If you love games, magic, and friendly people, then we know the perfect game shop to visit – Anubis Game & Hobby in Broussard. In fact, if you love those things, then chances are you’ve probably already made a visit to this local store. Husband and wife duo Darnel and Delaina Sonnier started Anubis because of their love of games, and they’re happy to share that love with Acadiana.
How did Anubis Game & Hobby get started?
“My husband and I wanted to open our own business, and we couldn’t decide between a welding school or a store. I was the one who decided we should open a game store. My husband has been playing card games since he was a teenager. I picked it up from there and that was it! It’s something we enjoy so it was easy to turn into a business.”
What have you loved about running this shop?
“What we really love is that we get people who come in and comment that our store is their ‘second home’ or that they ‘feel so comfortable.’ That’s exactly what we were going for when we opened Anubis. We want this store to be a place that’s relaxing and fun. Hearing that’s how people feel is such a highlight for us.”
What is Anubis known for in addition to selling games?
“We’re the store that does modern magic tournaments. Magic has different formats, and we’re the place that has the modern format. So to explain: every three months or so, the Magic the Gathering game comes out with a new set. The newer set goes into the modern format and that’s what we have.
We’re also known for being the Dragon Ball Super place, and we do Final Fantasy trading cards. Not many people in the area know that we offer that.”
What else should people know about Anubis?
“We just recently started doing tabletop gaming. We’re also going to be doing workshops for painting miniatures and different things. Also, not too many people know, but we actually rent out game time here. So we have Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch set up in the store, and people can come and pick a game and play it for however long they’d like.”
What sets apart your business as a local shop from national game stores?
“There’s a couple of differences. Price-wise, we’re much lower than chain stores. Product-wise, we’re able to offer items that are “hobby exclusive.” So only hobby stores or smaller stores can get these products. As a hobby store, we’re able to do what’s called pre-releasing. So, a lot of people can get certain products here before they can get them at bigger stores. We just had a pre-release of Pokemon so we were able to sell a certain number of sets even though the release date isn’t until next month.
Also, we’re able to offer a more personalized experience. We know almost everyone who walks through our doors. We’ll actually go sit down and play games with our customers.”
Along that same track, what do you love about being a local business in Acadiana?
“My husband and I are from the Acadiana area and we love the community here. I find a lot of the people here are just genuinely nice. People here are open to helping. When newer people come in our shop and don’t understand how to play a game or are new to a game, we have customers who will donate cards and sit down and take time to teach them. It’s truly a community.”
The Acadiana community (that’s you!) benefits from local businesses like Anubis Game & Hobby. Not only do they bring fun games that you can’t find just anywhere, but they also bring kindness, love, and a sense of community. You can find Anubis on Towny – your FREE guide to local perks in Acadiana and your connection to the local business community. Get it before you go!