Portland's First Board Game Bar "Another Round" Coming Soon

If you're a fan of board games, coffee, local brews, or just seeking a novel hangout spot, you'll want to mark your calendar for the late May opening of Another Round on Congress Street.

Owner Harry Sultan is preparing to unveil Portland's first board game bar and cafe at 549 Congress St. in Portland, Maine. In our recent discussion, it was clear he has put tremendous thought and effort into making this a truly unique space.

Sultan worked with Cheri Bonawitz and Karen Rich of Malone Commercial Brokers to secure the lease. “Cheri was there every step of the way,” Sultan explains, “I never really thought I would end up owning the space, and Cheri kind of helped me understand what it would take to go through that whole process and spelled everything out in a very demystifying way.”

Originally from New York, Sultan first discovered his love for Maine after attending the Salt Institute here in 2017. When the pandemic allowed him to relocate full-time, he identified an opportunity to fill a niche in Portland's hospitality landscape.

"We're aiming to create a space where you can swing by for great coffee or local craft beer, with a community board game focus at the core - something currently missing in Portland," explained Sultan.

From the layout to the amenities, every aspect has been strategically designed with community board gaming in mind. Sultan is working with Woodhall Architects and Construction to entirely transform the former downtown office space.

A centerpiece will be the massive, modular pegboard shelving system lining one wall to house Another Round's staggering collection of over 200 board games.

"We're making this custom pegboard shelving," said Sultan. "So, as we get new games or rotate the selection, the entire system is adjustable."

Sultan wants something there for everyone, from families, to board game enthusiasts, and anyone in between. Spanning the timeless classics like Monopoly and Guess Who, to the newer classics like Catan and Ticket to Ride, to the more advanced like Wingspan and Twilight Imperium, the pegboard shelving will artfully display the diverse library.

The layout will feature a handcrafted wooden bar serving espresso drinks and local beers, with seating for solo guests to enjoy a quick game while waiting to meet others. But the focus is on maximizing space with larger tables that can accommodate even the biggest board game setups.

"For me personally, I don't have a great place to play board games at home. That's a key reason why I felt a dedicated space like this was needed," noted Sultan.

Placards will be available for patrons to display at their table, signaling their interest in joining a game or having others join them in an intuitive way.

While groups like the local "FriendCon Alliance" exist, Sultan wanted to establish a physical hub to foster the existing board gaming community that had a little more flexibility with its hours, something he missed when first moving to Portland.

Following a soft opening around Memorial Day, Another Round plans to operate Wednesday through Sunday, 8am to 9pm initially to cater to tourists and those with flexible schedules. These hours and days are subject to change as they iron out operational details.

Longer-term, Sultan has ambitious plans to expand with a roastery and coffee carts once the board game bar concept is proven successful.

"This is the proof of concept I'm putting my full effort behind," said Sultan. "I'm hoping we can demonstrate that there's strong demand for spaces like this in Portland."

Based on the amount of thought poured into every detail, it's hard to imagine board game aficionados and novelty-seekers alike not embracing Another Round when it opens its doors at 549 Congress Street in late May. Sultan concludes, “as excited as I am to see it myself, I'm more excited for everyone else to come see it.”

The Greater Portland Retail Forecast for 2024 by Peter Harrington

On February 29th, 2024, Peter Harrington of Malone Commercial Brokers presented “The Greater Portland retail forecast for 2024” at the Maine Real Estate Development Association’s (MEREDA) 2024 Conference. The following is a review of what Harrington presented.

Looking back at 2023, the retail scene in the greater Portland area remained resilient though we did see a slight uptick in the overall vacancy rate from 4.23% to 4.33%. A large portion of the vacancies in the market can be attributed to a few spaces. In Portland, where the vacancy rate stood at 3.9%, lease rates displayed quite a range, spanning from $8 to $40 per s/f for triple net spaces and $25 to $35 per s/f for modified gross spaces. Notably, the Old Port, which can be difficult to track due to the number of retail spaces, showed a vacancy rate of around 2%, with lease rates ranging from $40 to $75 per s/f on a modified gross basis.

There weren’t as many retail buildings sold in 2023, but one notable transaction was the sale of the West Elm building on Middle St. for $5.2 million, which included approximately 3,700 s/f of unfinished space on the lower level.

Scarborough stood out with an impressively low vacancy rate of 0.9%. Scarborough also saw the opening of the first Costco in Maine. Additionally, the ongoing development of the town center at the Downs project promises an enticing blend of retail, dining options, and recreational facilities.

In South Portland, a 5.1% vacancy rate persisted, primarily attributed to the former Sears space. However, the Maine Mall managed to achieve pre-pandemic sales levels despite operating with reduced hours. New tenants such as Box Lunch, Peapod Jewelry, Carters, and Miniso added vibrancy to their retail landscape.

Westbrook had seemingly high vacancy rates at 14.7%, which is mostly due to the former Shaw’s vacancy. The Rock Row development has continued to captivate interest, buoyed by attractions like REI, Market Basket, Chick-fil-A, and Cowbell Rock Row. On the downtown front, Westbrook exhibited strong occupancy and ongoing residential expansions.

Meanwhile, Falmouth maintained a steady vacancy rate of approximately 2%, with ongoing construction at the shops at Falmouth Sq. — a 20,980 s/f retail space that has already secured substantial interest, alongside plans for upper-floor condos ranging from $550,000 to $1 million.

Southern Maine is still a strong destination for tourists as well as locals. We’re seeing tremendous demand for space on the peninsula in Portland. Madewell opened at 75 Market St. a little over a year ago, it’s one of the top stores they have. Construction is underway to convert former retail banking and office space at One Canal Plaza to high-end retail offerings.

There are two ongoing historic rehabilitation projects by East Brown Cow, which will help contribute to the vibrancy of retail offerings in the area. One is on the corner of Middle St. and Exchange St.; all retail spaces at this location have been leased. The other rehab is at 121 Middle St. Both will be stunning properties when completed. A few weeks ago, we orchestrated a lease with Free People at 121 Middle St., which will be their first store in Maine. A 2,470± s/f retail space still remains next to this exciting new tenant. We are continuing to see the best-of-breed retailers realizing the value of Portland and continuing to expand here, complementing the locally-owned, award-winning restaurants, shops, and breweries.

One potentially adverse factor that could impact retail in 2024 is that interest rates are still high. This could lead to a slowdown in some of the retail that’s directly related to housing in the U.S. Weather has been another factor. There have been major weather events coast to coast which have affected retail a little bit since the beginning of the year.

Despite these factors, we think 2024 will be another good year for retail. It’s, as always, based on the U.S. consumer. Due to the strong wage growth, and additional jobs being added, the U.S. economy continues to expand. Without new retail space being added, overall vacancy rates will remain low.

Retail is a sector that everyone thought would no longer be as viable with the onslaught of online shopping. This has proven to be incorrect. People are still going out and shopping in physical stores. I don’t see that trend ending in the U.S. anytime soon. Frankly, it’s what a lot of people like to do, it’s about the experience.