Re: [OT] Have questions-setting up game shop

On Fri, 28 Apr 2000 12:34:30 EDT, Alderfek@aol.com wrote:

>  I have been thinking of setting a game shop,either the full blown
shop or a 
>out of my garage type setup. I have looked into the government small
loan 
>stuff but my big question is who could I talk to find distributors. The
other 
>shops in other towns dont want to give me the answers probally because
I will 
>be taking their business. Anyone have any info on this ?

Well, my first thought is: DON'T DO IT! My second is: You still thinking
about
it? DON'T DO IT!!!

While in college, I worked for a comic store as their "game guy" (now
I'm
their "computer guy" and while I don't make any money at it, I get
comics and
books now for 40% off...). I am also a customer of the local miniatures
store.
It took a couple of years for the comic store to become the area's
number one
game store, and that was in an era where GW was just booming and board
wargames were still popular. The local store is open some semi-weird
hours
(closed Sunday and Monday, 10 to 6 Tuesday, noon to 6 every other day)
but
reasonably long. They made VERY little money the first two years, and
survived
on the main storekeeper being semi-retired and the owner having a second
job.
Now, their location stinks, but they are also only the third (now
second) true
miniatures selling, non-GW  store in a city of 2.5 million. 

It will be tough. Even this local store I mention above has to carry a
lot of
GW stuff to stay solvent. I don't mind, as it means he can bring in lots
of
esoteric historical stuff, but it's not easy. You go big into one game
that
tanks or never takes off, and you may never recover.

If I haven't dissuaded you, it's either because, 1) you are a masochist,
2)
you are insane, 3) you've scoped out your market and found a need.
Assuming
the last one (as there is nothing I can do about the first two), then
you'd be
better off with a store front than a garage based business. The latter
has
less risk, but you'll be less likely to get stock from distributors and
you
will get far less traffic to your business.

I suspect, based on another game store in town that closed up and their
thinking in this regard, that e-commerce will take over the smaller
hobbies.
It's already a significant part of the hobby, and I think it will become
more
significant. Ask Jon and he'll tell you that mail order is a big thing
in
Britain. It's unfortunate as stores bring in new customers and promote
the
hobby (GW figured this out) but it's also risky, and it's hard for a
store to
work.

Have you thought of going to another store in the region and asking if
they
wanted to form a franchise or some sort of buying group? Opening up a
branch
of a store might be easier, financially, for you. Being able to buy in
serious
bulk will allow for better discounts.

Whatever you end up doing, good luck!

Allan Goodall		       agoodall@interlog.com
Goodall's Grotto: http://www.interlog.com/~agoodall/

"Surprisingly, when you throw two naked women with sex
toys into a living room full of drunken men, things 
always go bad." - Kyle Baker, "You Are Here"