About 10 miles southeast of the bustling Las Vegas Strip, in a uniform lot of plain warehouses, puzzle lovers can find a hidden gem where they can peruse over 5,000 unique jigsaw puzzle designs. Puzzle Merchant, located in Henderson, Nevada, is an online seller and showroom that carries over 50 puzzle brands. Read on to learn more, and check out our interview with Puzzle Merchant linked at the bottom of the page.
When you pull into the parking lot, look for a large black puzzle piece at the top of the building. It’s the only giveaway that there’s treasure inside for avid puzzlers. Puzzle Merchant is one of the few retailers in the country that sells puzzles exclusively, and possibly the only one in the Southwest.
The founder, Will Roya, runs the business with help from his wife. They do puzzles together as a family with their son, especially around the holidays, so a love of puzzles was one of the inspirations to start Puzzle Merchant. Before that, Will used to sell playing card decks, which he got into because he used to perform and produce magic shows in Las Vegas and around the country! He found that there were some similarities in the playing card and puzzle industries: both involve printed materials and art, and are a physical product that won’t be replaced by technology.
Puzzle Merchant aims to offer a wide variety of brands, including many small brands that can’t be found at the big box retailers. Will often takes suggestions from customers who have requested brands like Puzzle Twist and Be Rooted, for example. Some companies reach out directly to him, and others he discovers through trade shows and wholesalers.
Although most of Puzzle Merchant’s sales are from online traffic, about 20% of their business is in-person. Locals and international visitors alike have discovered this puzzle oasis in the Las Vegas desert. Walking through the showroom and warehouse, you’ll find puzzles organized by brand, piece count and theme so you can easily find what fits your taste. Popular, best-selling brands like Ravensburger, Cobble Hill, Galison and Eurographics fill the shelves in the front showroom, and dozens more brands can be found in the warehouse, which customers are also welcome to walk through and shop.
Upstairs, there is a small space where Puzzle Merchant hosts events like speed puzzling competitions, casual puzzle nights and more. Will has plans to host large-scale puzzle assembly (10,000 pieces or more) in that space and invite puzzlers to drop in during business hours to help build the puzzle, giving them a chance to work on a community project that most wouldn’t have space for in their own homes.
So whether you’re a Las Vegas local or visiting Sin City, be sure to stop by Puzzle Merchant to check out their huge range of puzzles and get friendly, personal service. Will loves meeting customers, giving recommendations, and helping them find their perfect puzzles. Maybe you can even catch an event. But you’ll be sure to walk away with plenty of puzzles you’ll love.