The Apple store may have its Genius Bar, but now Montgomery Mall can boast BrainCoaches in its newest retail addition, Marbles: The Brain Store, which opened last month.
MoCo residents have been priding themselves on their smarts since 2008, when Forbes announced the area the second most brainy destination in the country.
Now we can put our gifted gray matter to the test with a variety of books and games to keep brains of all ages busy. And, on Thursday night, the store is premiering Game Night, where shoppers can sit around a table and play a few rounds.
Store manager and BrainCoach Christian Santacoloma says Quarto!, which sells for $34.99 and tests deductive reasoning, will be one of the featured games on Oct. 20. The game nights will be held every third Thursday of the month.
The products are sorted into different categories based on whether they exercise critical thinking, visual perception, coordination word skills or memory. A note by a “Brain Health Expert” states how and what part of the brain—hippocampus, visual processing centers—each game is working. Shoppers can try them out at demo stations placed around the store.
The Chicago-based chain, which launched in 2008, currently has a total of 20 Marbles stores in Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Illinois. For more information and a peek at the games, visit www.marblesthebrainstore.com
Westfield Montgomery Mall, 7101 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda, 301-469-5061