Hello all =) Though not everything is currently true as of right now, it easily could be, so I'd like to approach this from the hypothetical angle that its all as stated. I'm thinking about opening up a game shop to sell board games, rpgs and card games and I guess minis.
I already have a source of income, so I do NOT *rely* on the idea of this game shop to do anything but break even or make a small profit - if it becomes too much of a hassle, I'd just close it; I'm basically looking for something to generate a little extra money and give me something to do.
I own a building on Main Street in my small hometown (about 2600 pop) in a county of about 70,000 in northeast Oklahoma, between Vinita and Claremore, on Rt. 66, about 45 minutes from Tulsa. The building is about 120 feet total length and about 22 feet in width, with about 19 feet of usable interior width by 24 feet interior length (24x19). The building has a 6x2 sturdy counter with shelves and has a few latticework dividers about 4 feet tall, which can be removed if needed. There are four large pegboard squares on the walls - 2 to each.
A sidewalk runs directly in front of this building and during parades and events the sidewalk and Main Street is usually packed. The building was a gun/pawn shop and has bars on the windows and door and was later a restaurant, then my aunt's screenprinting/gift shop business and now is currently just storing crap. The building sits between a movie rental store and the local newspaper and on either side of them sit restaurants, with most of the other businesses just up the street a bit.
Pictures:
http://www.zanysite.com/jp/gameshopfloorplan.png
http://www.zanysite.com/jp/gameshopchelsea.jpg
I will be LIVING IN the back part of the building, so utilities and such will be shared, so I won't have any "just game shop" expenses in these areas, so some of the formulas and guidelines don't really apply as normal. Basically I'm buying the building, dividing off about 24 feet into a storefront, and living in the rest, though I could make the store somewhat bigger if it is necessary.
So, I've been advised to carry about 10 of the most popular rpg core books, MTG and maybe 1-2 other CCGs, a selection of Minis and tabletop related figures/games, and then I would also like to sell board games, some traditional, some new and novel. I'd like to keep things as simple as I possibly can. What other advice, ideas, comments, does anyone have? How do you find distributors and/or what good prices for games, ccgs, etc are, how much do you buy things for and how much do you retail them for, etc? Thank you for your time. -JP
