The Game House in North Providence is Bringing People Back to the Table
A trip to Denmark inspired two North Providence residents to open a community-minded board game cafe.
The Game House officially opened in late August and features entertaining games such as Monopoly, Bananagrams, Battleship, UNO and more. Photography by Edelinda Baptista.
The Game House, a board game cafe on Smith Street in North Providence, offers Rhode Islanders and beyond a unique third space to roll dice, strategize, brainstorm and win alongside community members.
The cafe is the brainchild of partners Genesis Sanchez and August Bogner, who met at Camp Nowhere in 2025 but remember their meet-cute a bit differently. Sanchez recalls stopping in for Buffalo chicken sliders, while Bogner remembers her wanting to watch the basketball game – and ordered sliders along the way. Regardless, the two struck up a conversation, quickly became friends and soon started dating.
To celebrate the new year, the pair traveled to Denmark, where Sanchez met Bogner’s family. During their trip, they visited a board game cafe and loved the experience. When they returned home, they decided to take on a new business venture that would bring that same welcoming atmosphere to their own community.
Initially, the couple considered opening an indoor pickleball court, but finding a building that could accommodate the sport proved difficult. Remembering their visit to the Danish board game cafe, the couple quickly pivoted to a different concept. Within days, they had registered an LLC and secured the Instagram and website handles. Soon after returning home, they scheduled a viewing of a potential space.
“We were both looking for something that could get our feet wet and build something from the bottom up,” says Bogner. “It seemed like a fun thing that we didn’t have in this area that we could actually do.”
Have a seat in the main or adjoining space and grab your favorite board game, or perhaps a game you’ve never played before.
Two weeks after receiving their final required permits, The Game House officially opened in late August to a crowd of curious and competitive patrons. Before cutting the ribbon outside the main entrance, the owners peeked out another door to see an impressive line of people waiting to enter.
“It was so heartwarming, but also terrifying,” says Sanchez. “We ran out of coffee fairly fast because we didn’t expect that volume to be at the door.” The cafe quickly reached capacity, forcing the owners to reluctantly turn some people away. Those guests received golden tickets to use toward their next visit.
Sanchez was surprised that some patrons had traveled an hour to check out the space. “I was like, ‘As a Rhode Islander, you’re driving an hour away to come here? That’s impressive,” she says. A fellow player even gifted the owners a 3D-printed plant holder bearing the cafe’s name.
“[The support] was overwhelming. We were like, ‘Let’s try opening this board game cafe.’ And then everybody started picking up on it so fast, so we were like, ‘Oh shoot! Now there’s an expectation since people have been waiting months for us to open.’”
By the cafe, where guests can purchase snacks, candy and coffee, there’s additional games including The Oregon Trail and Cards Against Humanity.
For a $10 admission fee, guests can play as many games as they like throughout the day. For those who want to make The Game House a regular hangout, monthly memberships are available for $25 for an individual or $45 for a multiplayer membership. Guests can reserve a private room accommodating up to fourteen players for $100 per hour or $130 for two hours.
The collection spans casual card games like Uno, Phase 10 and Cards Against Humanity; classics like Battleship, Sorry! and Monopoly; popular strategy games like Catan, Ticket to Ride, Azul and Carcassonne; and more niche selections such as Plunder, You’re Getting Old and Saturday Night Live: The Game.
“We play a lot of Catan,” Sanchez jokes.
The collection doubled within the first month of opening. In addition to occasionally purchasing games from individuals, the owners have received donations from guests looking to pass along games taking up space at home. One older gentleman even brought seventeen versions (!) of Risk.
If there’s a game you’re eager to try, drop a request in the suggestion box. You’re also welcome to bring your own and invite fellow patrons to join in.
When it’s time for a break, guests can grab candy, chocolates, chips and popcorn, along with drinks like coffee, hot chocolate, tea and soda. The team is working on obtaining a beer and wine permit, with plans to expand food options like flatbreads.
In an age dominated by smartphones and social media, Sanchez and Bogner encourage guests to tune out the outside world for a while and enjoy the company of those around them, whether they’re working together or plotting against one another during gameplay.
“We want people to come in and hang out with each other, put your phone in your pocket and just be with the people around you,” says Bogner, who was struck by how fun board game cafes could be when he first experienced one. “We played a lot of games at home, but once you start playing video games and whatnot, you forget about it. As I rediscovered it, I realized how fun it actually is. It’s a lot more fun than sitting and scrolling on my phone.”
Sanchez, who is passionate about fostering community, hopes the cafe will become a hub for locals and visitors alike.
“There’s so much hate and ugly out in the world that we just want this to be a place of comfort and peaceful energy,” she says. “If you’re interested in candle making, we can have a candle making class. If you want to learn how to make a flower arrangement, we’ll have a flower arrangement class – whatever we can facilitate so that people can exist here.”
Take away the games and the snacks, and the cafe’s core purpose comes into focus: bringing people together.
“If you give people one thing that they have in common, that’s all you need,” says Sanchez. “There are people I’ve met here who I probably would never have crossed paths with in my day-to-day life. But we can both play this game, we can start here.”
The Game House is open Mon.–Thurs. 6–10 p.m., Fri. 6–11 p.m., Sat. 2–11 p.m. and Sun. 2–10 p.m. 1726 Smith St., North Providence, thegamehouseri.com, @thegamehouseri
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