With less than a week away from the grand start of the Malden Summer Festivities 2021, we want to take the time to let you know that things are really coming together! There is still plenty of free merchant spots open for the taking, so there’s still time to apply and get involved.

We can tell you right now that this first day is going to be nothing short spectacular! Kevin Duffy, business strategist and planner of the Mayor of Malden himself has been working very diligently to lock-in all the attractions intended for the attendees to engage in and enjoy. From music bands to circus performers, parades to decoration, over a dozen artists and community contributors and pitching-in, and so much more! The passion and creativity being poured into all of this is without doubt.

Not only that, but we have great news regarding the cosplay side of things. After further planning with Mr. Duffy, we decided we are going to have a freestyle crowd-pick-out competition. What do we mean by that? All attendees that show-up to the event space dressed in cosplay has the privilege to ask us at our community table for a ticket number. Towards the end of the day timeslot of August 7th (around 4-5PM) we will call to the stage everyone who has gotten a number for the crowd to decide who has the best cosplay for a grans prize of a gift certificate to preselected Malden Pleasant St. restaurant chosen directly with geeks in-mind! There will be three ranking winners:

3rd PLACE: $50

2nd PLACE: $75
 
1st PLACE: $100
 
Those are all certainly generous amounts to treat oneself with! The places we have been thinking about include the following establishments on the street that the event will be taking place:

Spicy World - 157 Pleasant St, Malden, MA 02148
Known for its flavor-packed Asian cuisine, adult bar, and arcade-style video game system, this place is built to make anyone looking for a memorable dine-in experience, throw-back a couple of quality cocktails, and flex their joystick skills at Tekken and Street Fighter like back in the college days. This place really has a flair to it!
 
Kung Fu Tea - 3 Pleasant St, Malden, MA 02148
Small, subtle, and sweet-scented, this drink shop is where you go for a nice, cold, refreshing beverage during a warm day or just to have something delicious to sip on while on-the-go. Whether you are looking for a bubbly boba burst or a creamy cocoa concoction, you can bet this is where you will get it!

Zuru Zuru Ramen and Donburi - 74 Pleasant St, Malden, MA 02148
What is a marketplace for geeks and otakus without a ramen joint? A marketplace that is sorely missing out, that’s for sure, and something no Malden patron should be doing, either! A recent addition to the area, this humble Japanese-owned kitchen home of authentic rice and noodle bowls handmade by chefs who clearly understand the taste and techniques of the country itself. Pick your base dish, select your toppings and sauces, and enjoy a satisfying meal that you won’t regret spending money on.
 
Mixer eSports - 96 Pleasant St, Malden, MA 02148
If there was any reason to call Pleasant Street the “Gaming District” of Malden, this would be it. Formerly managed by Wanyoo Gaming Café, this area neighbored right next to the famous Boda Borg is where you will find all the hardcore MMO players in town. With many rent-out offices for private group sessions, big screens to watch your favorite movies on, and even a small lounging space that accompanies the concession area stocked with all the snacks and soft drinks geeks and gamers love.
 
And this is just a taste (literally) of what we have been looking into! All of this starts this weekend of the 12th. You seriously do NOT want to miss this opening day! We couldn’t be more excited for this weekend, and we hope all of you are, too.

Since the GMG is based in Malden, we’re certainly up to doing our part to, not only help the organization itself get back on the path to solid footing, but to help-out the other local arts & culture communities, especially the ones located in Malden Center’s Gaming District. Starting June 12th all the way through August 21st on every other weekend through-out the course of the daytime, each of the gaming and geek fandom-catered businesses, including Boda Borg, Spicy World, Wanyu Gaming Café and New England Comics are going to be offering attractions to all by-passers of the area. This is where we come-in to help promote the even smaller vendors to be seen and patronized. This includes merchant tables, a fun workshop corner for people of all ages, and even cosplay performances from the stage that the city will have as part of the program. The great thing about our inclusion in this is that, while the program itself is focused on Malden-specific businesses, out-of-town entities and agents nested under arts organizations like us get to participate as well!

This is a great opportunity for everyone looking to show their works and services. We are all extremely excited and working diligently with everyone else already involved to make come together as quickly and surely as possible. The more people we can get on-board, the better! We will certainly post more details as they become available, so stay tuned, be sure to check-out our available positions, and please feel free to send us any inquiries and feedback until then!

Hey there fandom goers and welcome to our new and improved website!

After a long, silent hiatus of re-planning and remodeling, we at the Geek Merchants Guild are excited to say we are finally looking to get things back into gear. It's certainly been a rough ride for so many people over these past several months due to the unpleasant inconvenience and hardships brought-on from the devastating COVID19 pandemic. So many families, businesses, and communities alike were struck hard in ways that compromised the health and security of too many loved ones, careers, and resources. All of us here at the GMG were undoudetly no exemption to these consequences as well.

Thankfully, however, now that vaccines have been developed and are being made available to the general public and with the amazing cooperation of the people of Massachusetts in getting their necessary dosages, we are finally starting to see a heartening number of the local businesses and communities enter their reopening phases. Now is the time for us to do the same!

That is why we want to thank each and every one of you who have actively supported us thus far and hope you look forward to a fun and engaging year with us as we roll-out news our fresh plans and projects in the coming weeks!