Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelly Carter.
Hi Shelly, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I moved to Stevensville in early 2022, and while I was excited to move, it meant leaving behind a few close friends who my husband and I regularly played board games with. Other friends from that group also moved around the same time, leaving us with a new home but no regular game group. I started Michiana Boardgamery social media accounts in January 2022 in an effort to create a board game community in Berrien County and followed many local businesses hoping to find a space to host game events. Luckily, my page grew quickly, and by March, I had set up my first game event at Watermark Brewing Co.
My group has since been a part of over 40 events over the last year and a half, including open board gaming, themed events, play-to-win, silent auctions, and a local board game swap. I have hosted events at Watermark faithfully every other Tuesday since we started, but now we also play at the St. Joe Community Taproom, Apothica Teas, and we even ran the game events at Fandom Fest, a pop con run by the local libraries.
I’m so lucky to have so much camaraderie from our regular attendees and am thrilled with the friendships that have bloomed from our community and the continued support from local businesses. I have lots of ideas in store for upcoming events and collaborations, and can’t wait to continue to grow this group! I would never have expected for Michiana Boardgamery to turn into what it has, but I’m grateful for everyone who has been a part of it.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Generally, things have fallen into place fairly easily. The most difficult part of creating and maintaining the game group has always been time limitations – working a full-time job limits how much capacity I have for scheduling and running events, managing social media, and maintaining communication and relationships with attendees and local businesses. I recently started a new job, and the time I spent on my job search really tested my ability to juggle everything!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I recently started a new position in a whole new field. I come from a background in healthcare and am a licensed occupational therapy assistant. I spent the last 8 years running a small rehab department in a long-term care facility, but my new position is in finance. I am now a client service associate for a private wealth management company. I am proud of my ability to change directions, learn new skills, and continue to grow and learn as I progress through my career.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The best way for others to be a part of what we are doing at Michiana Boardgamery is to join our social media. This will give you our event schedule, as well as a way to get in touch with me directly if you are part of a local business in southwest Michigan and you want to talk about hosting a game event! I love to chat about game recommendations, new game designs, conventions, and local events, so please reach out for all things board games.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/mibg
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michiana.boardgamery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michiana.boardgamery
- Other: https://www.bonfire.com/michiana-boardgamery/
