A recent move for Kingdom Geekdom and The Blossom Shop has benefited both businesses. Kingdom Geekdom moved from its downtown location to a home studio at the beginning of 2020, and The Blossom Shop moved into the vacated space.
Heather Webster became the owner of The Blossom Shop in November 2019 and said the new building offers her many advantages.
“The lighting is better, and it’s a more modern building,” Webster said.
Alison McDowell, owner of Kingdom Geekdom, said she and her husband chose to move because business grew more than she expected.
“The marketing, screen printing, and online shows all took off,” McDowell said, “so, we renovated the top of our house into a home studio.”
McDowell said she helps local businesses and artists with marketing.
“The marketing is really fun because you get people who bring you their passions,” McDowell.
Kingdom Geekdom currently records shows four nights a week, according to McDowell. Two of the shows, McDowell said, are currently available for viewing, while the other two shows are in the process of recording and will premiere in the spring.
Bo Barnett created the setting, characters, and story for each of the games used in the active shows. “Not of the Gods” is a podcast available on SoundCloud, and the “Misadventures of Notable Nobodies” is a live show that plays on Friday nights at 7 p.m. on twitch.tv. Both games take place in the “World of Sol’raan,” in which the world is recovering from everyone gaining free will, according to Barnett.
“They’re slowly trying to take things into their own,” Barnett said.
“Not of the Gods” is set in A.D. 196 and has a more serious situation, as many of the characters are in a state of not knowing, according to Barnett. The “Misadventures of Notable Nobodies” is set in A.D. 900 and has a more light-hearted situation as the characters know more about themselves and the world.
“‘Misadventures’ is where ‘Dungeon and Dragons’ meets ‘The Office’ kind of feel,” Barnett said. “There are lots of mishaps and miscommunications.”
Barnett said he is happy with the recent rise in the popularity of “Dungeons and Dragons,” along with other tabletop role-playing games as a result of notable shows.
“It’s been great to see it come back into the public eye as much as it has,” Barnett said.
Additionally, Barnett said the shows have given him more confidence as a creator, as he is able to practice his story-writing and character-creating skills with friends before introducing his ideas to a larger audience.
“Alison has been great about setting up the new studio area that we’re working out of,” Barnett said.
McDowell said leaving the downtown space was a difficult decision because she enjoyed seeing customers and hosting events. With the home studio, however, McDowell said she gets to spend more time with her kids.
Since moving the business to her home, McDowell said her daughter has learned more about the shows. She added that her daughter is particularly helpful when it comes to designing children’s shows for youth groups at their church.
“My daughter can give her input and see what it takes to run a business,” McDowell said. “It’s really interesting to see her get so involved and see how the show works.”