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 MWHistorian wrote:

 inquisitorlewis wrote:
So glad I didn't preorder Operation Icestorm from them.

Yup, just lost $120. Is it weird that I'm more upset about not getting the exclusive pre-order figure?

The other thread on this subject hinted that online orders will be refunded. Did you place an online order, or did you preorder from the store.

Once again we see a business collecting money knowing they will never be able to fulfill the orders taken. This seems to be a vicious trend in dealing with online hobby stores.

 MWHistorian wrote:

 inquisitorlewis wrote:
So glad I didn't preorder Operation Icestorm from them.

Yup, just lost $120. Is it weird that I'm more upset about not getting the exclusive pre-order figure?

Thats crap that they took your money knowing they were going to close. They could have made up a reason not to take it besides actually telling you they were closing. Sorry to hear that, man.

 squall018 wrote:

 MWHistorian wrote:

 inquisitorlewis wrote:
So glad I didn't preorder Operation Icestorm from them.

Yup, just lost $120. Is it weird that I'm more upset about not getting the exclusive pre-order figure?

Thats crap that they took your money knowing they were going to close. They could have made up a reason not to take it besides actually telling you they were closing. Sorry to hear that, man.

No, I ordered it over a month ago. They didn't find out they were closing until this Monday.

 MWHistorian wrote:

 squall018 wrote:

 MWHistorian wrote:

 inquisitorlewis wrote:
So glad I didn't preorder Operation Icestorm from them.

Yup, just lost $120. Is it weird that I'm more upset about not getting the exclusive pre-order figure?

Thats crap that they took your money knowing they were going to close. They could have made up a reason not to take it besides actually telling you they were closing. Sorry to hear that, man.

No, I ordered it over a month ago. They didn't find out they were closing until this Monday.

Fair enough.

From what I understand, having talked to Rob, they did not know they would be closing until it happened, and everything that happened after they knew had to be done in a certain way due to legal issues as this isn't just a game store closing but instead an actual bankruptcy.

 Darkness wrote:
From what I understand, having talked to Rob, they did not know they would be closing until it happened, and everything that happened after they knew had to be done in a certain way due to legal issues as this isn't just a game store closing but instead an actual bankruptcy.

Oh please, that is so untrue it isn't even funny.

You definitely know if you are going bancrupt months before you actually do. They knew they would have to close the business weeks or months before they actually did. Sales and ability to re-order stock and pay bills are such a massive indicator let alone a simple cash flow for the next two months.

They either hoped they could get out of it or they continued to blindly take money. There really isn't a third option.

They knew they were in trouble, yes, they did not know it would have to be with bankruptcy though until the end. Had they simply been able to just close, they could have done a fire sale and recouped money and refunded orders.

This is not simply a store closing but an actual bankruptcy. 99% of the time when a game store closes, the owner just closes shop, as opposed to having to hire a lawyer and go to court.

I may feel it is untrue, but the bankruptcy hearing that is to come and the lease say otherwise.

Should be a simple process of knowing if FTW GAMES has gone bankrupt, it would have filed chapter 9 bankruptcy protection, this is standard in the USA.

Sorry to hear about the store closing.

To the OP, have you tried to get a charge-back on your credit card or did you pay in cash?

As for local stores closing, it's happened many times. After a while, you just sort of expect it to keep happening. The exception for me is "Games Plus" in the northwest suburbs. It's been around as long as I have and it's such a rock that I kind of consider it my "FLGS" even though it's about 30 miles beyond what could be considered "Local". It's also the only game store in the Chicago area that carries things I actually want to buy.

As for the closed…

-There was a store in Napervile. I think it was once a Games Paradise, then it became Cipher games, then it closed. Always had a good selection of 40k stuff and they were even able to order me the "Space Rangers" when ICE was selling them

-The Chicago Battle Bunker came, expanded, and then was closed.

-The Military Model Shop/Wargames store in "Proseks" greenhouse finally sold the last of their stock a couple years ago. I'd been visiting there since at least the 90's, possibly even earlier when it was a kid. They had technically closed about 6 years back when the owner died, but I continued to check in as crazy old stock kept appearing from storage. Great memories there.

-Black Sun Games closed a couple years ago after one of the two owners passed. It was a great store with a reasonable selection of games and a nice playing space. Despite it being on the opposite side of town, I gamed there quite a few times and it's where myself and my other gaming club members first met each other.

Stores that closed that I wasn't a regular at included:

-Haycinth games. The club met there one week and two weeks later it was gone. They kind of shot themselves in the foot though. Their 40k stuff was 10% over retail, they had a poor location, and wouldn't sell Magic cards.

 crazyredpraetorian wrote:
Closing a store is no easy decision. It sucks, it is embarrassing, and it is depressing. Everybody bitches that their clubhouse closed. But, in a lot cases those are the same people that bought their minis from the cheapest source, not from the FLGS that provided their clubhouse.

This sort of logic is getting harder to follow as almost every local business in every form has to deal with my ability to order my wants and needs to my doorstep. It happens that we are in a social hobby, but can it withstand the change of direct order dealing? I've ordered car parts and fixed my car, home appliances, and even food stuff.

I'd almost like to see the US go to the "club" method where you rented out a local space and met on specific days and paid dues. I like getting the best deal on my goods and not feeling guilt on purchases. Do I sweat small things? No. But when you start talking $30+ in cost and difference, which means another box of models, that's going to give anyone pause.

Also, someone could attend the FLGS once a month, but buy all their toys there where someone frequents weekly and never buys a thing. It's a tough business.

However, FTW, and SpikeyBitz, offered a unique solution that got gamers to buy loads of product and keep the lights on for brick and mortar: aftermarket bits dealing. Most of the other thread seems to hint that FTW Games took a hit to their bottom line with that change in GW policy. I'd sooner blame GW killing your local hobby shop than gamers wanting to stay in their hobby due to friends, investments, and passions, but looking for cheaper alternatives since the prices got so bloated. Warmahordes is pretty bad on that too ($85 boxes of units! UGH!). Infinity is starting to nose in that direction, which leaves me concerned. $71 antipode assault pack?!

It's a shame, all three major FLGS in Richmond have cool things about them, it sucks to see one go.

 Deathwinger wrote:
It's a shame, all three major FLGS in Richmond have cool things about them, it sucks to see one go.

Dragon's Den has a good atmosphere, but its just too small.
One Eyed Jack's (spelling?) doesn't do wargamming.
Is there another one I don't know about?

 MWHistorian wrote:

 Deathwinger wrote:
It's a shame, all three major FLGS in Richmond have cool things about them, it sucks to see one go.

Dragon's Den has a good atmosphere, but its just too small.
One Eyed Jack's (spelling?) doesn't do wargamming.
Is there another one I don't know about?

I think the 3rd he was referring to was FTW.

 squall018 wrote:

 MWHistorian wrote:

 Deathwinger wrote:
It's a shame, all three major FLGS in Richmond have cool things about them, it sucks to see one go.

Dragon's Den has a good atmosphere, but its just too small.
One Eyed Jack's (spelling?) doesn't do wargamming.
Is there another one I don't know about?

I think the 3rd he was referring to was FTW.

I was indeed talking about FTW,

I enjoy the Dragon's Den atmosphere, (plus it's less than 5 minutes from my apartment. )
One-Eyed Jacques in Carytown has the awesome scratch and dent, and while they've don't have wargaming, I enjoy board games just as much.

 Deathwinger wrote:

 squall018 wrote:

 MWHistorian wrote:

 Deathwinger wrote:
It's a shame, all three major FLGS in Richmond have cool things about them, it sucks to see one go.

Dragon's Den has a good atmosphere, but its just too small.
One Eyed Jack's (spelling?) doesn't do wargamming.
Is there another one I don't know about?

I think the 3rd he was referring to was FTW.

I was indeed talking about FTW,

I enjoy the Dragon's Den atmosphere, (plus it's less than 5 minutes from my apartment. )
One-Eyed Jacques in Carytown has the awesome scratch and dent, and while they've don't have wargaming, I enjoy board games just as much.

Sad face. I was hoping for another option.
Dragon's Den doesn't have the gaming space and its just far enough to be a hassle to drive to. But I do like them and will go back.

On average, small businesses fail. Especially in retail.

It turns out, being a subject matter expert does not qualify one to run a store.

I may feel bad if a store folds due to bad luck, but most of the stores I've been to are just bad examples of retail. Many of the shop keepers I have interacted with are just downright hostile to the clientele or can't implement basic retail best practices to keep customers happy. (Provide a clean environment where products are easy to shop and prices are clearly displayed. Ensure products are available. Follow through on promises, provide clear communication ..)

There's no secret formula... it's just sales and gross margin.

Epic loot in dayton, oh is the best store i've ever been to.
I also remember gigabytes in atlanta fondly.
I went to hard knox (KY, around Ft. Knox) and was impressed.

I won't name drop the dozen or so stores I've frequented and not liked. I don't even know how many of them still exist.

Pet peeve is stores that don't have retail prices on their product. I know GW changes prices often but I hate to have to get online with my iphone just to figure out what you're charging.

I'm surprised that there are stil a fair number of FLGS's that find a way to stay open. It seems like the biggest attraction at a FLGS, good gaming space, is the least profitable for the store and they've got to compete with online discounters for the big games and kickstarter and webstores for the smaller games/lines.

It always sucks to see a store close their doors, but reading all of this makes me feel pretty fortunate to have the FLGS that I do. From what I can tell, the owner just does everything right... I'm pretty spoiled.

MWHistorian, if you're ever in the NoVA area, check out Huzzah Hobbies in Ashburn. It's a wonderful store.

Anyone else get a Spikey Bitz / Dice Head e-mail this morning?

 Eilif wrote:


-The Military Model Shop/Wargames store in "Proseks" greenhouse finally sold the last of their stock a couple years ago. I'd been visiting there since at least the 90's, possibly even earlier when it was a kid. They had technically closed about 6 years back when the owner died, but I continued to check in as crazy old stock kept appearing from storage. Great memories there.

It's a small world. I have great memories of Prosek's as well. It was about a 15 minute bike ride from my house (grew up in Wheaton), and I spent many an hour there from the late 70's til Charlie passed away. He was good people. If you didn't know, he was a former Marine who was at Chosin Reservoir. He was buried with full military honors. They carried a huge selection of historicals, and I miss it very much. From the outside, you would never have guessed there was such a great hobby store inside. I also played many games on their sand table. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

 Swan-of-War wrote:
Anyone else get a Spikey Bitz / Dice Head e-mail this morning?

Yup... I was quite surprised to see an email from Spikey Bitz. Have to admit I'd be rather hesitant to book an order right about now...

Valete,

JohnS

Ultra Grey wrote:

 Eilif wrote:


-The Military Model Shop/Wargames store in "Proseks" greenhouse finally sold the last of their stock a couple years ago. I'd been visiting there since at least the 90's, possibly even earlier when it was a kid. They had technically closed about 6 years back when the owner died, but I continued to check in as crazy old stock kept appearing from storage. Great memories there.

It's a small world. I have great memories of Prosek's as well. It was about a 15 minute bike ride from my house (grew up in Wheaton), and I spent many an hour there from the late 70's til Charlie passed away. He was good people. If you didn't know, he was a former Marine who was at Chosin Reservoir. He was buried with full military honors. They carried a huge selection of historicals, and I miss it very much. From the outside, you would never have guessed there was such a great hobby store inside. I also played many games on their sand table. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

No problem, and thanks for sharing.
I didn't know much about Charlie besides his name and that he was a vet. Really nice to hear he got a good sendoff.

I didn't go to Proseks until the late 80's. My piano teacher mom used to buy corsages for her student's recitals there when they still sold cut flowers. As a kid I loved playing with 1/72 plastic soldiers from Airfix, Esci, Ertl, Revel, etc and Proseks was the only place near me (West Chicago and later Warrenville) that had them in any quantity. Have also found some really interesting things in their discount bin over the years. Metal Magic Rambo Rabbit, a Squat, Battletroops figures etc. Even bought a bunch of original Asterix figures when they were clearing out the closets! I was just a nosey kid, so we didn't talk much, but he was very tolerant of the terribly long time I spent looking even though I would usually only end up buying a $4 box of plastics soldiers.

In my collection I have a single 25mm napoleonic teddy bear with a broken standard. It was one of the last remaining figures painted by Charlie when they were clearing out the glass display cases so I bought it as a memento.

Charlie and Proseks. We will never see their like again.

 Eilif wrote:


Charlie and Proseks. We will never see their like again.

Amen to that.

And the store has been bought and is reopenning on monday! Yes! And they will be honoring store credit.

 MWHistorian wrote:
And the store has been bought and is reopenning on monday! Yes! And they will be honoring store credit.

Hopefully you can get your O:I!

Visited the store today and talked to the new owner (a great guy it appears) and he WILL be honoring store credit and pre orders, so me and MWHistorian will be getting our Operation Ice Storm boxes!!!!!!