KYLE — While on vacation, Danielle Adams and Rudy Cline began visioning their future: a cozy hobby shop nestled in the city of Kyle, but that’s all it was — a dream. After their trip ended, they were shocked to receive a call informing them that their dreams of owning a hobby shop were quickly materializing in front of their eyes.
Adams worked in the dental industry for nearly 15 years prior to leaving. After, her partner Rudy Cline continuously advocated for her to pursue her dreams, though, she was initially unsure of what these were. Cline, having worked in a hobby shop for more than 35 years, noted the lack of hobby stores in Hays County.
“Why don’t you open up a little game store,” Adams recalled him asking.
She had been an avid lover of the game Catan and was open to the idea. So, she put in an application to one of the storefronts outside of StorQuest Self Storage, where she was then told it would be a one to two year wait.
The two then went on vacation in September 2020, where they began coming up with names for their potential hobby shop. They knew that it would be years down the line, as Cline was heavily invested in his current job, but the pair enjoyed picturing a future store.
“We came back and got a call from the storage space saying that there was a place available and it was so fast … It was too early, so we made our decision to walk away from the open space,' explained Adams. “But then, we came in and it was just that one little space … I could see a little store in that little square in front. I could just see it. I could see the warehouse. I could see how it would work. And we were like, ‘You know what? Let’s go ahead and do it.’” Cline decided to leave his job in favor of starting up LionHeart Hobby with his partner. The two quickly put together a six-week opening date: reaching out to game distributors, setting up the space, advertising and more. Soon, the first day was at their heels.
“That first day was really, really special. A lot of people came to see [Cline]. A lot of people came in just so excited … I had a nice selection of board games. I also had chess and backgammon, some classics, but I didn’t have anything for [Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)]. I didn’t have anything for Magic the Gathering or card games because I didn’t know any of it.”
She continued, noting that her partner’s knowledge and inventory of models and tools brought forth a large community, but those that were into complex or long-term games were a surprise. Her lack of knowledge on the various games did provide some challenge, but was ultimately an advantage as she and Cline took in the suggestions from community members seriously, eventually stocking materials for the games.
“When I first started in the late ‘90s in the hobby shop industry, your hobby shops were like [LionHeart], but even more. You had games; you had models, trains, slot cars, so they were like little department stores. Over the years, as square footage got more and more expensive, you needed to become more focused, so you became more novelty. So, a lot of stores started shrinking down so they could focus on one thing and do it well. Coming into a store that has games and models done so well, it’s kind of unusual,” Cline explained.
Additionally, when the shop first opened, they were looking for opportunities to create community involvement, so when an employee of the Kyle Public Library came in and offered to help support them, they began chess club, D&D groups and more, which still continue to this day and were started by the LionHeart community, said Adams.
The pair emphasized that this community aspect is incredibly important, as they have continuously attempted to support local businesses and organizations when it comes to their store. For example, Turbo Dork is a paint company that has international distribution, but is local to Buda. So, working with them and others, such as local die maker Robotronix Dice, sticker companies and more, is something they take pride in. They often recommend locally-owned restaurants to those that stop by.
“From 2020 on, a little bit every summer, we would grow. We put up another piece of pegboard; we’d find another nook to put another paint rack. Got the two units behind opened thanks to StorQuest and their kindness,” explained Cline on their growth.
After obtaining adjacent spaces in May 2024, the partners ran store events in the new area before renovations began. On Nov. 15, the store celebrated it's grand reopening.
Since their expansion, which has doubled their space, the company can now host events onsite, compared to previously, where they held events in Buda or several doors down from their current business, due to lack of space.
One of these events is the D&D campaign Explorers of Enteja, a campaign created by a store owner in Arizona who hired writers to design a story specifically for in-store campaigns. According to LionHeart Hobby’s website, the beginner and drop-in friendly adventure takes place in Enteja, where “A thousand years ago, humanity arrived on the shores of Azoce, braving unknown perils and challenges. The tale of their arrival remains shrouded in mystery, but their settlement on Fourth Landing marked a new chapter in the continent's history. As generations passed, alliances formed and prosperity flourished, until greed drove a wedge between the once-united races. Yet, amidst the tensions, pockets of peace endure, tenuously guarded by the vigilant Princes of Driscilla.”
“If anybody has ever been curious about D&D or has wanted to play D&D with professional [Dungeon Masters], who are committed to making sure that each person at the table has a good time then, this is a great place to do it,” said Adams.
The ticketed game is seasonal, with 13 episodes each season. Currently, season one is set to restart in January on Fridays, along with season three on Sundays.
There are also several monthly events that will be occurring, such as Build and Bull, where community members can come in and build models, modeling workshops, board game events on Wednesdays, Games Workshop, kids camp for D&D and Magic the Gathering and more.
“You’ll see when a hobby store gets planted, the community around it absolutely grows,” stressed Adams. “We definitely get a lot of people from out of town, but in town, it’s like this bubble that kind of keeps growing … They can meet each other in the little room, meet each other over paint. They meet each other over board games. I know there are so many friendships and relationships that have formed in Kyle because LionHeart opened and I’m very proud of that.”
For more information, visit www.lionhearthobby. com, follow @LionHeartHobby on Facebook and Instagram or visit the storefront, located at 5500 FM 2770, Suite 100, Kyle.
