During this seasonwhen people are more likely to give thanksLindsay Gaskins is especially grateful.
Not only is she CEO of an expanding business, but she also has a family, including a wife and daughter.
Gaskins heads Marbles: The Brain Store ( www.marblesthebrainstore.com ) , which has items that self-styled geeks will absolutely love. A visit to a store just off of Michigan Avenue reveals an astonishing array of games and puzzles in five categories: critical thinking, memory, word skills, visual perception and coordination. For example, Gaskins said that "memory is a hard one, and people often come in with concerns. What we put together are a lot of productsbooks, games, puzzlesthat can help you work on your memory." A lot of games are deceptive; they look like they might be for children, but most of them can definitely challenge adults. What makes the place even more enticing is that a lot of items are available for patrons to trymeaning a person could easily spend half a day there and not even realize it. Moreover, Marbles also has "game night" ( contact the store for the actual date and time ) , when people can even test new products and provide feedback.
When asked what the criteria are for having items in the store, Gaskins said, "The hardest filter is that it has to be brain-stimulating, so we have brain-health expertsneurologists, physical therapists, occupational therapistswho tell us what part of the brain is affected when they're playing a particular game. The other filter is that we want a high-quality, heirloom-type product, so we don't want something that's cheap and won't last."
Something interesting about the products in the store is that they have applications beyond mastering the gameit's about mastering aspects of life itself. " [ Certain ] games can train the brain to think through plans and come up with different strategies. Game-playing can help make those pathways about reaching goals," Gaskins said.
Marbles also has brain-fitness software programs for all ages, and Gaskins said that her store is the only retailer in the country that has computers with the software for people to try out in the open.
Marbles is an anomaly in the business world, having mushroomed from one store two years ago to eight stores in Illinois and Minnesota. Her background is primarily in retail, and she hails from Massachusetts but she's been in Chicago for eight years.
Gaskins called starting Marbles an idea that was "innovative and risky. It was exciting. ... To open a store that was new and difficult was just such a great gift." Due to the positive responses in Chicago, Gaskins decided to see if the store "could be a mall-based concept" and determined that Minnesota was a good market that was nearby. As for her biggest challenge, she said that it's "doing enough business to keep going."
However, as if being a CEO isn't enough, Gaskins has a family here in Chicago. "I had a baby this year so it's been a really amazing year," she said. "It's been a challenge to be able to stay as focused at work, but I have a great wife who has helped me get through a lot of it. I'm even more intent on making [ Marbles ] a success because I have a family now."
Text and PHOTOS by Andrew Davis