Dark Roasts and Dark Elves

Beacon store merges brothers' interests
Jonathan Garcia's plan for retirement was to pursue coffee roasting and open a cafe. His older brother Joseph wanted to open a gaming store where people could hang out, play roleplaying games (RPGs) like Dungeons & Dragons or card games like Magic: The Gathering, and make some friends.
One day in 2019, as the brothers sat in a business class together at Dutchess Community College, they had a revelation: Why not combine the two ideas?
Another revelation quickly followed. "Why wait until we're old?" said Jonathan.
Last month, they opened Mana Potion Tabletop in Beacon. Alongside Warhammer figures and Pokémon decks, customers will find bags of freshly roasted beans and blended teas from the brothers' fantasy-themed Mana Potion Coffee line. The decaf, for example, is called Slumbering Dragon; the jasmine green tea is known as The Teamancer.
Joseph is a former film teacher drawn to role-playing games because they remind him of making movies, with a mix of storytelling and improv, he says.
Jonathan, who is working on his master's degree in business at SUNY New Paltz, has been warned by professors that most businesses fail in their first year because they can't attract enough customers. If his professors had been to the store's opening, they might have given him an A. "That door never stopped swinging," Jonathan says.

The foot traffic hasn't slowed much. Even on a late Wednesday afternoon, customers filled a table while playing a battle royale variation of Magic: The Gathering called Commander. Hardcore gamers regularly bump elbows with newbies. Some customers say they haven't played since they were children but want a refresher. The coffee roaster in Connecticut who taught the brothers the trade was inspired to help them because he played Dungeons & Dragons as a kid.
"We're meeting people who you wouldn't think would be into these games," says Jonathan. "They're an accountant, or they work for Verizon, but they're also into Warhammer." That's not surprising: RPGs have become a huge industry. Last year, the hosts of a D&D podcast, Dimension 20, sold out Madison Square Garden.
Add in the shortage of places in Beacon for teenagers to gather, and it's no wonder Mana Potion has been busy. "Not everyone can go to the bar or out for a $30 hamburger every night," says Jonathan. "You can come here, grab a table and start playing."
There have been a few miscalculations. The store stocks Settlers of Catan sets, but the game is so popular that it seems like everyone already owns it. Although gaming events throughout the week - including D&D for children on Saturdays and Warhammer tournaments - draw customers, Catan events have been a bust. "People didn't want to sit down with a bunch of random people and play a five-hour board game," says Jonathan.
Because the store has been so busy, Jonathan hasn't had enough time to play many games himself. That part of the business has fallen to Joseph, who said he usually runs a different game every night.
When Joseph started a Cyberpunk Red campaign, two players accidentally chose the same name for their characters. They decided their characters were identical twins, and they've since created a comic book together about them. "They took what I made for the game and created something new with it," Joseph says.
While Warhammer miniatures and Magic cards are bestsellers, the brothers' extensive knowledge of gaming has led them to stock deep cuts as well. Shadowdark, for example, is an indie variation of classic D&D released in 2024 that's become a cult hit. The game's rulebook is displayed prominently.
"People see that and say, 'Oh, you guys get it,' " says Joseph. "They can see right away that we understand this hobby."
Mana Potion Tabletop, at 192 Main St. in Beacon, is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, see manapotioncoffee.com.