Red Castle Games, the tabletop gaming store at 7160 S.E. Foster Road, has been named the U.S. Small Business Administration's 2026 Oregon Small Business Person of the Year.

Owner Matthew Mičetić opened the shop in Southeast Portland's Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood in 2010. Over 16 years he grew it from a small retail space into a regional destination for board games, card tournaments, youth camps and an on-site café.

The growth came through serious adversity.

Red Castle suffered 10 break-ins over 20 months, with three burglaries hitting in a single night. The crimes caused more than $250,000 in losses and damage. Thieves targeted sealed Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering card products and Games Workshop miniatures, items that are small, portable and carry high resale value, Mičetić told BoardGameWire in June.

He described the financial hit as significant but said the harder part was the operational and emotional toll. Each break-in meant police reports, emergency repairs, disrupted operations and uncertainty about whether it would happen again.

Mičetić expanded his inventory and upgraded the Foster Road location in 2020, even as COVID-19 shutdowns forced temporary closures across the retail sector. The store now hosts organized play nights, Dungeons & Dragons and Pokémon youth camps, after-school programs, and community events.

"If we ask the community to stand with us, we do have to keep showing up for them," Mičetić told The Bee.

The SBA announced the state and territory winners on March 27. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler recognized the honorees at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on May 3 during National Small Business Week. The program, running since 1963, recognizes owners who combine business growth with community service.

Magic: The Gathering remains Red Castle's strongest organized-play offering and a cornerstone of its financial model, according to Mičetić.

He told BoardGameWire that independent game stores survive by building community, not by competing on price with online retailers.