By Ben McCarthy
When James Arcano was named Kansas City Bier Company’s general manager in March, he knew he had a problem.
Ownership wanted to expand operating hours and stay open later, but customers were already heading for the doors around 7pm.
“Things would peak around 3 or 4 pm in the afternoon. People would leave when it got dark and sales would drop off,” Arcano said. “I knew I had to figure out ways to incentivize people to come out and stay during that time.”
Arcano’s predicament has translated into many new recurring events being hosted at Bier Co. (off 79th & Wornall), including music bingo on Wednesdays and appearances from local magician Jack Reid on Thursdays. With Tuesdays still open, Arcano kept searching with an open mind towards a more unorthodox solution.
Enter Waldo resident Buddy Hanson, who had recently left his job to launch his own startup, Mr. Metachess. After stints working as a games and program specialist for Science City and Wonderscope, Hanson launched Mr. Metachess, which he envisioned as a mobile game hosting service, with an emphasis on bringing interactive education and entertainment activities to the metro area.
After working on developing kid-focused and family friendly programs in museum environments for years, Hanson was certain that he could create his own operation by carving out activities designed for adults.
“Parents would compliment my programs [at the museums] and say they wished there was something like this for adults,” Hanson said. “That feedback became really common. I eventually realized that many of the parents were just as engaged in my activities and programs as their kids.”
Arcano and Hanson have agreed on a deal where he will provide games every Tuesday for Bier Co.– “Tabletop Tournament Tuesdays.” Patrons can learn to play “Klask,” a popular game that originated in Denmark. The Klask experience is like that of playing air hockey or foosball, but with magnets involved in the action. It’s one of the many “Dexterity Games” that Hanson plans to feature in his repertoire of games and programs for future clients around town.
“The idea was to bring highly customized STEM programs, which are ordinarily reserved for nonprofit classrooms and museum facilities, out into the community,” Hanson said.
“The Dexterity Games resonate with people of all ages, but it’s exciting to see younger people connecting with these things that are physical and not just [a touchscreen device].”
Hanson also has high hopes for other programs, including: “KCRC” (remote control racing), micro robotics or “tech toys,” and a harmonograph (a gravity powered mechanical drawing machine). Hanson, born in 1979, is at the very young end of Generation X, meaning he grew up in a world just prior to the existence of the Internet or smart phones. He sees Mr. Metachess as a vehicle for locals to divorce themselves from the constant onslaught of screen-based activities, and reconnect them with more organic activities and interactions. For younger audiences, it’s more than just a breath of fresh air.
“We had one of our first big events in July at Science City for the annual SkillQuest STEM event,” Hanson said. “We had about 140 visitors in one evening, mostly teens and parents, and on several occasions throughout the event we heard them say how they have never seen anything quite like this.”
At the moment, Hanson’s girlfriend serves as the company’s only other unofficial employee, but he’s looking to bring on employees soon to service new clients and events throughout the metro area. On top of the requests for events ranging from kids birthday parties to corporate events, Hanson says he’s close to adding other regular clients, including one in the same industry as Bier Co.
After launching six months ago, he’s aware that things need to fall into place quickly if Mr. Metachess is to become a permanent fixture in town. “Most startups are going to make or break in their first year,” Hanson adds.
The initial feedback around town continues to be positive for Hanson’s new creation, who has even heard kind words of encouragement from a local attorney.
“He told me it looks like I’ve created a new business model similar to the food truck business,” Hanson said. “Except we provide fun, rather than food.”
You can find out more about Buddy Hanson’s work and his company at MrMetachess.com.