People of the Public Market: Avail W.
Published on February 18, 2026
A newfound love of role-playing games brought Avail (pictured right, wearing a hat) and their friend Ellie to the Public Market.
“We’re doing the Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep,” Avail said. “We’ve been here for three hours already.”
Time flies when immersed in a campaign. Avail discovered their passion for tabletop role-playing games at Cardboard Corner Cafe’s Really Pleasant Gaming Weekend, a three-day event held in December. After that experience, they were hooked.
“I was a little nervous as I hadn't played any other systems than D&D — and that was only once — but was welcomed immediately after sitting at my first table,” Avail said. “It was exciting experiencing many different game systems and meeting many great people in the community.”
Eager to begin a new campaign, Avail invited Ellie to the Public Market on a recent weekend.
“There’s just so much to choose from,” Avail said. “I personally do have a character that I’m putting into this. He is a water genasi paladin in D&D, and his name is Dewy. If you know anything about water genasi, they always look like they’re sweating because that’s just a characteristic of them, and I thought it would be funny for his name to be Dewy. So his name is Dewy because he’s always dewy.”
Beyond gaming, Avail is deeply involved in Scouting America.
“The Boy Scouts of America is now called Scouting America,” Avail said. “They started allowing girls into their program in February 2019. I joined immediately because I always saw my brother and my dad going off on these cool camping trips or on a 10-day trip to the middle of Oakfield, Missouri, and now I get that same chance.”
Avail earned their Eagle Scout rank a couple of years ago. Now over 18, they remain active through additional programming within Scouting America, carrying forward the leadership and service that define the organization.
“Earning my Eagle Scout has taught me more about relying on myself and on others,” Avail said. “It taught me leadership, confidence, public speaking and people skills. The whole point of an Eagle Scout project — other than giving back to your community — is to lead others in creating or serving, not doing all the work yourself. That was a very difficult part for me personally to overcome.”
Beyond Scouts, Avail enjoys TTRPGs, writing, reading and makeup.
“Freedom of expression and personality through these avenues is important for staying mentally well,” Avail said.
Building community and connecting with the people who make the Public Market so special is at the heart of what we do. Our People of the Public Market series highlight these stories, offering a small but meaningful glimpse into the lives of our customers.