The board of an after-school Belfast gaming program called The Game Loft announced Monday that it will close for good at the end of this week.
The original founders of The Game Loft, Ray and Patricia Estabrook, are also getting ready to retire and close the board game store, All About Games, that had originally helped give rise to The Game Loft. During an interview with the Bangor Daily News late last week, they and a staff member expressed confidence that The Game Loft would stay open for years to come.
But on Monday, the president of The Game Loft’s board, Tim Seymour, said in a statement that it would close on Friday after 27 years of operation, according to the Midcoast Villager.
“This difficult decision comes after years of financial challenges, leadership transitions, and declining participation following the COVID-19 pandemic,” Seymour said.
Seymour and the Estabrooks could not be reached for comment.
Rio Greeley, The Game Loft’s program manager who also spent time there as a kid, said late Monday afternoon that he had learned of the decision just a few hours earlier and that he’d soon be out of employment.