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I would agree, the mentality of "this is terrible" is more accurately "this is terrible for me".

Someone had to say it. I was thinking the same thing when those kind of posts started appearing here.

I've been led to believe that work has started on the new location in Bowie, though no opening date has been announced yet. Also, no word yet on who will be managing, though several very good area managers have applied.

By the way, the Arundel Mills GW store has a new manager as of yesterday for its remaining couple months. Here's a hint as to whom it is, a quote from a song by The Who, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." Yes, it's the same manager they had a couple years ago who was there for a few years before moving on to Bunkers till recently.

How much does it pay? I need a job and I could be enticed to move back there.

spaceelf wrote:

Smolo82 wrote:Yea but some of the Northern stores are small.

Although it is funny when people come in and ask if they have a specific Wii game.

It is true that some of the N MD stores are small. However, Yorkridge is currently the largest GW store in MD with three 6x4 tables, two 5x4 tables, and three intro tables, along with an enormous paint bar. It is rare that there is not space to paint or play.

Yea cept the only problem is those loud little bastards who get dropped off by their parents. It makes you feel like you are in a jungle gym at a McD's.

Any new info?

Killian wrote:Any new info?

At least a few existing area GW managers have applied for the Bunker Manager job, some really good ones too, though as of last week there had apparently been no interviews for it yet. Work has started on the space, but for some reason GW does not want to publicize the exact location yet. It is definitely in Bowie and it's about 20 minutes west of the Annapolis GW store. It is on a major road and near the junction of a couple other major routes. Supposedly, they do want to have it open before Arundel Mills GW closes near the end of April, but no word yet on an official opening date. When I can say more, I'll post it as soon as possible. Stay tuned.

BrassScorpion wrote: Square footage, about 3700 if I recall correctly. That's more than 50% larger than the old Bunker.

Hmm... I was hoping 7300, not 3700... heck that's still oceans bigger than the 37 square foot Annapolis store.

As far as where... A big candidate would be MD Science Tech Park off rt 50. They are still building out the office park, but a portion is complete, and businesses are moving in. The "plan" for the office park includes retail and restaurants in addition to business offices.

The location is managed by St. John's Properties - the same people who manage the Pasadena MD property, recently opened.
If we don't know where from Games Workshop by the end of March, it might slip in the St John's Properties quarterly sales newsletter.


If I remember, I'll drive around the office park and see if I see any big two headed eagles on the sides of any buildings... or build-outs with lots of glass cases and 4X6 foot tables.

Nope, not there.

BrassScorpion wrote:Nope, not there.

Dang. Thought I was on to something.

Probably south of 50, west of 301 ...

Thanks for the continuing updates, BrassScorpion!

Logan's World Expatriate wrote:

BrassScorpion wrote:Nope, not there.

Dang. Thought I was on to something.

Probably south of 50, west of 301 ...

From what I've heard (and I'm certainly not as hooked in as BrassScorpion), it's North of 50...

Valete,

JohnS

cygnnus wrote:
From what I've heard (and I'm certainly not as hooked in as BrassScorpion), it's North of 50...

Hmm - North of 50 along 197 - very few possibilies there. Only old semi-abandoned strip malls.

Oh god. I hope it's not within walking distance of the highschool.

along 197

Thankfully, not along 197.

Is it south of 450?

If north of 50, south of 450, and along 197... that must only leave a couple of choices for areas, right?

Edit: Ninja'ed, also thank goodness... so west of 197 / along what road? (193?)

BrassScorpion wrote:Thankfully, not along 197.

Hmm... 6820 Race track road is about 3700 Square feet. It's where Alliance Comics used to be a few years back. Hill Top Plaza. I dont think it's been rented out yet.

It's a very awkward store front... with a long narrow, 30 foot long hallway entrance - very uninviting. It was like walking into an alley way.

Makov wrote:
thats what i heard is the loc...

Sadly I don't remember the place being all that big. I'm guessing (hoping) Alliance Comics must have had it partitioned out strangely, with large private offices or ample back-issue storage in back. I distinctly remember the main retail area in the store being quite small - maybe 700 SF - Slightly larger than a typical mall store.

Since someone else spilled the beans, I will elaborate. There's plenty of expansion space in that location, especially since many other surrounding businesses have changed over the years and the amount of suite space they are renting along with it. Interior walls are highly mutable in commercial space.

BrassScorpion wrote:Since someone else spilled the beans, I will elaborate. There's plenty of expansion space in that location, especially since many other surrounding businesses have changed over the years and the amount of suite space they are renting along with it. Interior walls are highly mutable in commercial space.

Well, that's good news. Though the entrance still appears to be that 30ft long 3 foot wide hallway. The Hill Top Marketing flyer (in below link) still shows that layout. This is a small price to pay for a Battle Bunker close by to me.

BTW - it was the 3700 SF figure that ultimately gave it away. The "not on 197" clue only narrowed my search. After some hunting, I had found this ...
http://www.showcase.com/property/6800-6838-Race-Track-Road/Bowie/Maryland/1168620/?LT=2
... the marketing flyer, showing the layout, is on that same page.

For some reason, when I saw that it was the former Alliance Comics store - it clicked. Similar demographics perhaps?

On second look at the layout, Alliance Comics must have had 3/4ths of that shop sectioned off for back issues, offices, and stock. I remember it being wider than it was deep, and the layout according to the flyer is much deeper than wide. Or perhaps, like you say, a neighboring space was reduced in size, adding to the back. It's such a strange layout... I wonder if it was originally a utilities/maintenance space for the mall, with main entrance in the rear.

I was shocked when I was first told it would be in the old Alliance location because that was a "hole in the wall" and very small, but the same person also told me that the Alliance spot had tons of adjoining expansion space that the comic shop didn't use, but apparently GW will be using it. And given how many surrounding businesses have changed there over the past few years, who knows what else might have been made available.

OK - My OCD is kicking in... Assuming the brochure is up to date and generally correct, and armed with basic geometry and math... the store will be about 34.5 ft wide by 90-96 ft deep. The hallway opens up to the left about 6 feet earlier than in the right, as you enter...

The entrance hallway is about 60 feet long and about 3 feet wide.

I think GW should deck the long hall out in full length wall mirrors. Exit claustrophobia, enter nausea and disorientation. They could call it the Warp Tunnel.

[corrected 40 ft hallway to 60 ft]

Sounds like that's enough space, given how they lay it out... I'm tired and so what the actual space would seem like isn't clicking atm.

However, the long hallway doesn't bother me! Just plaster it with posters of all things wargaming awesomeness . Mirrors, maybe not!

The last thing I want to do is watch myself walk down a hallway...

It's not surprising they'd be moving into a space formally occupied by a similar retailer. I live in Virginia near the WW bridge so this bunker won't be that far away from me which is nice. Still not motivated to go regularly with all the other game store options available to me.

In my past though I used to game at the Glen Burnie bunker (and the store before that was opened) back when one could order bits and they spin them up them while you gamed if it wasn't in stock. Now that was a cool service that brought me back frequently. That and later on Forge World product was kept in stock somewhat which I'd buy too. I didn't know I had it so good until I moved away and now it's gone...

Wow, there seem to be all sorts of bad things about this. If a similar business went under, I certainly would not want their space, as the location may have been a contributing factor in their demise. I am not really familiar with the area, but the new location does not seem too convenient to Arundel Mills, as it is on the other side of the NSA. Worse yet it may take some business from the Annapolis store. Lastly, that long hallway sounds like a fire hazard. On the good side the hallway can be fixed I suppose, and the location serves Southern MD and DC.

Alliance Comics didn't fail, they moved, and not very far away. And the business wasn't all that similar since Alliance stopped carrying GW product years ago, though there's definitely cross-over interest between comic stores and GW-only stores.

GW got a space that will serve fairly centrally to D.C., Northern Virginia and a good chunk of the most populace part of Maryland. There are at least three open spaces at that shopping center at the moment up for grabs for anyone who can pay the rent. Well there used to be at least three, GW is now renting one of them. That's good for the shopping center, GW and the potential customers. The surrounding restaurants will benefit from the GW customer traffic for sure. The only possible victim here might be GW's own Annapolis store as these two stores are only 20 minutes apart, but hopefully that won't happen.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=167+Jennifer+Road,+Annapolis,+MD&daddr=Jennifer+Rd+to:Bowie,+MD+20715+%28Hill+Top+Plaza+Shopping+Center%29&geocode=FafqUgId5Btw-ylVlP1c1_a3iTG1nA9Ioy0F3g%3BFenoUgId0BBw-w%3BFVzUUgId2i9t-yHN10_2VNk8Xw&hl=en&mra=ls&via=1&vps=7&sll=38.985833,-76.635818&sspn=0.185738,0.308647&ie=UTF8

BrassScorpion wrote:Alliance Comics didn't fail, they moved, and not very far away. How about we avoid getting exercise jumping to conclusions and making spurious moral judgments?

They did? I know that Steve at Third Eye Comics Annapolis has some past association with Alliance Comics... Third Eye is an awesome store BTW (shout out!). Steve,Trish, and crew are so friendly and helpful - the store is clean, and smells good to boot - All comic book store rarities.

BrassScorpion wrote:
There are at least three open spaces at that shopping center at the moment up for grabs for anyone who can pay the rent. Well there used to be at least three, GW is now renting one of them. That's good for the shopping center, GW and the potential customers. No one has been harmed and the surrounding restaurants will benefit from the GW customer traffic.

And they are renting the biggest of the 3 unrented space available there.

I would think the mall would have had trouble renting out the space to a typical retail establishment. But GW isn't typical retail. Neither are comic book stores. The small storefront may scare off other retailers, but GWs customers are dedicated, and will seek out the store. In a strip mall, how much "foot traffic" would you really expect with a large inviting store front anyways. Virtually all of the people going there are already GW customers, so a 3 foot wide store front is not a big deal.

The very long narrow hallway (squeezed between a dry cleaners, and another shop I cant remember) is awkward. You can't argue that. But it's not "terrible news." Firehazard? Not likely, there will probably be an emergency exit door in the back... and of course, anything built out now will be to code.

It's also possibe there are other parts to this story yet untold. There is always the option of renting out the neighboring spaces and joining them up as they become available (though none are currently vacant).

I'm excited about the new store and I cant wait for it to open.

34 minutes from my house!


*does a little dance*

I live right next to the Mills so I am sad to see this one go, but the new bunker will not be that bad for me. I am not sure why one was complaining about the NSA traffic. If you are in Columbia, where you would worry about that traffic, then go to Columbia. People from the north will just Take 97 down to rt 3 then 450, from DC, you take 50 to 3 to 450.

RiTides wrote:34 minutes from my house!


*does a little dance*

It's about 15 minutes for me. But then again the Annapolis location is currently less than 5...

Valete,

JohnS

Im looking for a place to play with people how are more serious about play, tournaments ect.


I am fairly new and still learning rules but would a battle bunker suit me?

The Old bunker used to attracted a lot of the more serious players in the area, but you still get the people that drop there kids off their for the weekend and use it as a free Babysitter.

The do tend to do the tournaments at the bunker more often than at any of the stores. So if that is what you are interested in doing, I would say yes, go to the bunker. How new is new? I say the best thing to do is to find a gaming group and learn the rules from them.

www.InnerCircleGamingClub.com is local to Central MD and seem to be an active group, they would probably be happy to help you out.

If you're an adult with a car, I have a table in my house and would love to play a game with you, I live in Severn, which is on the other side of Ft. Meade than Bowie is. Just send me a PM if your interested, I play most of the games that GM makes.