Petaluma Profile: Retired veteran playing new role

Bryan “Ted” Woolley — a retired colonel from the United States Air Force’s Medical Service Corps — might not be quite who you’d expect to become a game store owner, but within a few moments of talking to him, one understands his deep devotion to board games — specifically Dungeons & Dragons.

“It’s such an immersive game,” Woolley said, in between helping customers at the counter at downtown Petaluma’s new Goblin Bros. Games & Gear. “The memories are still so visceral from my teen years of playing the game,” he added, elaborating on the appeal of owning a brick-and-mortar store where role-playing games are a major focus. “I enjoyed the idea of playing D&D with people my age.”

Wooley co-owns Goblin Bros. with Nicki Upson, Jereme Anglin and Matthew Long. The business started out selling board games and game-adjacent paraphernalia through an online website, GoblinBros.com, with the goal of eventually opening a store, with those plans somewhat delayed due to the COVID-19 shut downs. In September, Goblin Bros. Games and Gear finally began welcoming in-person patrons to the site at 133 Kentucky St., and officially held its Grand Opening last weekend, on Halloween.

Woolley was born in Alabama and moved to St. Louis when he was young. When he joined the Air Force in the mid ‘90s, he had just earned a degree in business administration.

“I decided to join the Air Force and tested well enough to enter Officer’s Candidate School,” he said.

Woolley met his wife, Kim, an Air Force nurse, while both were in Officer’s Candidate School. Both served full careers until their retirement. Kim attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Nurse Corps before retiring. Until then, they had been posted all over the United States, with international posts including the Azores in the Mid-Atlantic, and stints in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.

“Somewhere around 2013, we were stationed in Alaska and closing on retirement,” recalled Woolley. “So we began to look around for a place to retire, somewhere with the right vibe, good schools and a friendly atmosphere. Some friends recommended Petaluma.”

Already a fan of Northern California, which he’d gotten to know during a few years at UC Davis and Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, the Woolleys had only to walk downtown in Petaluma to see that it checked all the right boxes as a town to retire to.

“Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and we immediately began to look for a house,” Woolley said. “The character of the downtown, the shop owners we talked to, especially the owner of ‘Thrifty Hippy,’ really helped to make us feel so welcome. The schools are terrific, and our youngest daughter was able to walk to school, and had just a wonderful experience in Petaluma schools. It was such a great change from moving around with military life.”

As for what to do as a post-military career, Woolley knew he wanted to something completely different, preferably running a small business of some sort. After attending a meeting with enthusiasts of Dungeons and Dragons, he struck upon the idea of Goblin Bros. He’s been pleasantly surprised to find that a vast age range of people have become interested in Dungeons and Dragons, and board games as a whole, during the pandemic lockdown.

“There are very young children, teens, college-aged people, senior citizens who come in and want to learn more,” he said. Woolley is planning to offer beginner’s classes in playing various board games, along with classes on painting role-playing figurines. As partners in the endeavor, Woolley said he’s found a wealth of local talent to draw from.

“There are so many knowledgeable people in Petaluma who we’re finding that want to be involved with our business,” he said. “Hopefully we will be able to host game nights as well. Not just D&D, but quite a diverse array of games.”

From the beginning, even before the physical store opened, Woolley and his co-owners decided to donate a portion of all sales to charities such as WorldBuilders.org and Critical Role Foundation.

“In the future,” he said, “we’re looking to diversify to local donations to organizations such as the Klaas Foundation and Cinnabar Theatre. We want to give back to the community that welcomed us.”

The primary goal of Goblin Bros., he said, is to continue building a local community of game-fans and active players, and the artists who create within that community.

That, Woolley is proud to see, is already happening.

“Artists come in to show us their painted game figures,” Woolley said. “Local wood craftspeople who create wood puzzles, craftspeople who make enamel pins. I get so much satisfaction from engaging with them and displaying their work.”