Chances are you’ve walked past the colourfully fronted Puzzle Bored on New Road in Brighton and you may have wondered what it’s all about. We chatted to owner Mark to ask that very question.
Describe Puzzle Bored? We realised there wasn’t anywhere in Brighton that was set up as a quiet, sober space where people can meet up. Especially the neurodiverse community where their needs are catered for. We avoid loud music and tech. On the top two floors there’s no music playing, we have music on the ground floor. I don’t display the wifi code to encourage people to engage in conversation and step away from social media, or just relax and engage in a wholesome jigsaw puzzle or old fashioned board game.
Are their puzzles and games available for people to borrow while they are here? Over the three floors I have a wide selection of jigsaw puzzles ranging from 100 pieces which take about half an hour. On the top floor there are a selection of 200-1000 piece puzzles. We find that people will start a puzzle and later on other customers might finish it off. So essentially it becomes a community sharing puzzle. There are also tons of old school board games all free to use with no additional charge.
What refreshments are available? There’s no alcohol on the premises at all. We serve a selection of sweet and savory pastries and cakes with gluten free and vegan options readily available. Also as well as standard coffee beans I also have CBD coffee beans, and also (non psychedelic) mushrooms – so I can make alternative barista coffee. I also have a large range of herbal teas.
Can you tell us the benefits of CBD and mushroom coffee? CBD is for relaxation and calm, it can help with joint pain. There are various mushrooms, chaga, Lion’s Mane and Reishi. They are grown, dried and processed into powder form and added to coffee beans. They promote focus and clarity. I’ve started having the mushroom coffee in the morning as regular coffee affects my brain in a negative way, I can’t concentrate properly, but with the Lion’s Mane I am able to stay focused and carry out my tasks a lot more easily without getting distracted.
Do you host events? We host a ton of events with everything from writing workshops, to recovery events. Also, every Wednesday I host home education meetups for parents and children who are home schooled so they can meet others in the same situation. It’s nice for the children to get to know other homeschoolers as it can be quite isolating.
27 New Road, Brighton, BN1 1UG / www.puzzlebored.co.uk
