Building Community One Puzzle at a Time

Karen Wells and Jessica Bradley of Mind Quest Puzzles and Games

As told to Thalassa Fuhrmann, EternalEdge Solutions

Some businesses are built around products. Others are built around people.

Mind Quest Puzzles and Games was founded on a simple belief: when people gather around a puzzle, they connect in ways that are increasingly rare in today's world. Conversations happen naturally. Generations work together. Strangers become teammates. Community forms one piece at a time.

At the center of that vision are co-founders Karen Wells and Jessica Bradley, two women whose different backgrounds, shared passion for puzzling, and commitment to bringing people together led them to create something far greater than a retail store.

Two Different Paths, One Shared Vision

Karen Wells has always been a natural connector. Growing up in Michigan, she gravitated toward gatherings, organizing activities, and creating opportunities for people to come together. After moving to Colorado, she became immersed in the local puzzling community and quickly discovered that puzzles could be much more than a solitary pastime.

Three and a half years ago, Karen entered her first speed jigsaw puzzling competition. Although she had never competed at that level before, she immediately found success, placing third as a solo competitor, fourth as a pair, and first as part of a newly formed team made up of people she had met that very day.

What started as a competition quickly became a passion. Karen found herself drawn not only to the challenge of speed puzzling but also to the supportive community that surrounded it.

Jessica Bradley's journey to Mind Quest began much earlier.

Growing up in a small town in Kansas, Jessica developed a love for puzzles at an early age. After meeting her husband in college, she lived in several cities including Washington, D.C., and Memphis before eventually settling in Colorado. Through every move and every chapter of life, one dream remained constant.

She wanted to own a puzzle store.

For nearly fifteen years, Jessica carried that vision with her. The business plan existed long before the business itself. She simply waited for the right opportunity, the right location, and the right partner.

When Jessica moved to Colorado and discovered the speed puzzling community, she was surprised to learn how many others shared the same passion she had carried since childhood. What she once viewed as a personal hobby became a way to build friendships and create meaningful connections.

The Partnership That Made It Possible

Karen and Jessica first met through the speed puzzling community after connecting online while looking for competition partners.

What began as a partnership for tournaments quickly evolved into a friendship built on shared interests, complementary strengths, and a common vision for what the puzzling community could become.

While Karen was discussing the possibility of opening a puzzle store, mutual friends quickly pointed out that Jessica had been considering the same idea for years. What followed were months of conversations, planning sessions, brainstorming meetings, and refining a vision.

Together they developed the concept, created the brand, designed the logo, secured their EIN, and began building what would eventually become Mind Quest Puzzles and Games.

Despite a sixteen-year age difference, the two found themselves remarkably aligned in values and purpose. Karen brought extensive community-building experience and event organization skills. Jessica brought years of dreaming, planning, and a deep passion for cognitive wellness and lifelong learning.

Together they created a partnership that balanced vision with execution.

More Than Entertainment

For Jessica, puzzles have always represented more than recreation.

Having watched family members experience dementia and cognitive decline, she understands firsthand the importance of activities that keep the brain active, engaged, and challenged. The name Mind Quest reflects that philosophy.

Puzzles, brain games, and problem-solving activities support memory retention, focus, spatial reasoning, and cognitive engagement. While they are certainly fun, they also provide meaningful opportunities for lifelong mental wellness.

That mission remains at the heart of everything the company does.

From Events to a Physical Space

Before there was a storefront, there were competitions.

Karen organized local puzzling events, rented spaces, promoted tournaments, and tested demand throughout the region. The response was immediate. Events filled quickly and a dedicated community began to form.

What became clear was that people wanted more than competitions. They wanted a place to gather.

They wanted a home base where beginners and nationally ranked speed puzzlers could sit at the same table, learn from one another, and enjoy a shared experience.

Finding that location was not easy.

The building that would eventually become Mind Quest's home in Palmer Lake had sat vacant for nearly twenty years. Extensive renovations were required. Bathrooms had to be added. Suites had to be combined. Permitting presented challenges.

Through persistence and determination, the vision became reality.

Today, Mind Quest Puzzles and Games operates at 872 Highway 105 in Palmer Lake, directly across from the Monument Fire Department.

More Than a Puzzle Store

Calling Mind Quest a puzzle store only tells part of the story.

The space functions as a community clubhouse where visitors can gather, practice, compete, learn, and connect. Tables are available for daily puzzling, creating an environment that encourages both structured events and spontaneous interactions.

Mind Quest hosts solo, pair, and team competitions while collaborating with puzzle stores and organizations across Colorado. The focus is not competition against others. It is community through shared experiences.

Visitors will find:

·         A Swappers Club for puzzle exchanges

·         Brain games and logic challenges

·         Children's puzzles and dexterity games

·         Puzzle storage solutions

·         Puzzle assembly and preparation services

·         Corporate team-building events

·         Nonprofit fundraising competitions

·         Outreach opportunities for schools, homeschool groups, senior centers, and assisted living communities

Every aspect of the business is designed around accessibility, inclusion, and participation.

Building Community One Piece at a Time

At its core, Mind Quest exists to bring people together.

In a world increasingly dominated by screens, puzzles create opportunities for face-to-face interaction, collaboration, and meaningful conversation. People gather around a table with a common goal and often leave with new friendships.

Karen and Jessica envision Mind Quest as a destination for local families, competitive puzzlers, visitors traveling through Colorado, and anyone looking for a different way to spend time together.

Their belief is simple.

When people work with their hands and minds together, something meaningful happens.

Mind Quest Puzzles and Games is proof that a business built around connection, purpose, and community can become far more than anyone originally imagined.

It is not just about finishing puzzles.

It is about helping people find their place, one piece at a time.