By Matthew Malloy

REXBURG — For a while now, third spaces have been dying out, leaving us without a good alternative. Third Spaces are those places we frequent to escape from our dreary jobs and monotonous homes for a short time to meet new people, develop our hobbies and give us a chance to learn about who we are. Now, thankfully, this has been changing. 

In just the last three years, Rexburg has seen half a dozen new spots open, giving people the chance they need, a chance to reconnect. We have seen a mocktail bar, two bookstores and three card shops/game stores open, all working hard to build on and uplift our community in their own ways. One of the two card shops, Cards of Ruin, has made it their mission to do just that, and it is working. 

Situated at 31 College Ave., right next to the newest bookstore Firefly and across the street from Fizz Rizz, Cards of Ruin is the newest card shop on the block, and the manager, Logan Clark, could not love it here more than he already does. The store has a focus on all the most popular TCG’s out there, with Yugioh, Magic the Gathering and yes, Pokémon, among them. They also have a large selection of other products from Digimon, Final Fantasy, Riftbound, Star Wars and many, many more. For those collectors out there, they have the things most essential to take care of your favorite cards: sleeves, deck boxes, play mats and binders. If card games are not for you, they have an impressive selection of board games as well.

It is a regrettable fact of the current market that the product we want will be limited, and the demand will be high. As a player-focused store, they want to pay it forward to each community by doing the most they can to put product into the hands of the players first. Their solution? When they host events to celebrate the new product, they only open sales on it afterwards with first dibs going to those who played in the event. That way, they can reward those who actively participate in the community instead of looking at it as a “get rich quick scheme.” 

With the need for premium entertainment higher than ever, Cards of Ruin meets the mark in every regard. From the location to the staff, the services and products to the clientele, Cards of Ruin shines through as a prime example of what a third space should be: clean, friendly and fun. Noob or pro, come down and play a game.