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Are there any owner/operators of an FLGS on dakka who could answer some questions about starting a shop?

Yup, been there, done that although my experience in the UK will be somewhat different to what you are planning.
We also have a private subforum for store owners although it's not hugely active.
What do you need to know?

If you're serious about starting a gaming store, take the time to search through the posts of Mikhaila who owns 2 game stores.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/user/profile/958.page

I gather he's a busy dude, so I've no idea whether or not he'd be up for a 1 on 1, but his postings contain a treasure trove of insider information, advice, etc.

Good Luck.

 Alex Kolodotschko wrote:
Yup, been there, done that although my experience in the UK will be somewhat different to what you are planning.
We also have a private subforum for store owners although it's not hugely active.
What do you need to know?

I should preface by saying that I have no experience or schooling in business or related fields, I'm just a young guy who's struggling through life and would like to turn a passion for games into a living. I'm not necessarily looking for really in-depth answers, as I've got a ways to go before I can even consider doing this, but some basic info to work with. So I suppose the best starting questions would be:
1.) What kind of process does one go through in opening a store (getting a location, merchandise)?
2.) What would be considered too much competition? As in, is it a bad idea to open a store in Large City X because there are 3 other stores that everyone goes to.
3.) Just how difficult will it be to pull off without a business background (assuming, of course, that it is even possible)? School was always good at teaching me about people who made successful businesses with almost nothing but passion and determination "back in the day," but they never talk about people who manage to pull that off in more recent times.

I'll be sure to post more questions when I can think of some more specific ones. At the moment I'm just trying to come up with a plan for my life. Starting a game store sounds like it can be a rewarding experience and is relevant to my interests, so I figured I might as well look into it.

My wife does buisness loans for a large US Bank. She says go to the SBA (small business abministration)and jump through the hoops. Most banks wouldnt touch you without a track record of sales so it would be a high risk loan.

https://www.sba.gov

I went through a period where I considered what you're doing now, and even though I eventually decided against it, I learnt a fair bit. Try reading everything on these, and then decide if it's what you really want.

http://blackdiamondgames.blogspot.co.uk/
https://www.rpg.net/columns/list-column.phtml?colname=counter
https://www.rpg.net/columns/list-column.phtml?colname=businessofgamingretail

I didn't even know there was such a thing as the Small Business Administration. Definitely going to have to go through their Learning Center later. I'll also be sure to check out your links later as well, Ketara. Out of curiosity, what made you decide against it?

The first question you need to answer is - how much cash do you have for this project? You'll need cash for a few months rent, opening inventory, store set up and your own food and rent for 3 months. On an absolute shoe string budget, you'll need $10K to get started. An that's for a hole in the wall store that will need some good luck to make it to the end of the year.

 Steinwand wrote:
I didn't even know there was such a thing as the Small Business Administration. Definitely going to have to go through their Learning Center later. I'll also be sure to check out your links later as well, Ketara. Out of curiosity, what made you decide against it?

Well, the primary reason was that I'd learnt a week beforehand that I'd achieved a third at undergrad level, and was looking for something else to do after the inevitable few days with a bottle. Then I went into uni to discuss some options, learnt they'd sent me the wrong results, and I'd done pretty well after all. So I moved on to my current occupation.

I'll be honest, what I learned didn't thrill me much either. I learnt that:-

-You needed at least £50,000 of stock to even put together a decent inventory.
-Gaming stores don't turn an operating profit for at least two years usually.
-You need to put in excessive hours for at least three years to build a viable business from the ground up.

If you have a decent pile (e.g, £100,000+) lying around/own a property, get favourable circumstances on your overheads/location, or run it like a proper retail branch (as opposed to your personal games room), it's possible to circumvent/mitigate the above to an extent. But if you're literally starting from the bottom, borrowing from a bank to get started, and are doing what's known in the gaming trade as 'buying a job', it's tough and you're more likely to fail than succeed.

I wouldn't mind owning a store in a decade or two ( a bit like Kirton Wargames) when I wouldn't be relying on it for an income, and I like the idea in concept. But you don't start a games shop to make money. There are other far more profitable things one can do with the same level of capital.

I have never worked in the field but have close friends that own small businesses including a few game shop owners.

1. Usually you just need to get the local licences and tax forms; find a location.
Finding a hobby distributor is easy.. just google it.. but I know Diamond comics is the big dog for comic distribution.

You have to consider buying tables, chairs and displays for your products.. This also would have to include a cash register
and other office supplies. Also your location you pick may not be up to your needs and may need to have some type of remodel
cost. Picking a place located in a high traffic mall or by schools is a good idea, you cant sale product if you can't get people in the door

2. Competition - What sets you apart from the other shops?? One shop I always go has crazy size stock.. but the owner done it for 40 years
and unless you win the lottery, not a good idea to start out.

3. All this costs money.. Most hobby stores that are done wrong are just a big money pit..

I would suggest.. start small . Contact a hobby distributor and ask what the minimum requirements is ... Tax licence and minimum size of order is usual requirement..
Most you have to sign a contract that you will need to buy a certain amount of money each month to keep in good standings.
Once you have those try to find a Convention and try selling product over the weekend.. If you like it .. keep doing that to help build up money.
During the week put stock on eBay so you can keep the ball rolling.. just remember what stock is online so you don't sale it at the convention..
that will quickly upset customers... having sold something online that you already sold at a convention is not good.

Other things to consider...
Parents will use you as a free baby sitter and drop off little johnny at your store.. Hope you like kids
Remember there is always "that one guy" at every store.. and you will be the one to deal with him
or hear his story a hundred times about why walked dead is not real.

A book you can read is from the owner of Fantasy Shop stores in St Louis ..
A Specialty Retailer's Handbook: Games and Comics by Dave & Kelli Wallace
Not read it ..and heard mixed reviews..

I've read alot of topics like this and game store owners responses over the years. What I've gleaned is that you've got to commit to years of living with a very small income and putting in ridiculously long hours before you can achieve a sustainable standard of living.

One other idea might to be hook up with a local chain. There's a small group of stores around here. They seem to have individual store owners a it's growing. Such an arrangement might get you access to a unified distribution pipeline, a reputable name and some professional support.
https://www.thegaminggoat.com/store/
Here's their brief introduction on owning your own store.
https://www.thegaminggoat.com/store/TGG_Partner_Stores.pdf

No experience running a small business, but I have worked for them. Realize that unless you occupy a serious niche that's yet to be exploited (like a sizeable college town that somehow doesn't have a store and has a known playerbase) you're in for a labor of love at best, and absolute torture at the worst.

Especially without any background in business, accounting, etc., you will be at a huge disadvantage. I have seen so many great music, game, and other small businesses fail solely due to the absolutely ruthless world that is small business. America as a country is pretty much built to keep them from succeeding, the amount of crap they have to deal with is horrifying.

And even if you get through all that, then you have to deal with your customer base. This is a good read, as it's about a guy running a used video game/rental place http://www.actsofgord.com/

It'll give you a very good idea of what you're going to be dealing with, especially if you were crazy enough to try and sell used models on the side. Basically, just read "FLGS horror stories" and "that guy" threads, and then think, "do I really want to put up with that on a daily basis as my job?"

 Steinwand wrote:

I should preface by saying that I have no experience or schooling in business or related fields, I'm just a young guy who's struggling through life and would like to turn a passion for games into a living.

Awooga.

This is setting off all the alarms in just this one short sentence.

It's often suggested that one shouldn't try and make money from one's hobbies, and while I don't believe it's impossible, one certainly needs more than passion and enthusiasm to make it work.

Let me qualify this - I've studied business and economics, I worked in the industry I eventually opened my own business in for almost a decade, much of which in a management role, much of which for a company that allowed its managers to run their stores as their own to a certain extent (having a say in running costs, promotional expenditure etc etc..) Despite all that, striking out by myself was immensely challenging, to orders of magnitude beyond what I'd ever tackled before (even overseeing multiple locations.)

The advice people will often give you will be "if you work hard then you can make it work" but the fact is the commercial world is as brutal as anything you'll see in nature, and you'd be the wobbly legged baby deer being circled by wolves.

The reality is that if you do work hard you can make it work, but in your case I'd suggest that hard work starts with finding a job somewhere where you can acquire the skills, knowledge and experience you'll need to succeed by yourself. Plus, if a few years of regular paychecks and other benefits doesn't rob you of your passion to go self employed, then you'll know you've got what it takes.

Tragically, short cuts to the top are rare, and while I'd never categorically say 'you can't do this' I'd strongly recommend you ask yourself the question "why me?" and answer it as honestly as possible.

Good stuff all, and definitely as much of a Herculean task as anticipated. I am working to get to location that has gaming stores where I can, hopefully, get a job at one and start learning the stuff I need to. I'm not looking, and never expect, to get rich, nor do I even expect to ever have some huge, successful store. So far, I haven't even entertained the thought that I'd ever get farther than a modest, hole-in-the-wall shop, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Ultimately, it is pretty slim chance that I ever get to open a shop for one reason or another, but I figure that it'll definitely never happen if I don't even look into it.

Don't narrow your search to getting a job in a games shop, retail is retail, what you're selling is almost totally redundant, the principles behind any store will be essentially the same.

Try and avoid the larger chains though, IME most often their procedures are so rigid as to be almost automated, you'll be shown how something is done with little regard to why it is done that way, limiting your ability to learn. Better to target a smaller company where there may be more opportunity to see "behind the curtain" as well as chance to have input yourself.

Just my opinion, but a regular store is a thing of the past. I would think that a hobby activity center will become the new standard. With online sales there must be a reason for someone to go in to your store and spend money instead of just ordering online.

For a game store, that has to be a place to play, structured events like tournaments and leagues, and a place to interact with other gamers. It seems setting behind the counter waiting for the odd gamer who does not have internet access to wander in is a losing proposition.

kenofyork wrote:
Just my opinion, but a regular store is a thing of the past. I would think that a hobby activity center will become the new standard. With online sales there must be a reason for someone to go in to your store and spend money instead of just ordering online.

For a game store, that has to be a place to play, structured events like tournaments and leagues, and a place to interact with other gamers. It seems setting behind the counter waiting for the odd gamer who does not have internet access to wander in is a losing proposition.

Not that I'd ever have the infinite money, but that was always an idea. Instead of a game shop (that needs to sell product), provide essentially space to rent out for events/clubs. Bonus if it's attached to a restaurant or similar place like that. But the idea is you don't sell much/any product yourself (so not tied to a particular vendor) but a club can rent your space. The problem with an idea that is how do you make money to stay open? Fees from clubs can't be high or they won't do it, but too low and you can't pay rent etc.

I had grand plans to open a game shop a while back, and changed my mind really just because of the money required. I had no worthwhile retail experience, so there's no way I'd get a sizable loan, and that's what I'd need to run it and be able to eat for the next 2 years that it would take to start turning a profit (and a tiny one at that). On paper when you first start planning it out, you might think "Hey, I can spend like 10k on inventory and this shop on the corner only wants $1500 a month.. I can do this!!!21" .. no, you can't. You need well into 6-figures in the bank and/or loans to even think about it. You need enough money in the bank to pay all of your bills and salaries for at least 2 years.

I also have been giving thought to more of a game center idea, there are some gaming cafes opening up here and there and I think it could work.. however, gaming needs to be #2, cafe needs to be #1. You need to make a profit in order to have a large retail space to cover the gaming area, and for the cafe to work you have to get "normal" people to come in off the street and buy your coffee / food / whatever. That means you need a great location where those normal people will go, and you need a product that's better than Starbucks & Dunkin Donuts, and you need to put up with all of the hassles that come with owning a restaurant, like keeping the place OCD clean or the health dept will close you down.

Din't mean for that to all sound so negative. Not trying to poo poo your ideas, just that you really have to do your homework, and either way owning your own business requires tons of work with very little or no reward at first. You have to be in it for the long haul.

From my very limited experience in retail (5 years) and having to learn everything on the fly, it is exhausting. We haven't taken a week off in all that time.

What you might want to start doing, as a project, is a business plan. Assume you're going into business, and need to cover all the costs of startup. Take that amount and divide by 10 years. Then Multiply that payment by roughly fifteen, and that should be your monthly sales goal, then figure out how much sales that represents. (There will be variations, depending on your city's commercial lease market, taxes, the fraking weather sometimes...)

A new trend that is very fashionable in town is the gaming pub (if you don't want to sell liquor, that's fine, do a gaming café). Coffee and food usually has fairly good margins, so you can supplement the low sales of games in the first few months/years.

 Azreal13 wrote:


It's often suggested that one shouldn't try and make money from one's hobbies, and while I don't believe it's impossible, one certainly needs more than passion and enthusiasm to make it work.

I would like to add on something to this. First off I'll say that I'm not a business owner, at least not a retail kind (I am an owner of a business, but it's only to satisfy the legalities of working as a Freelance artist so it doesn't really qualify here unless you want some advice on tax returns, and even then I'm bad at it), but I am one of those who decided to turn his hobby into a career, and here are some words from those experiences:

Know exactly what you are getting into. While it can (and I really stress the word Can here) be fun sometime during the workday, the majority of the time you spend will be annoyances. When I was a young lad I liked to draw anime and sculpt figures in clay. Then I got into my school's intense art program and thought it was an easy career. This was where I went horribly wrong. I had assumed I could do what I loved all the time and get paid for it.

This. Does. Not. Happen. A very, very tiny percentage of us are lucky enough to land a job where we enjoy it and get paid decently doing it, but the majority of us will, at the very least, get bored of our jobs (if not completely underestimate the scope of it). I am currently working as an animator and I chose this path because I enjoyed watching cartoons. However once I learned the nuts and bolts behind it all it completely ruined cartoons for me. Not because I dread the work, but because the very act of gaining a professional eye means I can no longer lose myself when watching a show; I can predict almost every twist and turn, I can see imperfections in the animation that others can't, and on the ones that I can't see imperfections, I spend more time wondering how they did it rather than enjoying the spectacle.

And this isn't unique to me either. Most of my friends are now unable to watch movies because all they can think about is the technical skill behind it. I'm fairly lucky in that cooking is another hobby of mine, and every time someone asks me to open a restaurant I tell them that it's essentially asking me to give up eating, since the same thing might happen again.

Now, this isn't meant to discourage you from the career, I don't ever want to do that to anyone. But do know what this might entail. The perks of working a job you don't like is that it's very easy to distance yourself from it when you come home to relax. But to do a job that's closely related to your hobby, the one thing that is meant to bring you enjoyment, can be very risky since it can taint that experience forever.

(In case you're wondering, I'm taking night courses to pursue a different career. Yes, it got that bad for me).

 Steinwand wrote:

2.) What would be considered too much competition? As in, is it a bad idea to open a store in Large City X because there are 3 other stores that everyone goes to.
3.) Just how difficult will it be to pull off without a business background (assuming, of course, that it is even possible)? School was always good at teaching me about people who made successful businesses with almost nothing but passion and determination "back in the day," but they never talk about people who manage to pull that off in more recent times.

For these questions here's a tactic I've seen on shows like "Bar Rescue." If you know those shows, basically an expert comes in and fixes a family business and puts them in a position to make money again.

For location, Pull up google maps. If you know the city you want to be located in (or are located in), find and mark the location of all of your competition. If you plan on selling MTG (something that comes up in every one of these threads), or comic books, board games, etc. You need to find each location that does something around your niche. This will show you how saturated, or not, your city is... It will also show you areas where there aren't as many, or where there's a complete absence of shops, which CAN be good for you (not always. Sometimes the reason there's no shops there, is because of external factors, like traffic flow, availability of other resources, etc)

Assuming you want to have a "Hobby Center" you're also gonna want to have something with other amenities close by. The location of my GW has about 9-12 restaurants within a 5 minute walk of it. If you don't carry food yourself, but have events, you're gonna want them able to get food without completely leaving (if they have to drive, they probably won't return that day)


While I cannot say how difficult or not it will be to start a business with no "business background" I can speak from knowing a good buddy of mine has successfully run 3 different hobby/nerd type shops (one was a comic shop run as a hobby), and he's shown me through google and FB that those businesses are still there and operating, because he got them to a point that, so long as new ownership/or the old ownership didn't mess things up, it could function. I also know, from our extensive chats that he does not have a "business background" either... he was an army dude like me, and didn't make use of his GI bill Basically, as I've noticed in watching how his shop is set up, you have to pay attention to minute details and constantly adjust. To give an example. The comic shop that he helped out, the owner "hated" Trade Paperbacks, but when they looked at the numbers of the shop... it was TPBs that brought in the most money, both numerically and marginally. So, my buddy rearranged all the shelves so that TBPs had more space, and thus were sold even more than previously, which means more money flowing through the shop. Little things like that can add up to make or break you.

If you don't think you can or want to pay THAT much attention to financials, then opening on your own may not be the best option.

A lot of great advice on this thread, but a lot of discouragement. So let me throw something out, try starting small.

Sell online, or sell at conventions/flea markets/street markets etc. Maybe run games or tournaments.

Do research first, find out what moves fast, maybe get into the secondary market for CCGs or CMGs first. See if you like it.

My understanding is traditional minis (assemble and paint) are a slow-moving niche product. I've seen some established online stores that either buy wholesale and sell at a discount or buy used OOP models and sell them. Either of those models might work for you.

But that way you get experience, you test the waters, and maybe you establish a brand that can later become a B&M store.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
A lot of great advice on this thread, but a lot of discouragement. So let me throw something out, try starting small.

Sell online, or sell at conventions/flea markets/street markets etc. Maybe run games or tournaments.

What he said. If you've got the time to keep an eye on ebay and craigslist etc, then you can do alright by buying up jobs lots of badly painted figures, stripping them and reselling them. Or broken figures to sell for bits, and so on. There's also plenty of demand for table-top standard painted figures, though normally for less than retail, so again, buying carefully can do quite well.

Most of the conventions I go to have 3/4 stalls selling 2nd hand stuff in various states of paint.

We're talking about pocket money at first, rather than a full time job. You'd need a lot of capital to start your own B&M store, and it's likely to kill your hobby enthusiasm.

Herzlos wrote:

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
A lot of great advice on this thread, but a lot of discouragement. So let me throw something out, try starting small.

Sell online, or sell at conventions/flea markets/street markets etc. Maybe run games or tournaments.

What he said. If you've got the time to keep an eye on ebay and craigslist etc, then you can do alright by buying up jobs lots of badly painted figures, stripping them and reselling them. Or broken figures to sell for bits, and so on.

Eh. I did that for about a year to make money, but I found the return quite low for the amount of effort expended. I got some excellent bargains, but it required pump priming of about £1000 to get moving to any sort of satisfactory degree and profit per item was surprisingly small. I ditched it as soon as I found a better way of making money online.

Hi,
I'll toss out a few bits and pieces, but it's a process that has a large number of variables depending on a) Your knowledge, time, resources b) Your location c) The type of store you wish to open.

First off, a place to discuss things, apply to join the group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/openinggamestore/

Basic things i tell everyone.
1) There is no 'money fairy'. Over and over people say "i'll apply for an SBS loan". This is.....difficult. If it was easy about a 100 million people would sign up for money for a new business. By all means, look into it. The process to apply will teach you huge amounts in and of itself. They want a lot of information and it will force you to have a very complete business plan and answer questions about your business.
3) You will have more fun and get to play more games and see your friends more by NOT opening a game store. Indeed, many people who open close partially because they lose there love of gaming.
4) A game store is a BUSINESS. Businesses take a lot of WORK. Don't like 60 hours a week for no paycheck? Then rethink your plans.
5) There is no "How much should i expect to take out as my salary?". You put money into starting the business, you put in more the first year. This is called "Burn Money". The faster you get out of that phase and into profitability, the better.
6) Unless you are one of the few people with {lots of money, game knowledge, business knowledge, coffee knowledge, } don't even start up with "I want a coffee/game shop." You just made things 10x harder. Same goes for gameshop/pub. You are now trying to open two difficult businesses side by side and if either has problems, it all goes under.
7) Don't open a business with a group. Groups fail. Individuals are strong. If two people can work together, a partnership is ok. You will spend more time with your partner than your wife. Make sure you get along well and work well together.
8) Don't count on your friends for help. They want discounts and favors and a place to play games. If they work for you, they are an employee and need a salary.

Feel free to join that group, send me pms, etc. I also give "game store 101" talks to people that want to swing by my shop for lunch on a slow day.

Re: Mikhaila's number 3

The owner of the one and only independent store that's existed in my nearest town, at least in my lifetime, closed the store to become what I believe is a forest ranger or similar. Sadly I haven't seen him since, and he doesn't really do social media.

This was in spite of the shop being successful enough to finance a decent lifestyle for him and his family, I'd be pretty sure it paid off his mortgage, and I know it allowed him to buy a small boat and all the equipment to scuba, plus keeping him in nice cars etc.

Sometimes even success isn't enough if you stop loving what you do I guess.

 Steinwand wrote:

 Alex Kolodotschko wrote:
Yup, been there, done that although my experience in the UK will be somewhat different to what you are planning.
We also have a private subforum for store owners although it's not hugely active.
What do you need to know?

I should preface by saying that I have no experience or schooling in business or related fields, I'm just a young guy who's struggling through life and would like to turn a passion for games into a living. I'm not necessarily looking for really in-depth answers, as I've got a ways to go before I can even consider doing this, but some basic info to work with. So I suppose the best starting questions would be:
1.) What kind of process does one go through in opening a store (getting a location, merchandise)?
2.) What would be considered too much competition? As in, is it a bad idea to open a store in Large City X because there are 3 other stores that everyone goes to.
3.) Just how difficult will it be to pull off without a business background (assuming, of course, that it is even possible)? School was always good at teaching me about people who made successful businesses with almost nothing but passion and determination "back in the day," but they never talk about people who manage to pull that off in more recent times.

I'll be sure to post more questions when I can think of some more specific ones. At the moment I'm just trying to come up with a plan for my life. Starting a game store sounds like it can be a rewarding experience and is relevant to my interests, so I figured I might as well look into it.

To answer your questions: Process? This involves a location to open. One or more distributors for products. An accounting system. Creditcard processing. Tax licence. Fixtures. Utility accounts. Each of these catagories can be quite complex. And depends on a business plan. Before you don anything else you need a business plan. And money/financing to afford the process to open.

Competition? Vastly depends. What type of store are you opening, how much does it overlap with other storee? How far away, and how many people between you. Philly has 2.5 million people and 2 dozen game stores. Phoenix has 53 game stores. Want to know how you compete with other stores? You ignore them. It's about you, not them. Worry about yourself. Worry about making your store the best damn store you can in all ways. You'll CREATE new customers. It's not about stealing and competing for what's out there already. That's thinking there are a set number of customers, a zero sum game where to win the other guy loses. But...there are very good reasons to not open in someone else;s backyard. You hurt you and the other guy by forcing competition if you are two close. I've seen people open across the street from another store. Can't end well. Usually death for both. Look at demographics, population for your area.

Passion and determination are excellent things to have. Makes for a great story. Inspiring stories. So take that passion and determination and learn some basic business math. How to manage your inventory. Basic accounting, a budget. Learn store layout and buyer habits. How to properly merchandise a store. How to limit shoplifting

There are books on all of these things. Paco Underwood has a good one "Why we buy". Another i liked was Guerilla Marketing.

HOmework:
1) Get a map of your city, put it on a wall with corkboard. Now go find every comic book, game store, and other business that sells something you want to sell and put them on the map.

2) Get a big notebook. Go Visit any store within 100 miles of you. Introduce yourself. Look around. Note down what's good, and whats not. Lots of good ideas to be had. I don't do this at the stores nearby where i want to open. That can be seen as spying. Take trips to nearby towns if you can. Learn all the different ways you can have a store.

3) Go to a mall, walk in various stores. Look at the FIXTURES. Learn what slatwall, gridwall and various display items are. Look at catalogs. Find used fixture warehouses.


Passion and determination are what drive you to learn and get work done. They don't do a damn thing by themselves. It's all about the knowledge, and the work.

The game shop owners I've spoken too say it's a great way to make a small fortune.

The problem is you have to start with a large fortune...

(I'm almost certain they're joking. Almost.)

 mikhaila wrote:


To answer your questions: Process? This involves a location to open. One or more distributors for products. An accounting system. Creditcard processing. Tax licence. Fixtures. Utility accounts. Each of these catagories can be quite complex. And depends on a business plan. Before you don anything else you need a business plan. And money/financing to afford the process to open.

Competition? Vastly depends. What type of store are you opening, how much does it overlap with other storee? How far away, and how many people between you. Philly has 2.5 million people and 2 dozen game stores. Phoenix has 53 game stores. Want to know how you compete with other stores? You ignore them. It's about you, not them. Worry about yourself. Worry about making your store the best damn store you can in all ways. You'll CREATE new customers. It's not about stealing and competing for what's out there already. That's thinking there are a set number of customers, a zero sum game where to win the other guy loses. But...there are very good reasons to not open in someone else;s backyard. You hurt you and the other guy by forcing competition if you are two close. I've seen people open across the street from another store. Can't end well. Usually death for both. Look at demographics, population for your area.

Passion and determination are excellent things to have. Makes for a great story. Inspiring stories. So take that passion and determination and learn some basic business math. How to manage your inventory. Basic accounting, a budget. Learn store layout and buyer habits. How to properly merchandise a store. How to limit shoplifting

There are books on all of these things. Paco Underwood has a good one "Why we buy". Another i liked was Guerilla Marketing.

HOmework:
1) Get a map of your city, put it on a wall with corkboard. Now go find every comic book, game store, and other business that sells something you want to sell and put them on the map.

2) Get a big notebook. Go Visit any store within 100 miles of you. Introduce yourself. Look around. Note down what's good, and whats not. Lots of good ideas to be had. I don't do this at the stores nearby where i want to open. That can be seen as spying. Take trips to nearby towns if you can. Learn all the different ways you can have a store.

3) Go to a mall, walk in various stores. Look at the FIXTURES. Learn what slatwall, gridwall and various display items are. Look at catalogs. Find used fixture warehouses.


Passion and determination are what drive you to learn and get work done. They don't do a damn thing by themselves. It's all about the knowledge, and the work.

This, in a nutshell. Far too many people open a game shop because they don't know what to do with themselves and think to turn their hobby into their job. Inevitably, they end up going bankrupt because what they failed to understand was that a Gamestore is, essentially, a retail environment. It thrives and dies along most of the same factors as any other kind of retail business. I remember reading how one Game Store owner said his personal level of gaming indulgence was simple, he carried a single line that he personally liked, and that was it. No more. He didn't stock the store with games he wanted, and when games he liked failed to sell, he firesaled them. He ended up stocking lots of comics, and big boxes of magic singles after starting as a wargaming store, because that was what sold. Bar that one model line, what was on his shelves was determined purely by the cold hard maths of retail sales, and that in turn dictated his shops event diary, the expertise of his staff, product placement within the store, and more.

As a game store owner, you are a businessman, and a general retailer. What type of stock you carry is almost irrelevant, you have to sell whatever it is the customer wants to buy if you want to stay afloat. If you run your shop like a personal gaming cave, and dip in and out of the till (as many, many first timers do), you'll go under long before you see any form of profit.

Mikhaila is wise.

Listen to him.