Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
The best way to make a small fortune in the gaming business is ...
... start with a large fortune.
Best of luck in your endeavor!
... start with a large fortune.
Best of luck in your endeavor!
Is a game store viable business?
- Thread starter Aeson
- Start date
Wombat
First Post
Talk to the Gary who owns this store:
http://www.blackdiamondgames.com/
He started off as a roleplaying game store with some minis and a few boardgames. Now he has a few rpgs, a lot of board games, a good array of ccgs, some anime, and a good line in used computer/console games.
He's celebrating his second anniversary with a very different, but so far successful, store.
http://www.blackdiamondgames.com/
He started off as a roleplaying game store with some minis and a few boardgames. Now he has a few rpgs, a lot of board games, a good array of ccgs, some anime, and a good line in used computer/console games.
He's celebrating his second anniversary with a very different, but so far successful, store.
Pbartender
First Post
grimwell said:
Quoted and Emphasized for Ultimate Truth.
We all dream of opening a game store and sharing our love of the hobby with others, but given the failure rate of new businesses, and yes buying one is in that same category, I gotta say you need to first put your efforts into the one you have unless you have no dependants/investors and don't mind spending several years working you're way out of debt if something goes wrong.
As a commercial Realtor I have dealt with helping several game stores set up and even more come down. Nearly all were underfunded and sucked the owners dry. Most closed with fifteen to thirty thousand in debt left to payed off - usually owed to family and friends who would be screwed over if the owner declared bankruptcy.
As a commercial Realtor I have dealt with helping several game stores set up and even more come down. Nearly all were underfunded and sucked the owners dry. Most closed with fifteen to thirty thousand in debt left to payed off - usually owed to family and friends who would be screwed over if the owner declared bankruptcy.
bento
Explorer
The owner of Titan Games and writer of Behind the Counter column on RPGNet posted his latest article today .
Here's some interesting tidbits:
Most of my RPG customers are very select. Many of them buy elsewhere predominantly (there is a shop in town that discounts every game 20% off of retail) whether online, or in town. A very few are primarily my customers (and they shop me for selection, mostly - as I have nearly 1000 titles in stock). These customers are mostly middle to lower class earners, male, many are military folks at the local post (very small post), and some are highschool kids (though not many!).
Overall: My customer/clientele base has changed over the years to about 10 years older as the average customer age. So, my customer base is graying--getting older, and newbies are not replacing those who leave the hobby at a steady rate, so my customer base is also shrinking.
He says that most of his customer base now shop online because of bigger discounts that he can't afford.
If you have the time you should read the rest!
Here's some interesting tidbits:
Most of my RPG customers are very select. Many of them buy elsewhere predominantly (there is a shop in town that discounts every game 20% off of retail) whether online, or in town. A very few are primarily my customers (and they shop me for selection, mostly - as I have nearly 1000 titles in stock). These customers are mostly middle to lower class earners, male, many are military folks at the local post (very small post), and some are highschool kids (though not many!).
Overall: My customer/clientele base has changed over the years to about 10 years older as the average customer age. So, my customer base is graying--getting older, and newbies are not replacing those who leave the hobby at a steady rate, so my customer base is also shrinking.
He says that most of his customer base now shop online because of bigger discounts that he can't afford.
If you have the time you should read the rest!
Ranger REG
Explorer
QFT. Small FLGS retailer have to balance themselves between being a gamer and being a businessman. Only big corporations can you hire those that are strictly business professional to run the operation while those that are game designers can get creative without the business distraction.grimwell said:Most friendly local gaming stores fail because they are run by hobbyists and not professionals. It's OK to LOVE gaming and have fun running a gaming store, but you aren't doing your customers a favor if you can't pay the bills and keep the store open. Stay focused on paying the bills and making a business return to you (the business man) that is comfortable to your needs. Since you already have a business that is working, you have the skills to apply to the new venture, and the experience to have learned a few hard lessons. If you want to run a store on the side, can handle the investment up front, and are OK with smaller returns on the gaming product and the business overall, go for it. Just do your homework first, and keep mindful that it's a business and not an extended campaign.
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