amazing.”

Dungeons & Dragons is a little over 50 years old, but the game is still just as popular. Soehnlen and Stewart said the game’s exposure in the Netflix series “Stranger Things,” in video games like Baldur’s Gate 3 and in web series like Critical Role have improved its accessibility to newer players.

For them, it is a fun and relaxing way to hang out with friends. Stewart resonates with the storytelling aspects of Dungeons & Dragons. As a previous theater kid, she said Dungeons & Dragons is the perfect game for her because she can act out all of these silly and interesting characters in the comfort of her own home.

“We really like D&D and board games of all kinds,” Stewart said. “It’s really about the connection and connecting over a board game or a project or a story that you’re creating together and moving forward through either a game together or a D&D session together. There’s also collaboration and competition.”

It certainly makes for a more engaging evening, and it is that kind of experience they hope The Kraken’s Crate can capture for customers.

Soehnlen also likes that role-playing games and board games offer the players a brief and beautiful escape from the stresses of everyday life.

“You’re in your own world that you’re creating,” he said. “That’s what I love.”

THE NAME, THE GAMES & THE FAME

So where did Soehnlen and Stewart come up with the name? The kraken already has that fantastical quality that lends itself well to a shop that celebrates fantasy role-playing games. Soehnlen also just so happens to be a fan of the creature. The “crate” portion of name came from another idea he had.

“I really enjoy those Japanese mini-trucks, which are super tiny,” Soehnlen said. “The idea was to get one of those and build a crate in the back that has tentacles hanging out of it and everything. And we would travel around and we would open the crate up, and that’s where we would have games and minis.”

However, the Iowa transplants have quickly learned the state’s climate isn’t so forgiving. The freezing winters and humid summers made that dream seem much less feasible, or at least less comfortable. Soehnlen had already purchased the LLC, so he reimagined the concept for a brick-and-mortar.

With the space now much larger than initially anticipated with the mini-truck, The Kraken’s Crate hopes to support trading card game enthusiasts. Currently, the scope is prioritizing Disney Lorcana and Magic: The Gathering. Soehnlen and Stewart also hope to focus on the Pokémon Trading Card Game in the future.

“It’s only going to grow,” Stewart said.

The couple has already been given a considerable amount of feedback from the community about what interests them. Prior to opening, The Kraken’s Crate social media page asked gamers what they wanted to see, and that dialogue will continue on long after the shop’s opening weekend.

Customers are encouraged to bring in their own games or try out any from the in-store game library, but Stewart said The Kraken’s Crate will also hold regular events focusing on certain types of games and themed nights. Now that the shop is open for business, Soehnlen and Stewart are excited to see what sticks.

There are already signs of excitement.

Security camera footage shows people have been peeking through the glass to see the progress. Soehnlen recalled seeing small finger smudges by the windows, indicating that even the smallest of gamers know about The Kraken’s Crate and are excited to see what’s in store.

When they hosted an open house, people had arrived a half-hour early. They’re taking it as a good sign. A strong roll of the dice.

“We’re just so appreciative of the community that’s welcomed us. Our community partners have been really great resources for us and getting us up and going as two, first-time business owners,” Stewart said. “…I’m excited to just be able to share it with people and to see if they’re as passionate about it as we are.”