If you build model trains then you know about this place. It's basically the oldest of the old…read moreschool hobby stores. It has pretty much all the stuff you might find in the Walthers catalog for the last several decades. It's the best place to get details in person because they have an entire wall full of them.

Hands down THE best store in the twin cities for plastic model kits, tools, and supplies. Nothing…read moreelse is even close. I'm not a model train guy, but am equally astounded by their selection and all of the supplies and accessories they stock for that hobby. Their selection of new kits is very deep and very well organized. The vintage kit selection is varied and reasonably priced. And bargains can be found in the back room if you know what you're doing. Staff is uniformly friendly; I am always greeted when I arrive. If I have a question or need help, it's always fast and efficient. if I just want to wander around and window shop, they don't seem to have a problem with that. This place is a real gem. A throwback to a time when shops like this dotted the twin cities. I haven't seen a shop like this since I used to shop at the old Moeller hobby shop in Robbinsdale. On the rare occasion I need something they don't stock, I will buy online. For everything else, there's no other shop anywhere who gets my business. This place is an absolute treasure.

If you love Lego, this is the off brand store for you. If you don't, this might be the store that…read moreconverts you! They specialize in unofficial Lego, specifically military sets. You'll find jet fighters, submarines, humvees, and more. You'll still find a selection of official Lego sets along with stations to build your own mini figures.

It's difficult to talk about a lifelong affliction - one that struck me at an early age and has…read morebeen de-habilitating, costly in terms of monetary impact and emotional damage to my loved ones, and countless hours of pain upon my soul. Folks, it's time to talk seriously about Early Onset Pre-Lottery Anxiety (EOPLA), which is a condition bought about by the lack of excessive liquidity (also known as f-you money) in my bank account. Every day I wake up with the embarrassing realization that I am just a middle class dude with an slightly better than average job, a mortgage, a wife and only so much disposable income to buy Legos for the past 35+ years. ..what, you thought I am going to talk about my lifelong addiction to Lego bought on by my first set (the 6382 Lego Firehouse from 1983 given to me by my late father) and I've been an infectious carrier of AFOL (adult fan of Lego) even throughout their malaise years of the 1990s? Nah, son - I own that one proudly. No past girlfriends have ever emerged unscathed without stomping on at least one errant brick late at night, and at one was on the losing end of an "either I go or the Legos" argument at an NYC metro area Lego store. Hell, my wife got the ring in June 2015 partly because she bought me the Lego Creator Parisian restaurant set in December 2014 and helped finished 1/3 of it (what, she was also my lovely soulmate, the Lego was simply the shorthanded girlfriend goal that sealed the game). The Lego insanity on the analytical side of my brain is only matched by the military/aviation/rail geekdom, the IT/programming ability, kitchen jiujitsu and my appreciation for cats. You can just imagine my mind going crazy over folks doing military MOC (my own creations) back in the 90s when SNOT (studs on the side) techniques wasn't a thing and the Lego parts library were much smaller. This was before Bricklink allowed you to easily order parts from 3rd party resellers and Bricklink Studios gave you the ability to design virtual sets quickly. Of course, the thing is that just like every single budding padawan needs a lightsaber swinging jedi to educate, and that's where Dan Siskind and the Brickmania guys come in. Despite my dehabiliating EOPLA condition I still manage to fling money at their general direction for digital instructions, decals and books, and then spend a fairly ridiculous amount (my wife's words, not mine) furthering my collection of Lego plane and tank MOCs - usually built based on BKM instructions and often with my own modifications baked in. I can't really afford their actual sets due to a distinct lack of f-you money, but I still have IT-job-stress-relief money (and thanks to Crowdstrike I am doing more BKM buys these days), so it's more decal packs, Brickarms accessories, minifigs, 3D printed parts and such sent to me from BKM GHQ near Minneapolis. And thanks partly to this hobby I manage not to go into the data center cage at my workplace with a sledgehammer with the intent to "percussively patch" Microsoft servers last weekend. So yeah, please please please donate your unwanted future winning lottery ticket numbers to me. One day we will overcome Early Onset Pre-Lottery Anxiety, and this adult will have f-you money to spend on Brickmania custom Lego sets. And if not, eeeeh, I'll still buy from them. And one day while doing a layover on a Delta flight I'll stop by for a visit. Until then, pass that Bricklink shopping cart XML file and keep stacking bricks and plates...

Arms & Armor is, hands-down, the finest producer of replica medieval and renaissance weaponry in…read morethe United States. This isn't just me, their excellence is generally acknowledged across the industry. Their weapons and armor show scrupulous historical accuracy, are beautiful, and, amazingly, also good as weapons. The rapiers they make are the most balanced ones I have ever seen. They produce exactly what you'd expect from the company name: swords, axes, shields, spears, breastplates, etc. It is done with forges, stock-removal, and all the other tools of an armorer's trade. They make a lot of weapons to order, but there is also a back-stock on hand, so they may already have the item you want. I own several of their weapons and treasure every single one. I once wrote and asked if it was possible to visit the site, and they were very, very nice about it (even opened the place and came in the day after Christmas, so I could see it!). The studio was full of an incredible range of metalworking machinery and craftsman's tools. It's not quite right to say they have a showroom (at least when i visited a few years ago), but they did have the back-stock set up in a section of the studio, and were happy enough to sell me something out of it (of course - I mean, it is a business). Note: it's not quite correct that they are listed under "antiques, kitchen, & bath": what they make are not antiques, but modern replicas that would be indistinguishable to a person from the original era. You literally could not do better if you're looking for a sword or other weapon. And hey, if you drop a line, they'd be happy to show you around.

Arms and Armor is a superb forge of replica medieval and renaissance goods. I own several of their…read morepieces, and am always thrilled with the craftsmanship and their dedication to the craft. There are no loose fittings that I have seen, and they are willing to discuss new or custom pieces. Their stock consists of training pieces, LARP, or historical pieces. Very well done. I own several pieces from world-renowned smiths, and they are in this realm of masters.

To whom it may concern…read more.. My partner and I moved into the neighborhood around April of last year. This was our first time living in the big city and luckily was able to find an apartment pretty quickly and that so happened to be right across the street from your store Level Up Games. As avid gamers and MTG players this was a great resource to have and a safe space to meet new people, make friends, and establish ourselves in the community. After my partner had been going on Wednesdays to MTG night for a while he learned that you all provided free DND sessions to anyone that wanted to break into table top games. This was something out of my comfort zone and I had been going through a emotional transition from this being my first big move away from home and everyone I used to know to moving here and kind of having to start over essentially. It was hard for me. My partner found this outlet for us to explore together and it started out great we were going regularly every week, we were learning something new, and having fun doing it. Eventually we were going enough that we had made a couple of really good friends there. Unfortunately there ended up being a situation where my partner had to endure a few instances of racism directed towards him by one of the DMs of the Mead Halls Mightiest at Level Up Games. It started off with small things like, speaking up with corrections only when my partner had any input, making back handed insults about his intelligence, also putting handicaps on character creation where other people did not. This lead into more intense behavior such as avoiding DMing sessions in which he would be at the table, isolating him and his friend group to were they had to play sessions only with themselves, and defaming his personal character to the other DMs to cause a rift of distrust in order to get rid of him. This had been going on for a while and after one session were there where some content where we were trying to get some elementals vacation time to visit their families because this Spa owner had them sign a contract were they had to work for her forever. Anyways, this lead to a huge argument where my partner called them out and asked what their problem was. They went on to explain that it was because he makes other people playing the game uncomfortable. They had went on the explain that in one instance he had copied their charter creations in order to make the same kind of character. He also was accused of in acting what seemed like sexual assault on an NPC. Their words Ver Batam. This of course is in accusation of the only African American that comes to these things and this was the only DM that ever had a problem with my partner. This lead with the head of the Mead Hall backing all their lies and instead of promoting a safe space of equally and inclusion they kicked us out and tried banning us from the store in which they had no power. In conclusion we thought leaving Tennessee would mean less racism and more acceptance, but turns out racism is everywhere and you have to keep your eyes out and not turn a blind eye. It's a shame you don't have leaders of the Mead Hall that can be bold enough to hold down the principals of your establishment. Dungeons and Dragons is a game that accepts everyone no matter where you come from, what you look like, what race or sexuality you are. It's a shame that it wasn't reflected at your establishment due to a small few. Thank you.

I love this place and have followed them to so many locations. Parking can be a beast at some…read morepoints of the day or week here but it's worth it to visit Level Up. I can't tell you how many other comic shops I've stopped at that don't have what I need but since Level Up is smaller they always have what I want in stock (you think it would be the opposite!) Games have become more costly as the years go on but that's normal for everything we purchase. I sadly don't trade in much anymore since they were oversaturated with PS4's when I was selling mine but my past experiences have been great and they were always my go to for new games I was on the hunt for - I love supporting them! Over the years they have recommended books that I've fallen in love with and always have fun board games to choose from if I'm looking for fun gifts. A staple place in the Cities for me for sure, staff are always so kind and helpful.

Immense selection covering many fields. I wish I lived nearby. I picked up paints, books and some…read moreminiature figures.

Great service and selection. I have bought numerous board games for myself and my family here,…read moreoften based on the owners suggestions and never been disappointed. I've also bought a few used gaming systems here, and been pleased with the quality - the owner has stood behind the product. Always a good time when I visit.

This place is so cool! Upon entering the store, to your left, you have mostly gaming products. They…read morehave board games in the back of the store and in the front of the store, they have trading card accessories. I learned that they sell single Magic the Gathering (MTG) cards, but you can search their inventory by using their kiosk. On the right side of the store, they have D&D and Warhammer stuff. Then in the back of the right side of the store contains tables for tournaments and stuff. What I also find cool was they also have fountain drink for sale. The staff member was friendly, professional, and helpful. I think the pricing is competitive with other local gaming stores in the area. Will definitely come back for more gaming needs.

Not good when it comes to event renting. They gave away a reserved space. A maybe 15 yr old took…read morethe original reservation and everyone acted clueless when they booked it to someone else instead of making up for their error.

I'm not necessarily into collecting board games but I stopped here to see if I could find a…read morebirthday gift for a friend. I was greeted when I walked in, I browsed for a while, they had so many games!! Eventually they checked on me and I told them what I was looking for and they made some recommendations which was nice. I ended up getting one of the recommended games and they were telling me about the game nights and different events they host weekly. Generally a great game store as well as nice staff.

Let me take you back to a place I once was from…read more.. It's 1978, Madison. Junior year in High School. And we just discovered Gaming. In particular Dungeons and Dragons. Allies & Axis. Miniatures. And we might have been dweebs and geeks, but damn we had fun I found Tower Games on the internet, searching for a new game for my wife and I. They had it, at a better price than Amazon, so I ordered it for pickup. Process was smooth When I got there the full nostalgia wave hit. Racks and racks of RPGs. Paints. Models. Games. Staff was super great. Talking to customers, answering questions. Pick up process was smooth. A great resource

Matt Sweets has got it figured out! He was so helpful when I visited his store, took the time to…read moretalk with me and was genuinely excited about his business! What a great product he offers to our kids these days to get them playing and active and not sitting in front of a TV! Such a fun visit to his store, to surprise my 11-year-old. Can't wait to go back with him.

From the owner: We are a local toy company that specializes in creating some of the most durable and unique…read moreKendamas around. We hand paint each Kendama in our factory located across the street from our retail space.

Probably the best store in the MSP area. Their seed bead variety is amazing, and they have…read morehard-to-find Swarovsky crystals. Good choice of semi-precious and handmade glass beads as well. Prices range from expensive to very reasonable. Plenty of cheap plastic beads for children, stringing supplies, and accessories. Good amount of loose beads and finished jewelry too. Two ladies working there were super nice and helpful.

It's 3x more expensive then stormcloud and northland visions. Last time I went in with my partner…read morethe employee literally ran over to us and wouldn't stop watching us and following us around. Then her and another worker were being rude to an older native guy and he was telling them that every time he goes in he's getting racially profiled. Then when the man left, me and my partner were standing at the counter and the two employees proceed to shit talk the guy and whisper about accusing him of stealing or that his complaints for being racially profiled were invalid. Right in front of us. Really weird. Wouldn't go back.