PORTLAND, Maine — Making friends as an adult can be difficult, especially after a global pandemic that forced many into remote work and a population that is consumed by their phones and tablets. This didn’t discourage new business owner Harry Sultan from finding the perfect solution: a café and bar catering to board game enthusiasts and novices alike.
Sultan’s business, Another Round, is set to open in spring 2024 and will house over 250 board games ranging from popular picks like "Settlers of Catan" and "Ticket to Ride," classics like "Monopoly" and "Clue," all the way to niche games like "Moonrakers."
Over a friendly game of "Sorry," customers can enjoy various coffee-based beverages, Maine-brewed beer, signature cocktails, and an assortment of juices, soft drinks, or kombuchas.
Working with Woodhull Architecture in Portland, Sultan said the 1,400-square-foot space will be “aesthetically pleasing” and include "a lot of greenery and natural wood." He said architects have put together a modular peg board shelving system for the games that is both functional and attractive.
Originally, he wanted to name the cafe Third Space, because home is your first, work is your second, and your local hang-out is your "third." But as luck would have it, Sultan said a local business had already beat him to it. Sultan said after countless walks and brainstorming sessions in the shower “because those are the two places you do your best thinking,” he settled on Another Round.
“You can have another round of beers, another round of coffee, or play another round of a game,” he enthused. “A space where you aren’t rushing, you aren’t existing in the rat race of work. You can take a deep breath, you have the time and the space to say, ‘Let’s do another round ... because we can.’”
The 29-year-old New York native said he first came to Portland in 2017 to study at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Falling in love with Maine’s most eclectic city, he vowed after graduation that he would one day return.
Sultan resumed working in the audio industry in Brooklyn, but once the pandemic hit, he, like many others, began working from home. No longer needing to report to an office, he asked if he could move to Maine and continue his job there. With a nod from his superiors, Sultan made the trip back to the Pine Tree State and put down some roots in Portland. Looking for ways to make new friends, Sultan said he tried game nights at local breweries, but it wasn’t the experience he was hoping for.
“I’m a big 'Dungeons and Dragons' guy. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried playing a board game at a brewery, but it gets noisy, and you can’t concentrate," Sultan said. "It feels out of place to unfold these tapestries of maps and little tokens. I thought, 'Wouldn’t it be great if we had a place where we could do this? A place with everything we loved about the breweries, but was a little more catered to what we were using them for?'"
In addition to games, coffee, and beer, Sultan said he plans to host discussions with comic book artists and game designers.
Sultan added he hopes his business will encourage strangers to become friends.
"There is something very romantic about it. You can put your phone away and sit down across from someone [and play a game], maybe it's someone you know … maybe it's someone you just met."
Currently under construction and tentatively opening in May 2024, Another Round will be located at 549 Congress St. between businesses Nosh and Regards. Hours of operation will be Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
