New Wallpapers: Marbles: The Brain Store Opens In Columbia Mall

The Brain - Marbles: The Brain Store's Mascot Welcoming VIP Guests

Marbles CEO, Lindsay Gaskins Welcoming VIP Guests

Interview with Lindsay Gaskins, CEO Marbles: The Brain Store.

It is often said that most human beings use just a small portion of their brains. Marbles: The Brain Store, a unique store specializing in brain enhancing games and exercises has made its way to Maryland’s Columbia Mall to get more people to use more of their brains' abilities.

From games and puzzles to software and books, Marbles: The Brain Store stocks a collection of hand-picked, expert-tested, certifiable fun ways to a healthier brain. Marbles is the ideal store for people who want to stimulate their critical thinking, memory, coordination and visual perception abilities.

From the humble beginnings of conception in the mind of CEO Lindsay Gaskins, then being located in a kiosk and then being located in stores in Illinois and now making its way to malls all over the US, it’s an understatement to say that Lindsay and her store have come a long way.

I recently spoke with the hands on entrepreneur who was at the brand new Marbles: The Brain Store at Columbia Mall to welcome guests to the store’s private VIP event on how the business materialized. Below are excerpts.

How did you conceive of this model?

I saw that brain stimulating products for brains of different levels and ages like we have here now were available, but they weren’t organized and presented to consumers in an appealing way. So I assembled about 250 products from unique scientific and non-scientific creators and presented it in what has now evolved into Marbles: The Brain Store.

How did marbles begin?

We started in 2008 with a kiosk model which we called Marbles Brain Fitness. It failed miserably because it was a new concept and we had a short time to catch peoples’ attentions to introduce them to it. We then rethought it, made improvements, learned new things and made adjustments on the fly and birthed what is now Marbles: The Brain Store.

After your initial failure, what made you try again?

My determination did. One must take risks and be resilient. Also, I’ve been so fortunate, but I have experienced hard times before I got to this point. I have the support of a great team consisting of several people including the Chief Merchant/Brand Brain who started the company with me and chooses the products, a Director of Stores who sets up stores, makes them work and is in charge of the store managers and many others who all make things work in unison. Also, I’m efficient, so when I make mistakes, I move on and grow to reach success.

What in your background prepared you for becoming the CEO of Marbles?

I had been in retail including working for Sears for years and I wanted to do something entrepreneurial. I thought this was an innovative market in the games and toy space. My vision was to create a neat place to find brain stimulating games for both kids and adults while they enjoy a premium experience.

Why open a store in Maryland?

I am based in Chicago, so I started out there since it was easier. Then we executed a multi-store expansion within Illinois for efficiency. We then wanted to expand to the East Coast starting with a location accessible to DC, so now we are in Columbia, Maryland because it is a highly educated environment in the East Coast where customers can appreciate the experience Marbles: The Brain Store provides.

Where will your next store location be?

It will be in Bethesda, MD at Montgomery Mall.

What separates Marbles: The Brain Store from other game stores?

We are a very customer focused company with expertly trained brain coaches who are available to help customers understand the products and teach them how to use it. We focus on the brain angle and giving more to the consumer experience. We have each product we sell in the store open and available for customers to play with while in the store, so they can see if they like it and have it thoroughly explained to them if they have questions.

Marbles: The Brain Store is a store the whole family can experience together. Our goal is to have people come on a day trip to spend the day at the mall with us in our store, and we hope that will lead to some repeat customers for us. We also have chairs people can sit on, so they are comfortable and high and low tables to accommodate people of all ages. We also have an excellent website people can visit learn more about us.

What has been a major accomplishment for the store?

In this economy I’m proud that we have been able to provide employment to some people including recently adding a director of marketing position.

What’s next for Marbles: The Brain Store?

We will be coming out with some exclusive products you won’t find anywhere else in the future and we are also planning to open Marbles: The Brain Store stores in the top 100 stores in the US.

For more on Marbles: The Brain Store, visit http://www.marblesthebrainstore.com/
Pictures of the store are below. Enjoy!

Inside The Store