BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — 220 James E. Casey Drive in Buffalo looks just like any ordinary warehouse, until you step inside.
"We are the largest puzzle manufacturer in North America," President of Buffalo Games, Nagendra Raina, said.
Vice President, Ben Jamesson, added: "And yeah with the snow it feels like the North Pole in Buffalo and we are making some of the best games and puzzles in the world, really."
Since 1986, Buffalo Games, has manufactured puzzles and games. Today--the company's 75 workers producer 10 million puzzles a year from cityscapes to Star Wars. The company also makes three million games a year--all of which stock the shelves of some of America's biggest retailers, such as Target, Walmart and Amazon.
"The smallest piece county that we make internally is 24-48 pieces all the way to 2,000 pieces," Raina said. He added, "At most major retailers we have anywhere between 40-60% of the shelf space."
The popularity of puzzles and games is soaring. According to The NPD Groupfrom 2015-2017, puzzles and games is the fastest growing toy category. Now in 2016, that category grew by 24%.
"I don't think we expected these categories to grow as much as they have, but it makes sense and that trend is not slowing down," Jamesson said.
But puzzle popularity doesn't just stop for the holidays, it extends into the winter months.
"With cold weather in a lot of the nation, people are inside and people don't always want to be on their phones. A puzzle or a game is a different wya to interact and really positive way to interact with your family and friends," Jamesson said.
