Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hey everyone,

Recently I've begun saving money and working on a plan to open up a hobby shop. My goal is to have everything ready within a couple of years and I wish to do as much research as possible in preparation. Here's a couple questions:

Are there any shop owners/managers that would be willing to let me pick their brain on how their business functions?

As a consumer, what do you look for in a store? What products do you expect? What kind of environment appeals to you? Are there any resources that you expect from them such as painting services, gaming groups, places to play/hang out?

All thoughts are appreciated!

Advice: Don't.

You'll likely be a poor man who spends his days surrounded by mostly weird smelly men or annoying smelly children slowly hating your favourite hobby more and more until you turn into the Simpsons comic book guy.

I'm not saying that will definitely happen, but.......






Or search for the same thread that has popped up about once a month for the last 5/6 years. Seriously theres loads.

I expect a well-run business.

What does this mean, exactly? It means I want the place to be clean. I want the employees to be professional and focused on their jobs (far too many gaming stores hire employees for their passion for the hobby and NOT their customer service skills). I want stock to be reliably there. I want managers who are also aware of the flow of business, and can make it work.

It's very easy to say how cool of an environment you're going to make, but the bottom line is that you need to make a strong, successful business first.

Look at market share in the area: competition, population, demographics (university / colleges / high schools nearby help a lot).

Try arranging gaming groups or look some up in the area, get to be a member, have an "in".

Figure out a "business plan", you going to save fully or need a loan (stocking the store for instance)?

Location: do you have a eye for where you would want to set up shop?
Look at rent pricing for the area, look around, get some contacts of potential landlords for areas to rent.

Talk to a shop owner another city over and see if a working relationship could be agreed on (coordinate stock pick-ups to the big city, distributor information / coordination).

Talk to local distributors about tournament or start-up packages.

Think of the services you want to offer and the space needed.

Gaming tables: how many and type? Magic the Gathering?

Do you want to attract more female customers? More organization and meticulously maintained facilities will be required.

HVAC good enough? Air conditioning and heat, good ventilation, look at how say a spray booth could be arranged for hobby use for instance.

Vending on-site? Pop/Soda machines, vending, you want to serve coffee or snacks? Any particular licensing you may need?

Allow storage on-site like lockers and rental agreements.

Membership, benefits offered.

Look at stock / sales / register management software, make sure it allows export of data, consult on taxation and audit trail needs.

Look at registering as a company, you need to separate the business from your own finances or liability situations could take your home.

Develop a contact / relationship with a business lawyer.

Check with local government of new-business startup offers / help.

There is so much more but these are touch-on ideas that can lead to a checklist of getting your act together.

Add a bar gaming section! Gamestorm my LGS in Portland has a back area that has gaming tables the size of the average LGS. They have multiple beers on tap and wine coolers, no hard liquor as it requires a different liquor license. The nice thing about it is that adults can have a clean, well kept area to play away from everything else. It provides a place for board gamers too to separate from the miniature gamers. That doesn't mean some miniature gamers don't play back there but just depends on the day.

The main section is three times the size of the bar area and contains all the normal game shelves. Tournaments are typically ran there.

Now to be fair... running a game store isn't cheap. The biggest issue is you are competing with online wholesalers who will sell things 10-40% cheaper than you can. The only real way to offset that is to be able to diversify properly and have a large game base who buy little things (food, drinks, etc).

As a consumer a bright, well ventilated store where you can see the stock

Staff who are primarily there to serve customers (as opposed to gaming/painting/chatting to friends)

If you're planning on gaming in store make sure there is enough space for shoppers to move around the tables and whoever is gaming/watching

again if you're gaming in store some decent terrain is a must (hopefully if you build up a regular crowd they can then be prodded into maintining it)

As to what I'd want in stock at least one decent paint range plus associated hobby stuff

other than that it's going to depend on where you set up.

In the US Magic (and other card games) is probably essential

Stock whatever wargaming system(s) are popular in the area (no point going big on 40K in a where people only play Warmachine/Hordes or vise versa), You can always try introducing things later but to start with you need customers

If you let people pre-order stuff (take a non-refundable deposit) MAKE SURE you get it for them and don't let it get put on the shelf or sold to a friend who really wants it (it's amazing how often store owners or their staff let this happen)

 PsychoShotgun wrote:
Hey everyone,

Recently I've begun saving money and working on a plan to open up a hobby shop. My goal is to have everything ready within a couple of years and I wish to do as much research as possible in preparation. Here's a couple questions:

Are there any shop owners/managers that would be willing to let me pick their brain on how their business functions?

As a consumer, what do you look for in a store? What products do you expect? What kind of environment appeals to you? Are there any resources that you expect from them such as painting services, gaming groups, places to play/hang out?

All thoughts are appreciated!

What's your business plan? That should be the first step before anything else.

Since you are in the U.S., contact the United States Small Business Administration. They can provide you with a tremendous amount of information, help with or even provide funding, assist you in developing a business plan, and even provide another small business owner as a mentor. Our local lgs owner bought a seedy dive of a hobby store 15 years ago and has made a successful business out of it that continues to thrive to this day by taking advantage of their free services to small business owners.

Advice: Don't.


It is a ridiculously difficult business model. It's a niche product, depending on where you are with a small clientele, and it has huge competition from cheap online vendors. The hours are long, a lot of the time you're acting as unpaid daycare, and your customers will often take their business elsewhere for as little as 5% extra discount or a couple days earlier delivery of product.

In short, it's a recipe for disaster most of the time.



If you do...


1) Be a businessman first and a gamer second. Find out what people like to play, and stock it, try to encourage it. THis might mean putting huge support into a game system you technically loathe.

2) If the ship starts to sink, don't drag it out, let it sink. Someone i know ended up 50k more in debt than they needed to be by dragging the demise of their shop on 7 months longer than they should have.

3) Carry and support Magic the Gathering and Pokemon. Those are huge money draws with lots and lots of turnover.

4) Location! Be near food and as close to highways as you can. Be in as safe a neighborhood as you can afford with good amount of parking.

5) Take special orders for whatever you can, and be proactive in their delivery. If there's an issue, don't wait for the customer to come in to find this out, contact them first. Website with forums are great for this.





Finally... again. I can't recommend enough that you not do this. The chances for success are very, very small. It's a super hard model to make work.


Good luck, though if you do. While i would not do it with my money in a million years, I am very, very thankful there are those of you out there that do risk it, and i support my local shop with whatever i can buy there that they are willing to stock and / order for me.

-- Haight

Remember 100% of your salary comes after you've paid wages, taxes, rent, heat, lights, etc., etc., etc. All of this coming from your tiny margins on an occasional sale or two. During Christmas, you'll make a lot more, but then you'll have more employees.

Really try to estimate how many sales you need per day in order to take home any money at all, and how likely you'll be able to make those sales day after day, even during slow times.

While the advice of 'don't do it!' does carry weight, hey if we all did that then what would happen to this hobby?

If it's something you have a passion for, but you have some business acumen and are prepared to work hard (running your own business is really hard work, even for the smallest ones) then go for it. I'm all for going for something, rather than getting older and then wishing when it is too late "If only I had tried...!"

Can't really add much to the above, I will say also make sure you have a web store. As ridiculous as it sounds in 2015, I've known of shops that don't cater to the internet side of things and suffered as a result.

 JimOnMars wrote:
Remember 100% of your salary comes after you've paid wages, taxes, rent, heat, lights, etc., etc., etc. All of this coming from your tiny margins on an occasional sale or two. During Christmas, you'll make a lot more, but then you'll have more employees.

Really try to estimate how many sales you need per day in order to take home any money at all, and how likely you'll be able to make those sales day after day, even during slow times.

This is worth noting: in the run up to xmas you will have a lot more cashflow, but the aftermath usually is a hand to mouth existance for a month. January is usually a barren wasteland of sales as people use up gift cards, etc., unless there is a major release.

So you need to plan for oct-dec's fecundity leading to january and maybe even into february's famine.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Pacific wrote:
While the advice of 'don't do it!' does carry weight, hey if we all did that then what would happen to this hobby?

Couldn't agree more, i even acknowledged this. But it's worth stating again. Though it's a REALLY stacked gamble, i'm thankful for every last person that took the chance. My best friend's dad owned a shop that sold magic and other collectibles in it when i was growing up, and that's where we bought 40k's 2nd models and rules. When that place got out of gaming to focus on other ventures (still keeping magic: tG sales alive and well though), another shop opened up about 3 miles away and did a lot more with minis. I'm thankful to them both, and the place i go now too though i game at home more often than anywhere.



I will say this: if you have no small business experience, please, put your plans on hold 1 year and go take some entry level business courses at the local community college. Take a business 101 course, and sit with the professor and explain your situation (that you're opening a small business as a retailer of a niche, but unique and loyal following product, and what does he recommend for some basic business courses for what a small entrepreneur should know and make use of in terms of courses).

I can't stress this enough. Be a businessman first, and gamer second. Gamers that run stores end up running club houses for their buddies until they file for bankruptcy. Businessmen that run game stores can make it work. It's hard, a really hard model, but it can work.

Thanks for the responses so far, even the doom-sayers I realized that this sort of business would be a lot of hard work before I came to the forum and you are only confirming that. However, it is encouraging that there are those that think it can be done.

Notprop: I searched for similar threads on the forums before posting, but couldn't find anything. I'll look again.

Haight: My dad owns a small business in a different area of which I have been apart of for several years, so I have some exposure. However, taking some business course sounds like a great idea for building a good foundation.

Another question: If a store opened up in a town with an existing hobby shop that offered a better variety of products, better service and a better gaming area, would most gamers be willing to switch? Or is loyalty/habits too difficult of hurtle to cross?

What age of clientele do you see at your respective stores? Is it mostly teenagers, mostly adults or a good mix of both?

You may have better luck combining it into a restaurant. In orlando, we have: http://www.cloakandblaster.com

Look them up on facebook and take a look at their activities for ideas.

It's well run, they sell games, almost every night is board game night, and behave similar to a game shop during the non-peak times. Not too big on mini gaming (burgers, fries, and beers may get a bit messy).

Look at what you want and visit a lot of different shops both close and far away. Compare and contrast the successful ones. Ask the successful ones what they do. As long as you're not too personal, they will likely respond.

I would like the workers to become professional and also dedicated to their work

gasdg wrote:
I would like the workers to become professional and also dedicated to their work

Good luck with that.



You will have to hire only full time employees with good pay and benefits to even have a hope.

From what I see, gaming stores are stores that people game at.
Why they come is the thing to get sorted out. Lots of stores have a sideline, often models and toys. Comic stores are often games stores too, so there's that. That way, if the gaming side has a bad day, you might even out with the other. Stick to what you know though.

Having competition does mean you have more to think about. Are their customers they mostly card-gamers, board-gamers, wargamers, or 'other'? Be something they're not. Don't fight them, but live alongside. You might even be able to help each other out. If you want to dump a product range, see if they want to deal in it.
I'm guessing suppliers and reps might be a source of info on that front.

Good luck if you go for it, but take all the help you can get.

 PsychoShotgun wrote:
Thanks for the responses so far, even the doom-sayers I realized that this sort of business would be a lot of hard work before I came to the forum and you are only confirming that. However, it is encouraging that there are those that think it can be done.

Notprop: I searched for similar threads on the forums before posting, but couldn't find anything. I'll look again.

Haight: My dad owns a small business in a different area of which I have been apart of for several years, so I have some exposure. However, taking some business course sounds like a great idea for building a good foundation.

This is good. Seen way too many stores opened up by people who don't understand the first thing about business. Honestly, i still recommend the courses, but having 1st hand small business entrepreneurial experience is key. FWIW, about 7 years ago i did my own analysis when i was flirting with the same idea, and in my area found that the model wasn't tenable.... i wouldn't have had the good sense to figure that out though if I hadn't also worked for my Dad from 16-22 in a small business climate.

Another question: If a store opened up in a town with an existing hobby shop that offered a better variety of products, better service and a better gaming area, would most gamers be willing to switch? Or is loyalty/habits too difficult of hurtle to cross?

Tough to say. As a general rule i usually don't like game stores. But i do really like my FLGS. You'd be really hard pressed to beat my guys on service if you were opening up near me, the three main employees are super on top of their gak, friendly, very nice, support and demo and encourage a wide array of games (and stock), and even for the non-big sellers like Fantasy, where I spend a ton of money on, but not too many others do, I'm still always guaranteed a table when i come be-boppin' in, and i get interested and genuine questions about my armies, etc., but its never forced.

I dunno. I really like my shop. They pretty much tick all the boxes and do things the way i want them done. About the only thing they could do better (and this isn't even their fault) is try to find a way to foment a little more WHFB play on the weekends. Current play night is during the week, and at 35 with a seriously stressful and fairly long houred job, and a seven year old at home, with a dog that might as well be another kid... yeah. Weeknights are not a doable thing right now.

What age of clientele do you see at your respective stores? Is it mostly teenagers, mostly adults or a good mix of both?

I see from ages about 6-7 like my son, into what appears to be mid to late fifties. The mixture depends on the day and time of day.

 notprop wrote:
Advice: Don't.

You'll likely be a poor man who spends his days surrounded by mostly weird smelly men or annoying smelly children slowly hating your favourite hobby more and more until you turn into the Simpsons comic book guy.

I'm not saying that will definitely happen, but.......






Or search for the same thread that has popped up about once a month for the last 5/6 years. Seriously theres loads.

Sad but true. If you are stubborn then I wish you the best of luck.

Change the business model. The old GW stores go out of business because they lose money doing things obsolete. Make your primary business online in order to compete toe toe. Use your brick and mortar business as a way to provide free pick up. Use the building primarily as a store house and gaming space reserve for scheduled gaming events. Create $10-20 per student Seminars where you tutor people how to hobby by also selling them the paint set, tools and models. Shelf space? GTFO, You put the order online after seeing it online and you come here to pick it up and pay no shipping. Use all the space to create a Tournament Worthy Environment to cater to all card games and table top games. You want to get recognized for holding large events quarterly or even monthly. If local players go pro and win major events then you have a neighborhood celebrity. Offer him or her to host Strategy Seminars for people who want to learn how to play the game better. If you choose a place not near food then there is your opportunity to turn the place into a mini snack place. Have many low powered vending machines. Go so far as to sell frozen dinners and let them use the microwave for free. In a sense I am telling you to create a dojo for mini war gaming and card gaming. If you do it right, people will come and pay to learn how to hobby and or play the game. You are no longer in the business of selling GW crap cast..I mean fine cast.