UPDATE
The first edition of the WMX was a big success! Lots of foot traffic, lots of sales, great live music, and a bunch of fun conversations.
I was a little disappointed to not meet any Dopers in person 
(unless you were there and just didn’t identify yourself).
I learned a lot and next time will go more smoothly. Stay tuned!
Three cheers for a good start!
Fantastic news. What did you learn? Any surprises?
A three hour round trip from the southwest suburbs would have been a bit much for record shopping but, if you ever decide to set up permanent shop, I’ll be in the neighborhood one of these days. Or if you start taking your show on the road.
Great! So glad it was a success!
WOO-HOO!!!
[&Discourse]
Hooray & congrats!!!
Today WMX; tomorrow Ze Vorld!
Where do I start? 
How visible were the prices on them? It’s common for record stores to display those kinds of items prominently, with the price visible without taking it down from the display.
One of my childhood friends had a dream of opening a coffee shop in a college town. Had a wonderful idea of it being a gathering place with art and live music. Long story short - for whatever reason, it didn’t make it. He realized the only factor he could fully control was himself working more hours. I remember one time he told me he almost cried when he dropped a paper cup on the. floor and almost cried, thinking, “There goes $.02!”
As I drive down my suburban streets, I often think there would be little more stressful and depressing than trying to run a small business and having it not succeed. Just sitting there waiting for customers to come in and buy enough to cover your expenses…
Anyone know what percentage of small businesses last > 1 year?
I would wager that if you surveyed owners of used record shops, their hourly wages would generally be below minimum wage. Which might be worth it, if you derived enough enjoyment from it.
I’d suggest a good attitude would be to approach it as a hobby, where your income satisfied your expenses. Congrats on the success of your first venture. How would you estimate your income vs expenses over time spent?
Or even a (very visible) price tag that just says “buy me!” or “ask” or “inquire within” if you don’t want to display high prices in the storefront windows, which could discourage casual bargain seekers.
I don’t think (as only my opinion) that displaying a high, but fair, price on a rare album will scare people off. If anything, it might let me know that this is a “serious” record seller versus flea market people with crates of bulk garbage you’re just going to waste your time flipping through.
Interesting since I’d also assume most people would want separation but I guess I can also see value in one-stop browsing.
Damn, missed my chance! 
Try a very visible price tag. I hang garlic braids from the tent, and I discovered that some people thought they were just decorations – until I put visible price tags hanging down from them.
If you’re doing that in the front windows, though, I’d make sure some items priced at the lower end of your price range are also visibly priced in the same area; if people see only high prices, those with less money may be discouraged from coming in.
Better to have it and not need it than the other way around. If you might need it occasionally, I’d keep bringing it, even if you don’t need it every time.
You might also bring a cushioned mat to stand on – and a chair so you can sit occasionally.
Nickel-sized stickers. Probably not big enough.
Nice thought!
Also true!
Yep.
I had a chair, but I barely sat down!
This is where I’m at now. I’m learning and experimenting. If I find an approach that’s revenue-positive – and I still enjoy it – I may consider retiring from my day job in a few years to open a permanent location.
Keep up the good work! This kind of thing is a never-ending changing process.
What’s our (doper) discount? And what’s the secret phrase? (May I suggest ‘teeming millions’.
Maybe for the first four or five people, but after that, people will get suspicious and stop believing it
Definitely do not be afraid of setting high-but-fair prices. I mentioned your efforts to my friend who sells records at his antique shop (in rural Missouri in a small town with multiple antique shops - its a bit of a destination antique shopping tourism thing.) He still says vinyl records are his best selling items, so he keeps expanding that part of his inventory. He told me recently that he will not only do triple digit vinyl sales in a day, but he often does triple digit sales to individual customers. He tends to use eBay as his pricing tool, looking albums up and basing his prices at slightly lower than what he sees online.
There must be a lot of regional variation in what payment options are popular. I have never seen Venmo or Zelle in the wild, only in TV shows. In central Illinois, I never see anyone doing any face-to-face personal monetary transactions using phone apps. I must be in the wrong age bracket. I have seen and used Square readers a lot for card payments at vendor booths at things like farmer’s markets or a recent maker’s faire I attended. I use PayPal a lot, but I only encounter it online.
The discount is 1% for every mile you drove to get there (limit 20). And yes, “Teeming Millions” will be the secret code.
