Meet David Finn of Giga-Bites Tabletop Cafe in Marietta

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Finn.

David, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I moved to the US from Ireland with my girlfriend (now wife) in 2007, when I was 22. We opened Giga-Bites as an internet cafe on October 8th in Marietta. Our store was 1800 sq. /ft. with 15 computers for rental and a small cafe. After 6 months, we expanded our business to include Games Workshop miniatures. When this proved to be extremely popular, we added more miniature and board game ranges and gradually decreased our computer games. After 2 years, we had completely ceased doing computer gaming and were a complete miniature gaming, board gaming and trading card gaming store, though we have kept the name Giga-Bites to this day. After 3 years, we moved to a new 3500 sq. /ft. space and after another 4 years, moved to our current, 5350 sq. /ft. space.

When we began, I worked 80 hours a week along with assistance from my wife and it was a year before we hired our first part time employee. We now hire 12 part time and 1 full time employee at the store.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Never. As with any small business, we’ve suffered many setbacks and growing pains. Balancing cash flow and bills is a constant job whilst still trying to grow the business. Being an immigrant to the country also has its own unique issues as we have not had any back up when things are tense. For the first few years, we worked 80 hour weeks and only in the last 2-3 has it been 40 hours. But it’s part of the experience.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Giga-Bites Tabletop Cafe – what should we know?
Giga-Bites Tabletop Cafe is a full service gaming store. We specialize in boutique miniature, board and cards games, such as Warhammer 40k, Magic: the Gathering, Force of Will or Warmachine. We are known for being the largest miniature gaming store in Georgia and one of the largest gaming communities in the South East United States.

As a store owner, I am most proud of the great community that we have built over the years. We are considered a home for many of our clients and have a reputation of always being a welcoming and open location. We are also proud of our social media presence, which includes a large online forum community on Facebook, an extremely active Facebook page and a new video channel on YouTube.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Hard Work and customer service. We have worked hard for the last 10 years to grow the store and make it the center of gaming in Atlanta. Our employees work to be knowledgeable on what we offer and also to be friendly and welcoming to everybody who steps foot through our doors.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1851 Roswell Rd
  Marietta, GA
  30062
• Website: www.giga-bitescafe.com
• Phone: 770-578-1497
• Email: gigabitescafe@yahoo.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Gigabitestabletopcafe
• Twitter: @Gigabitescafe
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/giga-bites-cafe-marietta-3
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9XsCaE3sPSMs2DsMHjLAww