“I got into the game from a very young age. I often played with my cousins,” says Clément Pierre, manager of the Auberge du Player in Lunéville. A 100% board game store, taken over last September. Always addicted, his favorite game is Dominion, “a deck building card game that mixes strategy and resourcefulness”.
The thirty-year-old from Montbard (21) points to a won cup, perched behind his counter. “I only kept the name of the store. The premises have expanded and the offers have evolved,” explains this NRC (Negotiation, Relationship, Customer) graduate from the Jules-Ferry high school in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges (88).
“I am going to consolidate the activity over the first two years and if all goes well I would like to hire one or two people. I have a lot of ideas but few hands.” The manager is part of the city’s merchants’ association. “I want to integrate. I proposed a game for Easter with an egg hunt in stores.”
A good opportunity in a sector where competition is tough
Clément Pierre has always tried to link his professional project to what he loves. “My first experience in the gaming field took place at the Taverne du gobelin in Nancy, first as a volunteer then as an employee.â€
Then in Strasbourg, he joined a large American toy brand as a seasonal worker, which has now disappeared. He joined the JouéClub chain in a first store in Sallanches, and in a second in Amphion. He will be deputy director of both establishments.
During Covid, return to Saint-Dié, to the bazaar section of a large supermarket. “Nice experience,” he says amusedly. We find him in the position of assistant director of an Idkids store before he became director of La Grande Récré in Strasbourg… And finally Lunéville and the Auberge du Player.
“I gained experience thanks to this professional path. Since my first years at the Goblin Tavern, I have always wanted to be in charge of a shop. Becoming your own boss is difficult and enjoyable too. In Lunéville, I seized the right opportunity in this attractive field where competition is tough elsewhere. »
