Entrepreneurial duo open Sheffield's first board game cafe

The Treehouse, the first board game dining venue in Sheffield, has officially opened after receiving help from city solicitors Wake Smith.

Wake Smith advised entrepreneurs Ruth and Andy Haigh on the lease for the new 2,500 sq ft café, located in the former Bar 27 premises on Boston Street off London Road.

Ruth and Andy have now put the finishing touches to the 90 seater café, which employs 11 staff and also serves locally sourced food and non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks.

Ruth and Andy have given up their full time jobs as a civil servant and engineer to set up the venture,

Ruth explained: “There has been a real renaissance in playing board games recently, and board game cafes have been springing up around the UK. What sets them apart from a normal bar or cafe is that their main focus is board games, and they are specifically designed to create the best possible playing experience.

“And we don’t just mean a pile of tatty boxes in the corner with half the bits missing. Instead, we have a colourful wall of choices, containing the newest games to the classics. This is accompanied by friendly, knowledgeable staff who will help players pick the right game and master the rules.

“Obviously we are not operating from a treehouse, but we hope it will have some things in common in that it will be a great place to play and an escape from the day-to-day the world. Our mission is to give our customers a great time through food, drink and play.”

The cafe’s library of games includes Monopoly and Scrabble, as well as more modern games such as Settlers of Catan. The cafe will continually add new releases and customer requests.

A crowdfunding project raised £4,000 to help the duo launch the new business venture.

Ruth added: “We decided to open the cafe after realising just how much enjoyment games have brought to our lives, and how much fun we’ve had sharing them with other people.

“We believe games are amazing tools for creating fun, memorable experiences, and that playing games together is something you can’t do too much of, however old you are.

“Although not Sheffield born and bred, we’ve developed a huge love for city over the 10 years we’ve lived here, and are proud and excited to be adding to Sheffield’s already great selection of independent local businesses.”

“A small cover charge will apply per four hour session. This is to help us maintain the games library and pay our gurus, and ensures we maintain our specialism as a board games cafe and the best possible playing environment.

“Food and drink served direct to your table, so you don’t have to miss your turn to get a new drink.”

Laura Sanderson, solicitor in Wake Smith’s commercial property division, said: “We were really pleased to be able to advise on the lease requirements.

“This is one of Sheffield’s newest and most innovative businesses and we are delighted to have helped another independent business get started.”

The family and dog-friendly cafe, leased from landlords City Estates, will also offer a membership scheme for regular visitors.