Community & Portland

Let’s be honest. You already know how to host a party. You have the serving platters. You know which friends drink coffee and which ones want wine. You have a signature appetizer. There’s a pretty good chance you’ve got an espresso machine that gets more use than some kitchen appliances have any right to. Maybe you make sourdough. Maybe you have a group chat dedicated entirely to making plans that somehow always end up at your house. You’re the friend who knows how to make pe

"I've always wanted to try Dungeons & Dragons... but I have no idea where to start." If that sounds familiar, you're exactly who Quest & Rest was made for. Every week, people walk into Monkey Llama Games convinced they're "not the D&D type." They don't know the rules. They don't own dice. They've never created a character. Some aren't even sure what Dungeons & Dragons actually is—they've just heard it's fun. Ninety minutes later, they're laughing with strangers who now feel l

There comes a point in almost every relationship where life quietly changes the conversation. Instead of asking, "How was your day?" we ask, "Did you pay the electric bill?" Instead of dreaming about the future, we're coordinating schedules. Instead of sitting together, we're simply existing in the same room. No one decides they want this. It happens because life is full of good things that demand our attention—careers, children, mortgages, appointments, laundry, groceries, a

"The opposite of play isn't work. It's isolation." Every generation worries that the next one is disappearing into something. Television. Video games. The internet. Smartphones. It's easy to look across the dinner table and see your teenager staring at a screen and think, "How do I get them back?" The uncomfortable truth is that the phone probably isn't the problem. It's simply where your teen's friends, interests, and identity currently live. What they're really searching fo

There’s a moment that catches a lot of parents off guard. One day your kid wants to show you every drawing they made, every strange bug they found in the backyard, every random thought in their head. Then suddenly they’re teenagers, spending more time in their rooms, answering questions with one-word responses, and living in a world that can feel just out of reach. For a lot of moms and dads, it can feel like the connection is slipping away. And if you’re feeling that way, yo

There are easier ways to spend your days than opening a game store. You can choose careers with predictable schedules, quieter weekends, and far less risk. You can avoid the stress of inventory mistakes, late shipments, broken tables, event planning, and wondering whether enough people will show up for the thing you poured your heart into. But you would miss this. You would miss the moments that remind you that people are, overwhelmingly, good. That communities still matter.

Some weekends come and go. Others become the ones your family talks about for years. The Mad Tea Party at Monkey Llama Games is built to be that kind of memory. This isn’t just an event—it’s an invitation to step inside a story. The shop transforms into a whimsical Wonderland filled with curious details, playful surprises, and moments that feel just a little bit magical. From the moment you walk through the door, the ordinary fades away and something special takes its place.