Lol! Don't get me wrong, I don't say that I'm "set" on hiring help...just that from all accounts, the amount of work that is involved in running a store is huge. Even you mention it quite a bit. Hell, the owner of the LGS here told me: "If I didn't have my brother, there was no way I'd have been able to start this store. Absolutely no way." I just haven't figured out if its something that will be manageable from a solo perspective yet.

I think that initially, having a significant online presence isn't the way to go. I've talked to a lot of people now and only a couple of them spend a good deal of time there. And its those two who have the labor resources to handle it (they didn't start doing it either). Everyone thinks its just too much work for the return on their time. They DO suggest, however, to attempt to sell things that have been sitting around the store for a long period of time. Or if you get into things like CCGs, to sell *some* of the highest dollar items. I think that is the better strategy here.

I'm really turned off on comics now. I've talked to about a dozen store owners now, and with the exception of pure comic stores, everyone has said that the money they make on them isn't worth the trouble. The only reason they keep doing it is because they fear alienating their existing customer base by the loss of the product.

Thanks again for the extremely well thought out article! You're being very, very helpful. :D

I'm looking at the Eastern or Western portion of the Twin Cities. The North and South suburbs are pretty saturated with stores. Big competition for the things I want to carry: The Source, Fantasy Flight Games, Legion Games, and Tower Games.

Hello! Thanks once again for answering my questions! Its been a very...disappointing week, that's for sure (funerals, school/work complications, etc.).

First, I'm going to second SinSynn here in being very uncomfortable in throwing my home up as collateral to start a business. There are no guarantees that the business will succeed, and being a sole proprietor, all of the business debt will fall on me. However, with everyone that I've talked to...most say that didn't have savings or loans when they started their businesses. But they are all very...evasive...on how they paid for the start up. Everyone seems to put the cost at around $10-15k. The most expensive being MTG (singles) and miniature wargames (specifically GW games). Some are getting very specific. Which is good. I've just networked with the owners (brothers) here in town and they are being extremely helpful too. Nevertheless, no one seems to be able to give me the answer I need most: Where is the money coming from? Apparently no one had any at the beginning, but magically they poofed successful game stores out of nothing. I need a little bit of this fairy dust too! lol

The very strong impression that I'm getting from you Lo, as well as the other owners I've spoken to...is that I should start small and expand. Start with what I know (if I didn't know MTG, I'd have to learn it...as that's pretty much a required carry), as well as learning what the local community wants. Over-extending is a common theme I keep hearing. So right now, I'm looking at CCGs, board games (like top 20 on boardgamegeeks), and the big miniatures games. I DO have lots of restaurant experience, both in the kitchen portion, as well as the front end. Initially, I don't think I'll get TOO deep into the food portion of things (i.e. pre-made sandwiches, limited bar, coffee, snacks, etc), but having some real food in the store has been a huge boon for stores that carry it. Supposedly. End goal? A full scale restaurant that is completely "geek" themed, with a significant portion of the restaurant devoted to gaming space and retail.

I've gotten a pretty stiff divide on the discount question. Customers like it, obviously and it'll draw business. However, it seriously cuts into profits. I've been told by several people now that no matter what I do, I'll never be able to compete with online retailers unless I spend a significant amount of time creating an online presence myself. That customer service is the way you draw and keep your customer's loyalty. Its definitely a tough choice and I guess I'll have to address the problem when I learn what my community wants.

Of course! I appreciate that you're doing it at all. You're doing me a huge favor. Plus, I figure the more questions I ask, the more material you have to write about! :)

How many distributors do you deal with? I know there are companies that handled the vast amount of the product that I'd be carrying, but we also have rogue companies like Games Workshop who prefer to eliminate the middle man. Do you find yourself getting screwed on margins with these distributors and/or what is your typical cost to profit point for your products?

That is a concern...but it could also go the exact other way too. Something I love to do becomes my income, while working for myself. Who doesn't want to do that? Its my goal...might not work out as awesome as I'd like, but there you have it. lol

Yay! Thank you! Since the bulk of the answer #1 seems to be coming in another part, I'll just comment on #3. ;)

So...I'm highly concerned about the staffing issue. I understand that there will be A LOT of work involved. That most of it will, and should, be placed on my shoulders. My lady-friend just isn't able to provide immediate support in that beyond occasional help for the reasons I gave. We're trying to get her through her Masters and into her career and that will take the bulk of her time. However, I expect a LOT of time and effort will be placed on me. I don't know of any stores that opened with a single person running them.

While restricting the product that I handle will greatly reduce the amount of "work", as well as feeding into my knowledge base...would it be enough? As I noted before, I love CCGs/TCGs. I love table-top games from companies like Games Workshop, Wyrd Miniatures, and Fantasy Flight Games (and could learn Warmahordes, etc). And I like to play board-games. But would that support the business? Would that allow me to grow it? Also...as I noted in my questions (which you'll get to next week I'm sure), what would make me stand out from the next game store if I just had those things? I can give exceptional service and knowledge. However, there would be nothing unique about me. I want something that says: HEY! I'm going to Implausible Nature (funny enough, I'm wanting to make that my store name too). Brainstorming right now on how do to that, but even my hybrid ideas would take additional staff. Paying them is definitely a legitimate concern. I guess I might just have to bite the bullet and assume that I won't be able to do that right away.

Glad to get some info on the comics, as that pretty much confirms my lack of desire to carry them. I'll let some of the other larger stores in the area handle them. They've been around for years anyway.

Hello Loquacious! Long time no talk. I'm glad to see you're around. :D

Say, a few years back I mentioned the possibility of me starting a gaming store business and you said to contact you if I ever started to seriously think about it. Well...I'm seriously thinking about it. lol. I'd love to get in touch with you about your experiences with it. I have read your articles on the topic (those that I could find anyway), so those were very helpful...but some personalized networking would be very much appreciated if you have the time!

Thanks in advance! :)

Your portrayal of the Black Templars offends me. But such is the work of dirty xenos, so I am not surprised. ;)

I. Almost. Forgot! I feel like a terrible person. Hopefully they ship quickly, because...I need me some Wheel of Time. Though, I'll be super-duper sad when I finish reading it. That book will have been a big part of my last few years.