A “unique” Wiltshire business is celebrating after opening a new town centre store this summer.
TMM Games opened a shop on New Road, in Chippenham, in August after relocating from its smaller Park Lane branch, which it outgrew within months.
The business was started by husband and wife duo Barry and Kayleigh Howard in 2020 in Melksham before the couple made the move to Chippenham in February this year.
It sells collectibles and early releases for games like Pokémon, Yugioh, Warhammer, and many more.
The shop also offers in-store gaming and acts as a venue for multiple gaming communities to meet and play together.
Mrs Howard says the high demand for spaces meant moving to a new venue was necessary after just a few months trading in Chippenham.
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“The old shop just wasn’t big enough for all of our players, so when this place came up we took it”, she said.
“It’s nice to be in the town centre and on a bus route because we get a lot of people coming from out of Chippenham as well, so it’s much better.
“We’re not just a normal shop, we do a lot of in-store gaming and things like that, we just didn’t have enough table space before for everyone who wanted to come and play.”
Mrs Howard believes TMM Games offers something different because it has become a place that brings gamers and hobbyists together.
She said: “We’re like a hobby store, we have quite a few communities which is nice because people can come and hang out with other enthusiasts.
“You don’t necessarily need to buy something, there are other shops that offer similar products, but the gaming side of it is quite unique.
“There is absolutely a community side to it, we do lots of groups for all different kinds of games, there just isn’t enough days in the week for everything people want to play.”
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The opening of the newest store marks a milestone for the Howards after they decided to make the business independent just over two years ago.
Mrs Howard said: “It’s been quite a journey to get where we are now, my husband bought a franchise, and when it ceased trading two years ago we went independent and haven’t looked back.
“We started out selling a lot of retro toys and video games, but since moving to Chippenham we’ve focused more on hobbies, which works better for us.
“We’re hoping to expand with more events, more gameplay, and more of what we do now.”
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