Gamers, I need input!

[Dausuul]

I second Hutchback's suggestion for renting minis. Given that the current edition of D&D is somewhat miniature-centric (you can play without, but it definitely cuts against the grain), you could draw in a lot of customers who don't want to spend beaucoup bucks building up their own collections but do want to represent a balor with a plastic balor instead of a beer bottle.

It might even be worth letting people use 'em for free, just as a draw to get them in the door (then you can sell them pizza and gaming books). But it's probably better to start out renting them in case you find you need to change policy later; taking a thing that costs money and making it free is much better, customer relations-wise, than taking a thing that's free and making it cost money.

Of course, you'd need a fairly strict system of checks to ensure that all of the minis get back to you instead of going home in somebody's pocketses.

Also, while all of the advice about making sure the staff is responsive, courteous, clean, et cetera, is very good... don't forget that obnoxious customers can ruin the atmosphere just as quickly. Have a policy in place for dealing with them.

 

[MortonStromgal]

I would go cafe first, gaming store second.

Personally I would open a bar/gaming store, mostly because one of the biggest problems I have with LGS is their reluctance to throw people out. A few have gotten better but its hard to introduce people to the hobby when the first thing you smell is unwashed people when you open the door.

 

[Shades of Green]

Make the place as welcoming, relaxed and inviting as possible. You want non-gamers to come to your cafe in addition to gamers; you also want parents to feel safe to bring their kids there.

Carry boardgames in addition to RPGs, especially classics; maybe even allow your customers to play certain boardgames for free while sitting at the cafe (and most likely ordering snacks and drinks in the process). You might even get customers who'll simply come over to your cafe to play chess (or Monopoly or Talisman or whatever) and drink coffee and have some snacks.

Make sure that a few of your snacks or dishes are vegetarian-friendly or even vegan-friendly; this will make your place more inviting to a few more customers for the very least. You also need to offer something sweet in addition to the snacks and sandwiches.

 

[nedjer]

By coincidence Thistle Games is doing a bit of work with a particularly well run FLGS right now. It's consultancy rather than tips and they're much further down the road. However, it might be of interest.

We've made arrangements to post their existing 'best practice' and sections of our 'building on good practice' over the next week or so. I'll post a thread on EN when its done. Perhaps worth keeping any eye out

 

[Scott_Rouse]

If you can find a space/building that allows you to have a game store on one side and cafe on the other connected by open door(s) you'll broaden your base applealing to both gamers and diners. I would position the business as a cafe with games for sale and places to play. If posible have the game playing experience segregated from the main dining experience (gamers don't mind food while gaming, but diners may not want gameplay happening at the next table while they try and enjoy a meal).

Village Books and the Colophon Cafe in Bellingham Washington does this very well. It is a great place to buy a book and a coffee or go have a meal with friends. The layout works well, creating enough separation between the experiences while all the time feeling like one business (although they may be two business entities).

Good Luck!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Rouse's suggestion for layout is EXACTLY the kind of thing I was envisioning upthread in post #4. It lets both aspects of your business stand on their own.

Re: minis

Some of my favorite game stores of all time used to have displays where better mini-painters could display their work. That helped sell minis, surprise, surprise, as well as the paints & brushes that were near them...

While I like the idea of a mini library, I'd have to think that this would be a NIGHTMARE to keep- most of those things are sooooo small that people could walk out of them with ease.

To ease shoplifting concerns, you might take an approach I see becoming more and more common in University book stores: cubbys. Either at the front door, or (my personal preference) located behind the front desk & cash register, they serve as a space to store bags that could otherwise affect your bottom line. This will also have the side effect of relieving your customers of a weight on their shoulder that may otherwise shorten their browse-time, and the longer the browse, the more likely they are to buy.

(You might even have a coat-rack for those trenchcoats that wander in as well, as well as mirrors and/or cameras for similar reasons.)

Also, don't forget that the #1 kind of theft in retail is not shoplifting but employee theft. Any security measures you take should include some kind of monitoring of the cash register.

In addition, you might want to take a close look at Paco Underhill's [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Science-Shopping/dp/0684849143"]Why We Buy[/ame]. Lots of good marketing and sales-boosting ideas in there...as well as revelations about how store layout and architecture can affect your bottom line for better or worse. Lighting intensity, smells, noise, aisles that are too narrow and so forth are key.

 

[Dykstrav]

While I like the idea of a mini library, I'd have to think that this would be a NIGHTMARE to keep- most of those things are sooooo small that people could walk out of them with ease.

Yeah, the only way I could conceivably see making a mini library viable is to effectively rent them for as much as they'd cost to buy, then refunding most of the deposit when they're turned back in. You wanna use the huge red dragon? That's $20, and when you turn it back in, you get $18 back... Something like that. But that sort of thing generates a lot of resentment among consumers who feel like you're trying to milk them for cash, which a large segment of the gamer population seems to fit...

 

[Dykstrav]

We reviewed the "no alcohol" issue, but . . . I think a gaming pub might be a workable idea, depending on local laws.

<snip>

Would this attract enough customers to make a go of it? I think it might, if it were in an area with a high gamer population, and people who like pubs.

Some pub food for thought:
1) Dave Arneson, co-creator of D&D, by lore had the first scene of the first ever adventure of what became D&D take place in a pub where the original PC's all meet, modeled in his mind on the now defunct Comeback Inn, in suburban Chicago. The Comeback Inn had a medieval German theme, and was decorated with shields with heraldry, etc., in a Tudor-style building.

2) For the campaign I'm currently running, two of the three original players meet me for a long lunch at a local Irish pub's large booth, and we created characters over lunch and beer and snacks, in about two hours.

3) When I used to live within walking distance of another Irish pub, it was fairly traditional for all of us to head down to the pub after gaming. But then I moved, we all got married, etc. So never again, I suppose.

The idea of a "gamer pub" sounds incredibly awesome to me. I must confess, what I have in mind is almost more like a pool hall than an Irish pub, though. I could appreciate having a pool table or two and some dartboards in addition to board games and play space for tabletop RPGS. I totally agree that distractions should be minimized, so TV and music would definitely be absent.

In the ideal world of this Platonic gamer pub, I'd separate the pub part on the floor level, then have the entire second floor reserved for game space. During breaks, we could saunter downstairs to freshen our drinks and shoot the breeze with other patrons. I'd like the idea of separate spaces reserved for gaming and for socializing to keep at-table chatter and distractions minimized.

I have to say, the idea of a gamer pub interests me greatly. I'd consider it a fitting means to game, given the sheer number of campaigns that begin in and revolve around taverns.

 

[OnlineDM]

The friendly local game store where I play in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, is called Enchanted Grounds. They bill themselves as a "coffehouse and gameporium." It's pretty much exactly what you've described - a cafe mixed with a game store.

When you walk in, you're in the cafe section. There are about six or seven small tables that can fit 2-4 chairs around each of them, which you walk by on your way to the counter. The counter is set up pretty much like any coffee shop - big list of coffee drinks (plus milkshakes, I believe) and a couple of cases with pastries, sandwiches and things that can be heated up in the microwave or toaster oven.

The counter bends around a corner, beyond which you're in the game store. This area has large tables for gaming (including a fancy new one specifically for RPGs, which I haven't gotten to try yet) and all of the shelves of material for sale. They have "euro" games, puzzles, clever kids' toys, comic books, Magic cards and RPG materials, each in their own section.

Personally, I love Enchanted Grounds and I try to give them all of my business. It helps that I live within walking distance!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Sounds heavenly!