Fans, owner say goodbye to Wisconsin's oldest game store before it closes

Wisconsin's oldest game store, Pegasus Games, is closing after nearly 40 years in Madison, the owner announced last week.

Owner Lory Aitken said that she is retiring, and that no buyer has emerged yet. The Madison board game staple brought only non-electronic games, from chess to Dungeons and Dragons to Madison.

“We continued to want games played in the store to be friendly and able to involve and teach beginners. That was very important to us,” Aitken says.

Aitken tells NBC15 that coming to that decision was devastating. Long-time customers are saying their goodbyes before the lease ends on Nov. 17.

Customer John Kovalic says that “he loves the place.”

“I love the people here. It's always been a cornerstone of the Madison gaming period,” he says. Perhaps because of his exposure to board games at Pegasus – Kovalic grew to become a famous illustrator, his works including Munchkin.