ONCE empty retail space in Galashiels is now home to a ‘geek’ community hub.

The former Bonmarché store on Channel Street has been transformed into a community space, shop and café for fans of comic books, sci-fi, fantasy and boardgames.

Geek Retreat, a brand which can be found around the UK, has opened its doors in the Borders, offering a space for people to come together to share their love for games such as Pokémon and Dungeons and Dragons, as well as boardgames and Harry Potter.

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Charlie Dawson, 41, who opened the Galashiels branch told the Border Telegraph: “I think there’s a lot of confusion and people think it’s just for children, but that’s not the case.”

Before officially opening the store on December 4, Charlie, with the help of friends and family, spent four weeks redecorating the Channel Street unit.

Charlie, who formerly worked with the Rowlands youth group in Selkirk, says Geek Retreat aims to provide locals with a space to meet new people with a shared interest – something which was difficult to do during last years lockdowns.

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She said: “There’s a lot of confusion about what is Geek Retreat, so if you take the ‘geek’ away, it’s a retreat, it’s a place for people to meet up.

“With the pandemic, as a youth worker I found a lot of people had anxiety and they couldn’t leave their house.

“These types of games like Pokémon, Dungeons and Dragons, Yu-Gi-Oh!, exploded online.

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“This is a place for people to make new friendships and just get out of their comfort zone at home and battle their own anxiety. I see this as kind of a hub. So people, if they’re supporting someone, can bring them in and have their private chat and play games and it’s a good distraction if you’re supporting someone because they feel comfortable and you’re doing something – not sat in a café thinking of who’s listening.

“I think as well because of the free bus travel for people under the age of 22, that’s going to open a lot of doors for people to come here too, so they can come over from Hawick or Jedburgh.”

The large downstairs area of Geek Retreat offers customers a space to play together, study or chat, with a range of hot food, baked goods, and hot and cold drinks – including the shop’s very popular milkshakes.

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And in what was once the large stock room for Bonmarché, Charlie has a number of plans for the future.

She said: “My vision is to have upstairs for kids’ parties and for private gaming.

“But that will be next year when I get some more money to do it up.

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“Because a lot of people have anxiety, this [downstairs] is like a fish bowl because everybody’s looking in as they walk past, and people with a wee bit of anxiety may want to private game, there’s a space upstairs for that.

“I think there’s a bit of a gap in the market for kids’ parties.

“There’s so much scope for it to be used upstairs, it could be a Christmas grotto next year, there’s so much [it could be] for the whole community."

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As the first female Geek Retreat branch owner in Scotland, Charlie hopes that by breaking misconceptions about the industry, her business can be a space for anyone.

“I’m the only Scottish store, and the only single female opening at the moment,” said Charlie. “It’s predominantly a lot of men that open up these kinds of stores and I think because I’m a female and a mum, my Geek Retreat’s more aimed towards the whole community.

“I think because I’m a female, and a mother as well that’s quite comforting to people that are families because I obviously know what families want – having my boardgames and regularly sanitising my Lego and keeping the place clean and up to COVID compliances is really important to me.”

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Geek Retreat also runs a series of free and paid for events throughout the week, including a chess club, a kids’ and adults’ Pokémon club, and quiz nights.