Where is Gloombears?
Gloombear's Provisions is a UK online shop that you can buy tabletop games from.
Like any high street shop we purchase from wholesalers in the UK and we store products ourself. We don't dropship or use another company to pack and ship the goods. This means we see the products before sending them to you to enjoy.
Who is Gloombear?
During the days of lockdown I went on an adventure to learn about the wonders of Dungeons and Dragons. Not only did I make friends from across the world (Australia, Sweden, America, Canada, Greece, Spain, UAE) playing games online but I also created my own world in which I would set games.
Within this world there was an Orc merchant who owned his own franchise. His name... Gloombear. The name of his stores... Gloombear's Provisions. Now Gloombear was an old ex adventurer who liked to play with magic.
The Gloombear's logo you see today is a youthful Gloombear just before he set off on his adventures. Gloombear had a pet that he acquired during his travels called 'Biggles'. Biggles was a magical cross between a monkey and an Ayeaye. Gloombear was by no means a Gloomy Bear but instead a very eccentric, curious Orc. (However in the coming months the logo will be changing as I am in talks with an artist.)
Now the franchises of Gloombear's Provisions were all run by wacky and magical beings. One being a goblin named 'Smittens' who would roll around and bounce off walls.
Running Timeline
Current improvements under way:
Our short term goal for this year is to break into markets, fetes and fairs to have an in-person presence and allow you to see the products before making a purchase.
Update - Our short term goal is now in full progress and we are getting out into the real world. You can see where we have been and where we will be here
1. Previously number one was to create unboxing videos for every product we sell. However our focus has moved away from creating media whilst we get up and running. Once we have our own shop, this media drive will start again.
2. We are slowly building up our presence in the board game world and now have relationships with 6 different distributors as well as buying games directly from independent game designers themselves, to help give you more variety to choose from.
3. In the year 2027 we aim to attend some of the biggest board game conventions out there. Soon as they are confirmed they will appear on our events page.
4. We have already stopped using plastic bags at our pop up shop and as soon as we get the new logo we will be looking into branded bags that are better for the environment but still just as good to carry your games home with.
5. Our social media accounts are going away from creating official reviews and will be starting up again soon with a new look and vibe.
6. This year we have been pushing our free events and game nights. They have been successful but whilst having another job as well as running Gloombears on my own it is slowing down so I can have some time to refresh. Gloombears Takeover events will be making a come back this year(2026).
Until then I'll still be running the usual weekly Thursday afternoon at Humankind and once a month game nights at Romford Rock and boulder.
7. The pop up stalls have been a lovely success and as well as refreshing the games available for you I shall soon be refreshing the look of the stall to give you a true fantasy Orc merchant look. How you ask? Great question and I'll be sure to show you all via Instagram how I'm getting along and how it all turns out.
8. The game creating is still ongoing. Recently I have created more playtest cards. The most I can tell you now is that it is a Zombie Survival Game!
Stay Tuned for more updates as I continue on this long journey creating a reliable, community driven and enjoyable place to play and buy games and more importantly to create a place that you can hang out and enjoy the company of others.
What else do we do?
We order our packaging from Priory Direct, a Carbon Neutral SEDEX company, which let's our packaging be delivered by DPD Carbon Neutral.
As we make more orders we gain 1% rewards which we will be using to donate to charity.
If you'd like to read up more about the company we use here is the link.