Keep in mind that there are infinite ways to lose money when running a store. Some of these ideas may be huge money makers, but others could bankrupt the store. It’s not simple to tell which are which.
I can’t remember if you mentioned it, but have you ever done anything like this in the retail space? Worked in, managed, or owned a store? I’m sure there are many basic and boring details that are part of running a successful retail store that have nothing to do with what the store actually offers. It’s all the stuff like bookkeeping, inventory, shrinkage, employee management, and so on. You don’t want to do something like create the most awesome game store but have too much money tied up in inventory that you can’t pay your employees and suppliers. I would guess that a comic and game store is going to be a more challenging kind of business to run, and much more so for a newbie. If you take it over, you should require the current owner to stay on for a few months so you can learn all the little details he did which allowed it to last so long.
Definitely! That’s why I suggested a game rental option, or on reflection maybe even a sort of open gaming night where you could come in, and the store might have a few copies of some games available for free playing. Maybe even go so far as to make all the used ones available in this fashion, or something like that.
I was just pointing out that web stores are the bane of this sort of thing these days- between economies of scale and the ability to carry more inventory without necessarily needing storefront space for it gives web retailers a distinct advantage versus the brick-and-mortar stores on those things.
So as a b&m retailer, you can’t really compete with the web on price (not that you want to do that anyway), and you probably can’t really compete on selection either.
Where you’re likely to differentiate yourself is via your in-store amenities and
customer service, or possibly in the realm of “stuff you need today and can’t wait on Amazon for”, although I’m struggling to think of many gaming related examples, other than lost non-d6 dice.
Host regular events. If you build it they will come. Get yourself listed in Wizards of the Coast’s event finder. Get your store to be part of Wizards Play Network and start certifying judges. Judges have to run a certain number of events to get experience and rank up to do larger regional/national/international events. And having actual rules experts around makes your M:tG events run smoother. There are things that being part of the Wizards play network make easier, like the Buy-A-Box promos which are typically high-end cards that are ONLY available if you buy a booster box at a local game shop. They’re things WotC is doing to support LGS. They used to put LGSs out of business, now they’re really pushing to support them.
But diversify as well. Have a game corner with store copies of popular games(anything featured on Tabletop with Wil Wheaton is a good start) that people can play in store. Throw parties with door prizes for your anniversary and tabletop day, as well as free comic book day.
Ruthlessly turn over your inventory. Mark down the stuff that doesn’t move. Bring in stuff that does. Do your research on Board Game Geek.
WotC events feel key (but it sounds like that might already be happening). I think a lot more people will be regularly dropping sub-$10 sums on card packs, minis, dice, etc plus refreshments as impulse purchases that connect to M:tG and Adventurer’s League nights than choosing the store to drop $80 on a game that’s $65 on Amazon.
I think a cosplay contest would be effective because cosplayers are deeply in involved in fantasy/ comic book / toys. They are going use social media to announce where they will be and post photos of how great they and other people looked at the event. These people, especially the women, have a lot of followers. They can bring in the warm, nerd bodies. Local media loves this type of stuff because it is visual and gives them something to talk about that is fun and interesting.
A lot of people probably know about the store but haven’t thought about it in a long time or need some motivation to stop by. There are so many things competing for your attention so you need stand out. Advertising is expensive. Some nice prizes would probably be far cheaper than the cost of many forms of conventional advertising.
A game store in my area hosts twice-a-year used game sales. Anyone who wants to can bring in games and set whatever price they want on them. The store manages the selling and collects the money. And the person who owned the game gets store credit. Any games that are unsold by the end of the day can be picked up by the owner. If they don’t pick them up, they get donated to a local charity.
These sales are hugely popular; to the point that the fire marshal threatened to shut down the store for exceeding its legal capacity.
My FLGS does something similar, though they actually do it as a twice-yearly auction. Hugely popular, but also, from what I’ve seen, a logistical pain for the store, so it’s not something to be taken up lightly.
I don’t know about your location, but here, the cosplayers *are *the board gamers and comic collectors (especially manga). And they’re *especially *the big purchasers of figurines and other knick-knacks.
Which reminds me - another one, **JC **: Harry Potter shit. *Any *Harry Potter shit.
get in on the Pokémon nd yu gi oh leagues and tourneys too although there passé to the kids today the older hardcore players are still there for them and as the main Pokémon series gets released on the switch (I think end of this year or beginning of next) theres gonna be a whole new audience for the cards
I’m not a babe in the woods here though I acknowledge I’ve never run retail before.
On the other hand, I’ve started and run five successful businesses in my life. This would be #6. Of the five, I’m still involved in two - a web newsletter and a brokerage - and the others I sold off.
I’ve got a local retailer manager with game store experience interested in coming on board. God, these people work cheap. I mentioned what I thought was a low-ball salary and she took it right away saying it was more than she was getting at her national game chain. Ugh. I’ve also got another person as a clerk at above minimum wage. There’s also two people who work for store credit.
My end goal here is - knowing I can’t compete with Amazon - is to make the place over into the hub for nerd culture in my city. There’s currently not one place to go. Unlike the other cities I’ve been in where one or two place filled that role. I’d like to offer a place for people to come together and interact.
In my experience, marketing isn’t about ‘we sell product X and price Y’. It’s about getting people away of your business and involved with it. The more people come down to see what’s happening the more they’ll be purchasing. So most anything that brings people into the store on a weekly or more frequently basis will be good overall.
I’ve got the accounting and marketing chops. Finding the experienced manager was key. The owner’s agreed to participate in a retirement party so there’s an open changing of the guard with his obvious approval. I think, because he’s been there so long, we can get some local press as well for the handoff. That should help.
Your employees are the main thing that needs to be focused on.
I know the nerd culture and they are Diehards, they probably already know the store exists, they are going to buy this stuff anyway…
You get a few cute girls in there who can speak nerdy to them, you will be busy year round.
That assumes “cute girls” can’t be a sizeable market in-and-of themselves, and their only value is as an attractant. Which is definitely not my local experience with the con-going and cosplaying crowd - overwhelmingly young female, it seems.
Yeah, the stereotype is of the young male nerd. Agreed.
But a look at the numbers for who buys entertainment - CDs, movies and books - shows a strong female led growth. There’s a reason Netflix has its new content focusing on female led films and cartoons. Carmen Sandiego, She-Ra, Hilda and stuff are all strong drawers of interest.
Both of the staff I want to bring on board are women, yes, ages late 20s through mid-30s. But my primary discussions about such things with them are how much of a pain in the ass young male fans can be and how they’re going to deal with it.
I’d really like to make it an inclusive story that expands its attempts to appeal to all potential customers, not just young men from the local colleges and military base.
When I’m at a comic book shop, it’s nice when there is diversity on staff. I often ask for recommendations and different kinds of people—say, men and women, make different kinds of recommendations.
There is a sweet old guy at the tiny comic book shop down the street and he’s always very nice but he’s useless for recommendations because he doesn’t actually read anything. So when I go to him, I have to do my research in advance.
That’s a different ball game than being a games and/or comics shop. Hell, in that situation, you may make more profit off of knick-knacks like Harry Potter replica wands than from copies of D&D Monster Manuals or rare comics.
I’m a fly fishing nerd and there is a fly shop I avoid because the owner makes it clear that there is the right way to fly fish and the wrong way to fly fish. This shop owner is really into big water fly fishing, there are other fly fishers who are just as passionately into small stream fly fishing. This owner will sell all the right gear, but during a transaction, he makes it clear that he doesn’t think this particular form of fly fishing is cool. He’s the classic enthusiast who opened a shop, but things that 50% of his customers are wrong. I don’t know anything about running a game/comics shop, but don’t be that guy.
Have staff who are into a variety of genres, so that any enthusiast can find someone on staff to talk about his/her passion and don’t let your staff make it into their cool club house. Do the opposite of John Cusack in High Fidelity.
