Opening a gaming store (Also, cookies!)

[JaccoNamori]

Hey all ^^



As a lot of ye know I'm thinking about starting my own gaming store. I've got some investors, and I'm well on my way to opening, and its going to be great. I've been trying to think of ways to get the entire thing started faster though, and I did have a thought.



Why not just ask the people on all the great message boards I post on if they have any ideas about how I could get the store open a little faster?



You can tell me to bugger off if you want, but what the hey, I bet at least one person will have a good idea. And I will strive mightily to give this person a cookie, or something similar. So I figure its at least worth asking to see if anyone has had a similar experience, or any good ideas, or anything like that

 

[Xath]

Well, my mom started her own business not too long ago and I've worked with her to get things up and running. She works out of home, but there are a couple of things that will transfer over to any business.

1) Don't wait to get credit card capabilities. It might seem like a large investment, but you'll lose a hefty percentage of potential sales if you don't take that form of currency. The gains heavily outweigh the losses.

2) Never underestimate the power of Kinko's. Don't waste time with fancy sign makers (for interior work, not exterior). Powerpoint and a $2 poster at Kinko's can save you major moolah and time in your sign creation. And they can look just as good.

3) If dressed appropriately, Milk Cartons can make good shelving. Just drape some fabric over them and fill up the inside with books. Now, I know they don't have an exceptionally long lifespan for holding tons of books, but it'll at least get you started until you can get shelving into your shop.

4) Folding tables save space and money. If you plan to run games in your store, don't forget the folding table. It's cheap and you can shove it against the wall or into a closet when not in use.

Do you already have a location? What does it look like inside?

When I was working for WotC, they opened a new store in Chicago in what used to be a clothing store. They barely changed any of the fixtures and managed to utilize what was there to make an effective gaming store. Which reminds me...

5) Certain things don't need shelves if they're big and you have enough of them. Creative stacking on the floor can lead to a seemingly more consumer friendly atmosphere. But don't forget to leave enough aisle space for wheel chairs and strollers.

 

[Voodoo]

My local gaming store offers a 5% discount to the local university gaming group and the local wargames group. You may not want to be giving discounts straight of the bat, but that 5% has bought them alot of customer loyalty over the years, and lots of free advertising to new people entering the area.

 

[jgbrowning]

Contact GAMA, ask to get on the GIN forums at Delphi and go to GTS to get edumacated by other retailers. Pay attention to Dave Wallace's "The Bottom Line" seminar. You'll learn a lot more on the Game Industry Network forum because it's packed with around 100 retailers, all the major distributors and many manufactorers.

The industry's a tough nut to crack so try and make sure you have the right tools.

Good Luck!

joe b.

 

[Torm]

There are an awful lot of gaming and book exchange stores I've known of that have seen their customer base disappear, because they were offering really decent trade values initially to build a customer base, and then once they had it, they went to offering next to nothing. And I guess they were surprised when the customers quit them?

Point being, anything you're thinking of doing to build business quickly, make sure it is sustainable for the long term. People don't like it when you change the rules dramatically on them.

 

[CarlZog]

You want to open the store "faster"?
What seem to be the things that are holding you up?

Z

 

[trancejeremy]

Hmmm. Open the store faster. I dunno, maybe oil the front door lock?

Run it out of your garage/back porch?

Use your pets as salespeople?

 

[Jdvn1]

Hold a D&D Mini's competition? Winner gets baked goods? Or a free book?

(I really want that cookie! )

 

[JaccoNamori]

Awww, thanks all. Thats some good advice (And dont worry, If I ever get the chance, I will get you some cookies )

The biggest problem for me in getting open, really, is financing. Ive got a few people interested in investing but not quite enough, and a loan would be out of the question this year *ponders* Ive even got a great location, and that helps, but it really needs to be remodeled and furnished before I can open.

Ah well, Im certain I will manage something. Thanks!

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Finding investors is tough. Banks and professional investors want to see business models and gaming stores and comic stores tend to be bad business models.