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From Gamer To
Business Owner

Recent Andover grad creates
West Bloomfield's newest hangout.

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SAl I

Greg Crudo's passion for games led to the creation of Gamerz Lounge.

Allan Nahajewski
Special to the Jewish News

G

ICI Ili i f I lit I

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everyttody knows your name.

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52

September 22 2011

iN

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reg Crudo, 18, is a gamer.

"I would sit at home and
play for hours," he says. At
Bloomfield Hills Andover High School,
he was an active member of the
school's gaming club. He admits that
rationing his gaming time is hard for
him.
So it was only natural that he would
tap his expertise and passion to cre-
ate a new business venture. "Abraham
Lincoln once said,`Find a job you love,
and you won't have to work a day in
your life," he says.
Crudo is the owner of Gamerz
Lounge, which opened May 1 in the
West Bloomfield Plaza on Orchard
Lake Road, just south of Maple. He
calls the lounge a "new-age arcade."
It's a family business. Greg's mother,
Fernanda, is the manager, and his
Uncle Vince helped finance the
enterprise. Gamerz already has eight
part-time employees, who serve as
attendants, helping visitors get set up
and ready to play.
The family started researching the
business idea in February by visiting
other gaming establishments to get
ideas on what to do — and what not
to do.
"Our unique concept is that we
offer video gaming as well as card

and board games:' he says. "Yu-Gi-Oh!
tournaments are especially popular."
Yu-Gi-Oh! was created in Japan in
1996, brought to America in 2001, and
according to Crudo, is the world's big-
gest trading card game. In response to
demand, Gamerz recently expanded
its schedule of Yu-Gi-Oh! tourna-
ments, which are now held Tuesdays
and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and
Saturdays at 7 p.m. Crudo notes that
most Yu-Gi-Oh players also play video
games. The tournaments tend to draw
players from Macomb County, as well
as locally, because of a lack of venues
there.
Gamerz Lounge is open seven days
a week. The spacious 2,400-square-
foot facility can accommodate as
many as 90 garners.
More than 300 video games are
available on eight gaming platforms
— Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo
Wii, TC, Nintendo Gainecnbe,
Playstation 2, Nintendo 64 and Sega
Genesis.
In addition to Yu-Gi-Oh!, other card
and board games played at Gamerz
include chess, poker, Magic the
Gathering, Pokemon, Apples to Apples,
Uno and Trivial Pursuit.
Tournaments are a draw at Gamerz.
The facility is also available for private
functions, birthday parties, gradua-

Business Owner on page

54