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| Sarah Bird | |
Sarah Bird, longtime co-owner of the Griffon Games and Bookstore in downtown South Bend, Ind., died August 25. She was 71. The Tribune reported that "there are some businesses that offer more than just what they sell on the surface. Restaurants can remind us of our mother's cooking, clothing stores can hold memories of Christmas shopping and business owners can provide a personal experience where customers become family. The latter was true for Sarah Bird." The Griffon celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017.
For staff member Penny Booher, Bird was more than just a boss. She was a close friend, mentor and hero, "always smiling and worrying about others' well being over her own," the Tribune wrote. "And Penny knew how important the store was to Sarah. That's why, soon after Sarah's death, Penny manned the counter at the second oldest game store in the country for customers and gamers alike."
"I think I love this store as much as she does," Booher said. "Every time you walk in, there are memories of her.... She wanted to make sure everything was lined up and the store is neat and clean. We'll be keeping the store up and keeping it the way she wanted it and keeping her memory alive by gaming."
Bird and her husband, Ken Peczkowski, opened the Griffon as a used bookstore more than four decades ago along Michigan Street downtown. Selling games "was just a way to offer a unique experience for customers to come in," the Tribune noted. Eventually the game section expanded and when the business moved to its current location at 121 W. Colfax Ave., the second floor became a dedicated game room.
Booher said that Bird "loved seeing more women playing games especially (Dungeons and Dragons) and running D&D games. Before it was just for the boys and it's not anymore. In fact, there are more and more women coming to the game room on Friday night, which would thrill her to no end."
On a closed Facebook group called "Fans of the Griffon Bookstore," a customer wrote: "Sarah's light hasn't gone out; it continues to shine in the lives of all the others she's touched over the years, leaving the world a brighter place even with her passing."