When their child developed an interest in Yu-Gi-Oh cards, David and Melinda Abram knew nothing about trading cards. They were just happy to support a hobby that got their teenager offline and out of the house. Little did they know it would lead to running a family-focused game store in Lexington.

“I had never been into a game store,” Melinda said, “and didn’t really know what a trading card game was.”

Over a decade prior, she recalled the average game store as an intimidating, male-dominated space. “I walked in and was like ‘yeah, this is not safe,’” Melinda said. “As a mom, I [thought] ‘I’m not sure I want my daughter in this environment,’ and it made me a little nervous.”

Ultimately, their daughter, Haley, was allowed to attend with friends if her father discretely chaperoned in the background. Initially a safety precaution, the trips started to become a father-daughter bonding activity as their daughter began playing in card tournaments.

“He learned how to play and then he became a judge,” Melinda said. “She would play and he would judge and they started to move up in the ranks.”

The father-daughter duo began traveling regularly and Haley eventually made the switch from player to fellow judge.

“This became her high school job and that was what she did every weekend,” her mom said. “She made money [and] got to travel the United States and sometimes Canada.”

Another perk of judging tournaments was receiving significant amounts of trading card game products. Eventually cramped for space, the Abrams began selling the excess products online to help offset travel expenses. When their side hustle steadily grew to a busy online business with multiple employees, they decided to expand.

“Well, if we’re going to do a shipping and receiving area, why don’t we just open a game store?” Melinda said.

The Side Deck Gaming Cafe officially opened its doors in the summer of 2018. Tucked into a quiet corner on US-378, The Side Deck Gaming Cafe is now known for handcrafted lattes and the hottest new games and trading cards on the market.

“I wanted people to feel safe and comfortable,” Melinda said. “I wanted moms to feel welcome when they came in… they can come in, drink coffee, watch their kids play… and it just gave them another avenue and something to make it a little bit more family-friendly.”

The Side Deck hosted one of its most memorable events when it closed to serve as a wedding venue. General Manager Raymond McKee and his wife, Ashley, tied the knot at the store in October 2023.

“They met at the Side Deck and then began dating,” Melinda said. “They wanted to get married here and they were like ‘can we make this work?’ And I was like ‘yes… you met here, you’re part of the family and we’re going to [do this],’” she continued. “Now they have a daughter and a set of twins on the way.”

In addition to hosting weekly card tournaments and a Pokémon League, the store lobby offers customers a free “demo wall” with 50 different card and board games.

“If you don't know how to play the game, a staff member will teach you the game,” Retail Manager Rylan Parks said.

A private game room, nicknamed “the war room,” can be reserved for private parties, from weekly Dungeons and Dragons gatherings to family game nights.

“In the gaming community, sometimes it can be hard to feel connected,” Parks said. “I think it's hard to have a connection with someone when you're only over a screen. It's definitely possible, for sure, but it creates more of an in-depth community when you are across someone at the table playing a paper trading card game, or you've got your group of friends all in this war room laughing together and having fun playing the board game.”

Learn more about The Side Deck Gaming Cafe at thesidedeck.com and The Side Deck Gaming Cafe social media pages. The business is located at 5060 Sunset Blvd. in Lexington, and its hours are Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The business also has a new location in Columbia at 406 Huger St.