I want to start a table top gaming shop in my home town, am currently in a starting busness class to ensure I don't screw to up down the pipe, I'm looking for suggestions on what to do that might be slipping, how to gauge local interest or even generate it, what common pitfalls there are to be had, etc.
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Ehh, too much money that could risk driving parents and their kids away, as much as I want to cater to adult gamers, I need to acknowledge kids as an importaint demographic, also sorry if I'm taking a joke too seriously
Tank existing LGS, take over the customers.
Wrong target demographics, existing LGS's in town do sell some warhammer and x-wing, but their real money is in Magic the Gathering, its why I feel secure enough to entertain this project, limited competition in the market I intend to enter.
I also wouldn't know how to tank them, nor do I posessed the cold blooded conviction to ruin other local busnesses
MTG and yugi-oh are the lifeblood of any gaming store. Without them you're gonna be bankrupt in 6 months.
There is no gaming store that can survive on just RPGs, it's too intermittent a purchase and the margins are too thin.
You may want to do a gaming bar/cafe thing. The margins on snacks and alcohol are quite high.
Well you could do something about keeping the grognards out. Though not catering to the CCG crowd would probably do a lot for that. They're cancer. Please tell me you'd be opening up in Arkansas. The only one here is a fucking card shop and its several hours away from me.
Sadly no, I'm here in simi valley calfiornia
Snacks are a great idea, warg ame and rpg purchases are the nut clusters while the snacks would be the chocolate, it would make customer retention a much more viable modle as well
What part of Arkansas?
About 30m away from Hot Springs. It's not very fun having tons of boardgames and a few minis and just having them gather dust out here.
Anywhere near ft Smith?
About 2 and a half hours. A decent morning's drive but certainly not as bad as up to Fayetteville. Surprised to see another arkansasfag on here. but wouldn't be surprised if you were an Okie, too
Oklahoma on the border. Sucks down here. Nobody around here plays anything. Attempts to organize game group failed. 40k is unheard of.
If you intend to host game nights, it's absolutely essential that you get a unit with some sort of take-out food within fat guy walking distance.
Good luck to you, user, as much as I love TG I would never in a thousand years want to own or work at a FLGS. The only things that will actually keep your store afloat are the same things that are 100% pure cancer on our hobby.
FLGS nearest me only seems to stay afloat because it sales rc cars and drones
Focus on services, not products. Offer something none of your competitors do (re: services). Services are insanely high margin and promote customer loyalty.
Walk into local shops, write down everything you see. Buy some product. Talk to staff. Play some tournaments. Freeload a bit. Go home and check off everything you like and dislike. Offer something that has all of the good, none of the bad, +ULTRA
I know that fucking feel mate. Tried to get friends of mine when they were still in the state into DH. They thought it was boring. 40k, too expensive (don't blame them for this), thought anything besides MTG was lame.
If you happen to find anyone in Arkansas that's into games it will be either Settlers of Catan, M:TG, or Cards Against Humanity. The former are as Veeky Forums as they'll get.
Just moved away from that shithole. I'm in Pittsburgh now.
OP back, love the stuff I'm hearing, a Game Cafe sounds cool but opens the minutia of health standards and food prep unless I just stick to premade snacks
Run events as much as feasible. At least one store event every day with one open gaming day.
Card games, collectibles, comics, tables, and snacks.
Cafe is good idea, but it can be fucking murder for restaurant licences and health inspections.
Pick setting agnostic RPG with a bit of crunch (Hero, GURPS, NOT PATHFINDER OR D&D), see if you can't figure out how to bill it as "Fun Math Practice, Problem-Solving, and Socialization" every so often.
Hard to do without being creepy, but if someone brings their kid in, make friends with the parent or the young teen and see if you can't pitch it.
Can't be D&D flavored because not enough crunch and who knows if they are chick track readers.
If you are seriously asking on Veeky Forums about how not to fuck up your business, you are already doomed.