Need some advice from you FLGS owners

[punkorange]

Where I am located, there isn't a game store for close to two hours, and me and two others are looking into opening a game store. What advice do you guys have for just getting started? We want to start with a bang so everyone knows we are open, we want to get involved with the schools and get the kids involved in gaming, we have a lot of plans, but we are all new to this, so if you could offer some tried and true advice it would be *greatly* appreciated.
It would rock to open with a book signing, but ...

We plan to have the basics: card games, miniatures, rpgs, comics, maybe some novels and a very small amount of apparel (tshirts), dice, and used this-gen video games.

DM_Cal it looks like you might have a good FLGS in the long run to visit

 

[Crothian]

Have a business plan

 

[smootrk]

If you plan to have partners, get all your legal issues done first, before any major expenses or obligations. Some partners are not worth having, and when they are confronted with legal documents detailing their responsibilities and obligations, they often scoff or pull out of the deal.

Get legal help first.

 

[Wycen]

I have a friend who started his own game store last year, November being his 1 year anniversary.

Besides asking other game store owners, he also asked at: http://forum.rpg.net/forumdisplay.php?f=10 among other locations.

He also went to trade shows (not conventions, those are more meant for gamers and established vendors) and spoke directly to distributors, like Alliance or whoever distributes game books to game stores.

But I think just from listening to him, that if the only reason you want to start a game store is to make it easier for you to get game material, that is a bad decision for starting a business. Start it because you want to be your own boss and make money, that is the seed of a business more likely to succeed, (in my humble opinion as someone who doesn't own his own business).

 

[ssampier]

I don't own a FLGS, but as a customer I like the following:

organized shelves;
clean floor (wrappers and other garabage should be swept or clean up frequently);
knowledgable employees (I don't expect you memorize every line, but at least have a vague idea what Scarred Lands is or Iron Heroes is);
decent prices. I know you can't offer Amazon prices, but at least give good customers a small discount, repeat business coupons, etc.
Playing space should be a corner or other space that doesn't interface with my browsing. I don't want to get in the player's way or worse, hear their foul language after losing a Pokemon;

As a person who took several business classes in high school (some in college), answer the following:

How do you make money? What type of customer are you targeting? Do they have a good income to sustain your business?

What is the source of your investment (loans, savings, investors)? Each time of investment has its own risk and rewards. Loans are difficult to obtain and usually require some sort of collateral. Investors will want to control the business, often to your detriment.

What physical area are thinking of setting up shop? The closer to schools and other residents and shopping areas (such as shopping malls), the higher the rent. Can your business model sustain this rent? Does your proposed location include a high percentage of gamers or potential gamers in the area?

Consult the Small Business Association. While you may not qualify for a SBA loan, you may be able to attend free or low cost seminars run by experienced small business owners. They may not know anything about game stores, but I'm positive one person knows something about retail.

 

[kenobi65]

We need Thalmin to get in on this thread.

I'm no FLGS owner, or even a S owner, but my father advised small business owners for many years. The biggest non-specific advice I can give you is make sure you know what you're getting into.

It seems like too many game stores open up because the owner likes games, not because he's a good businessman (or even particularly *wants* to be a businessman, he just wants to be surrounded by games and gaming). I think, to succeed as a FLGS, you need to either (a) have a combination of passion for your product and business ability, or (b) have a wealthy spouse or relative willing to fund your now-incredibly-expensive hobby.

 

[punkorange]

Do any of you have any recommended Distributors, and if so what benefits do they have over others? So far on our list is Diamond Comics and Games Workshop.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

One of my really good friends owns my FLGS and we're always discussing his buisness and store and how to make it better.

One of the realities of a game store is that you need to realize, from day 1, what you NEED to sell. Running a store is not always about WHAT you want to sell. Obviously you'd want to sell the entire line of D&D books and what not. But, to paint you a picture, the primary money maker at his game store is CCG's and Internet/Video Game access.

You need to aquaint yourself with all the popular CCG's. MTG, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon (on the decline), Vs. (on the rise).

The major chunk of your money will come from selling these. The best way to sell those products is to hold lots and lots of tournaments and drafts. People buy cards for those games like candy.

I doubt you're talking about Brooklyn, or NYC for that matter, so I'm sure my friend will have lots of helpfull advice for you. The website for his store is www.kingsgames.com (he also makes lots of money via his internet sales). His contact info is on the site. I suggest you email him. Tell him Arthur said to email him and maybe he'll have some good advice for you.

 

[punkorange]

appreciate it, email sent.

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

This has been mentioned, but I'll repeat it to stress its importance:

Business Plan

A good business plan will help you in a number of ways:

1) Direction (very important, a business with a solid direction, long and short term, will flounder like a ship without a crew)

2) Investments (a loan, investment, etc. will be much easier to get with a good business plan)

3) Organization (a good business plan will have the mission, structure, operations, marketing, etc. for a business all laid out)

4) Planning (a good business plan will map out a path to success by identifying risks, competition, weaknesses, strengths, cost estimates, profit estimates, etc.)

The business plan should be the keystone and should be a living document that grows with the business (you never know if down the road you will have further investment needs - disaster, expansion, lull in business, etc.).

Other considerations would be to break down all of your plans (you mentioned that you had a lot big plans) and do a feasibility study on each one. Find out the best way to implement them and the best time. In the excitement of great ideas, it is often easy to overlook to simple steps that can help make them successful.

Good luck in your endeavor.