David Leschinsky Interview — Pt. 2: Making a Difference in the Community

This post is the second installment in a series of interviews with Eureka staff members and members of the Brookline gaming community on their relationship with Eureka and what puzzles and games mean to them.

Last week we talked to David Leschinsky, Eureka owner and founder, about his home life and love of puzzles. This week we ask David about his plans for the future and some of the unique ways Eureka makes a difference in people’s lives.

H.: What’s next for Eureka? I know you are constantly looking for ways to expand into the community with On the Spot and so forth, are you working on any new ideas to expand the business?

David: Yes. We’ve found people really resonate well when we bring our expertise, our puzzles and games, out to various venues. The whole notion of us bringing things out into the community in one form or another is one of the fastest growing aspects of the business. My focus is on both pursuing that within the existing framework as well as adding other avenues where we can help deploy our knowledge and expertise in a way that can make a difference in people’s lives.

H.: More education and being present with the games rather than saying, “Here. Buy this and take it home”?

David: That’s correct. Clearly we do a lot when it comes to entertainment with Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. We have grown interest in utilizing some of those same techniques for corporations around new employee meetings, their own family gatherings, holiday parties, moving into things like team building meetings and workshops. So I think that’s a very direct outgrowth of what we’re doing now. Other things we’ve been asked to do are school groups and retirement communities, where people are interested in understanding and becoming familiar with things that can help them maintain mental clarity and focus as they age.  Many of the games and puzzles that we have directly support that notion of keeping your brain alive and active no matter how old you are.

H.: And tailoring the service to specific needs, depending on what part of the brain needs focus.

David: Correct. We’re on the list at a number of the hospitals in the area as the go-to place for someone who has suffered a stroke or brain damage of one sort or another. There’s a recognition that the brain can actually be exercised through gameplay and puzzle play and we’re one of the few place where they say, “Go to Eureka, tell them what the issue is. They’ll help you out.” We’ve actually had customers that come back in saying their doctors were amazed by how much progress they had made. We’re always happy to help.

H.: I think at Eureka people come in expecting you to have a very specific expertise. You have to not only know the inventory, but you have to know people, and know what they need before they even do sometimes, which can be intimidating but also rewarding.

David: It is. It is. And that’s why Eureka is not an easy place to work. It’s not a normal retail job. There’s a lot of expertise and connections that need to be made for the staff here. So the staff is carefully selected so that they’re able to provide some of that same perspective that I do.

H.: Which is a constant learning experience for us as well.

David laughs