Garth Bropher is the Regional Operations Manager of Palasad North, and had no idea what he was getting into when he went to work one day, and his whole staff was up in arms because somebody had taken over the nearest Pokemon gym.
Little did he know that it was their very own business that had been registered.
“That’s when I found out that the bowling pins at the front doors, are registered as the Pokemon Gym, and the Mona Lisa mural we have on the side is a Pokemon Store,” he recalls.
Since the release of Pokemon Go, many businesses have taken the approach of discouraging loiterers. “Pokemon at this establishment are for paying customers only,” is just one of the signs that recently went viral, posted outside a Dairy Queen.
Bropher says this is the opposite of what they have planned, “if people don’t want to come in, they can just go by the front door and battle the gym owner from there.”
Taking it one step further, he even plans to use the opportunity to the businesses advantage, “what we’d rather do is set up some kind of deal or special for Pokemon Go players.
“I understand that there are these lures that you can purchase. So if we could figure out a way to do that, where there’d be a set amount of time for Palasad to place these lures and try and invite people to come in. Then maybe offer them a deal on food or drinks, or maybe even a game of bowling.”
He hasn’t yet figured out the details, but encourages people to stay tuned for more information.
Bropher says he’s taken a special interest in the game because he has 2 children. His 9 year old has expressed frustration that she can’t play, because she’s currently too young for a mobile device, but his 12 year old, who will be coming home from camp soon, will be given the opportunity to try it out.
He says, “around our neighborhood, my son will be able to go out and venture around – go to the park, go biking around the trails around our house. I don’t really see that discontinuing.
“The problem I see is that in the neighborhoods around the city that aren’t close to the [downtown] core, there aren’t a lot of Pokegyms or Pokestops to interact with,” he adds. “You have to travel farther and get into higher traffic areas to do that. We’ll have to set some restrictions around that for sure.”
He hopes that game developers will add more interactive points in parks, or take submissions from users as to where a good spot would be, for Pokegyms and stores, “it’s in their best interest to get as many people playing as possible.”
Bropher invites Pokemon Trainers and Masters to head to Palasad North and challenge the gym owner. Do you have what it takes?
