How would you run your own store?
>>45541744
Online
Into the ground then on fire
>>45541744
Given my business skills, poorly.
Turn it in to a front for a more profitable business. Hookers in the back MTG in the front.
>>45541744
On selling $12 coffee
I would be the only LGS in my city, at least miniatures wise, so... well?
Looking like a medieval fantasy tavern/inn. Downstairs is an actual tavern with food and drink and basic games as well as a stage for performances. Upstairs are proper game rooms with tables and chairs and stuff, nice and wood though good quality. The place itself would have the look of wood and stone and traditional building technique appearance.
I'd run it as a hobby, but only if I have a completely unrelated source of income that can float an LGS.
LGS are notoriously unstable and unprofitable. Running one requires extremely good conditions or no need for profit. I'd be much more comfortable with the second option.
I'd have one ground floor and a basement, ground floor is a normal and kickass coffee shop, except the shelves have some books from downstairs and you have the option to buy them, tables, comfy chairs, etc.
The rest would be a normal LGS in the downstairs.
>>45542565
Have you considered that maybe there isn't a shop in your city because there isn't enough demand?
>>45541744
"Be a good customer, get good service. Be a bad customer, and get thrown out on your ass."
"No children below the age of 18."
>>45541744
No shirts. No shoes. No manners. No service.
>>45542974
>"No children below the age of 18."
No UNSUPERVISED OR UNACCOMPANIED children below 18.
Money comes from the stupid and impulsive. That includes the youth
>>45541744
Poorly.
I'd hire someone to do it for me, likely.
Into the ground, most likely.
I'm actually opening one next year in Sookane, WA.
>>45544037
>Sookane
Do all people in Idaho have fat fingers?
>>45542974
>"No children below the age of 18.
And thus FNM dies.
In breaking from tradition here in Florida, properly light my fucking store.
I know we get more sunlight then we can possibly stand but a store should be able to afford a pack of 20 dollar bulbs more than once a year.
My local store does alright.
They offer discounts to all high school and college students, and offer lots of youth friendly weeb events like cosplay and weeb raves,and also host like smash tourneys.
They keep a dedicated backroom for 40k players, and also provide slightly marked up food and drink and have barbecue plates sold during big mtg events.
>>45542930
Demand is driven by you. No one needs cards, comics and miniatures.
It's a luxury hobby, convince people they want it, start up nights for people to play and grow a community out of nothing.
>>45544416
Some towns are too poor to support an mtg community that will be profitable, though.
I can't stand other human beings and have an outrageous temper. It probably wouldn't work out.
>>45544449
Bullshit. It's called Cardboard Crack for a reason. If people want something, they will find money for it.
>>45544383
How do you prove yourself a highschooler? Or does the discount just apply to everyone who looks young?
>>45541744
Strict rules on hygiene and sportsmanship. No AoS. Nights dedicated to certain games and groups. Though one thing I'd really like to do is run RPG's for young people. I come from a small town and the youth have a lot of things to deal with like shitty parents and bad homes, and I think having a creative outlet would be good for a lot of them.
>>45544196
What? I don't know, I'm moving there with my fiancee who is from there and two friends (we all want the shop, fiancee wants family support when we start for a child in a while).
>>45541960
>Hookers
You mean
>Hookers'n'hookahs
>>45544567
>Bullshit
He lives in a town in deep spain/portugal/south america/eastern europe/italy.
There you fucking go.
>it's a /total goyim/ thinks they know shit about anything at all
/tg/ stands for total goyim, AKA total slaves. Reminder /tg/ is /b/3.0
>>45544750Is it wrong that I find the left more attractive?
>>45544567
>>45545495
I guess you took "poor" literally? I thought he meant that the playbase wasn't populous. But who knows.
Anyway, when I was a teenager, the local gamestore owner was like a hero to all the kids in town. He knew the games inside out, and would occasionally throw out discounts and run small competitions too. "He has the coolest job", I remember thinking. But now, as an adult, I'd stay away from that line of work. It must be a real hassle to run your own store, and to service snotty kids and teens. And I doubt the money's too good either. I guess a LGS really has to be a passion project, or something...
>>45541744
I would run it more like a boardgame cafe with some games on sale than a typical game store.
My buddy in Seoul runs his own boardgame cafe, and he is doing very well.
You buy a coffee or a cake and get a table for one hour, and he has games you can check out and play. He has language exchange nights where Korean-speakers can practice their English and English-speakers can practice their Korean while playing boardgames. He also has a weekly RPG night with a great selection of both English and Korean roleplaying game books available, and a monthly designer night for people to playtest their homebrews.
I'm thinking about moving to Taiwan. I think a boardgame cafe would go over quite well over there.
>>45544750
I have no idea. I'm a 32 year old teacher, and I wasn't even aware of the policy until the LGS owner told me he'd been doing that.
me?
I'd serve crabs legs at my lgs
>>45541759
FPBP
>>45544567
My town doesn't have a LGS because the little mexican kids just steal boosters from walmart and play standard in the park. I drive 100 miles round trip to play legacy and edh.
#1 charge sales tax, but don't pay it to the Government.
#2 when the tax folks start nosing around, declare bankruptcy, shutter the store for a week.
#3 during that week, sell store to my sister / daughter / cousin / brother / uncle / business partner / 7-year-old niece.
#4 change signs, re-arrange furniture
#5 re-open as (new store).
>>45542974
In my LGS, half of the patrons there are teenagers. They get treated like the adults; if they become annoying little shits, they're thrown out of the place.
>>45544750
Present high school ID or teenage driver's license.
>>45544750
Schools usually issue student IDs.
>>45545729
Get out of here, normie.
Most stores in the UK I've been to have a lack of stock or a lack of space.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg5S131WtsA
Watching this video of an independent (?) games shop (they enter around 5:48) is mind-blowing. So much stuff. So much space.
>>45544373
Newer LEDs are very good and can give off very "natural" light, basically never break, and iirc they don't generate much heat. That's where I'd look.
>>45546190
>>45546206
Hmm, I guess in some parts of the world it works like that, then. In my neck of the woods there's no common way to prove yourself to be underage. Unless you actually get a real ID card, but that is rare for kids.
>>45545819
The brick and mortar retail model is dead. Opening up an LGS in the traditional sense is just stupid. It can't compete with online because it's worse in just about every way. The one good thing about them is the space and community, so why not just focus on that?
>>45546395
This. I do see discounts at cinemas and such for children where I guess they just wing it. But the main one is buses where you have to apply for a pass. Seems like too much hassle for a gaming shop. Not to mention people will get kids to buy stuff for them. Like a reverse underage drinking.
>>45546398
Apparently it's not dead in much of East Asia.
Now, in the United States there's no reason to go outside your home for board games and other activities because people have such massive spaces to sit around in.
In Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and other Asian countries however, apartments tend to be really small. There isn't enough space in there to have friends over and play a boardgame. So you go out to a boardgame cafe.
That's why my buddy in Seoul is doing so well. It's all about location.
>>45546398
Yeah, comic book and gaming cafés seem to be catching on.
But you know what's even more profitable than a gaming café? Acafé.
Non profitably probably, knowing myself
>>45541744
Into the...
>>45541889
Damn beat me to it
Every single LGS within 100 miles of me is a comic shop first and a game store second (or third, or fourth, ect).
So I guess I open a comic shop and hope to get some of those sweet sweet Wednesday/Thursday sales.
Into the...
>>45541889
Fuck, beat m-
>>45546862
DOUBLE FUCK.
>>45546796
Depends on how saturated the market is with cafes. If your street has a Starbucks across from a Starbucks, it may help to differentiate yourself by offering something different.
>>45546923
It is a good niche and I do see it work, what I don't get is why.
I can go to any café or pub and play games with people. In fact, that's what I do.
>>45541914
/thread
>>45546987
>i can't think of anything original, but i still wanna post!
>>45547013
pot calling the kettle black there anon
>>45547013
Leave his upvote alone.
>>45541744
I'd have it were you have to provide your own books, dice, etc. to play. Also have a no touching with cheeto fingers rule.
>>45541744
Honestly, now that most people buy their magic cards online as singles rather than in packs from LGS, I really don't know how I'd make it solvent. All the LGS's I remember sustained themselves financially through MTG/Pokemon/Yugioh pack sales, and that financed all the other games and comics that usually didn't even break even. I honestly don't know what sort of business model could even work these days.
>>45541744
I doubt I could. I don't have the skillset for customer interactions or marketing.
I could manage the finances really well tho.
>>45545453
>Hookers'n'hookahs
That was the name of a bar in a campaign I ran... That led to some odd moments.
>>45541744
Bundle with computer parts store + netcafe.
Sell computer parts, computer games, cafe time, traditional games.
Host some warhams, some LAN parties, some M:tG, some computer building workshops.
>>45541744
Blackjack and hookers.
>>45541744
Part hobby shop, part café, having frequent game nights. It helps that /tg/ stuff is in high demand in my area, but most of the stores are run like shit or are shit to get to, so they get shut down.I'd also try and push my homebrew systems...
>>45541744
Well, I'd probably start by trying to foster a Magic community, since that's where all of the money is in FLGS. So running lots of events, getting my hands on a healthy supply of packs, singles, sleeves, all that shit. After that, board games and roleplaying stuff. Then, and only then, would I worry about getting a good supply of miniatures.
Failing that, I'd light that bitch on fire and hopefully collect some insurance, because in my area not having Magic is like asking to have your store slowly rot and die.I miss you, Board Room. You were my second home and I'll never forget you ;_;
I would sell sandwiches and drinks! And a good selection of snacks. Maybe some games too.
>>45548453
What about a deli? would you have a deli? I want you to have a deli.
>>45548589
If there was a game store that was also a deli, I don't think I'd ever go to another game store.
>oh man I have to eat something
>I also kinda want to get a game of WarmaHordes in
>OH I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING
>>45541744
"No suit, no gaming"
It will also have a nice bar.
>>45541744
Focus on catering to the community and fostering an environment that promotes such. It's literally the only thing you can offer than online cannot. Nothing like watching one kid buy 3 packs of modern masters only to marginally good things barely making value and then one by one everyone else chasing that god damn foil tarmogoyf because (no one else pulled something good yet). When it comes to business like that, learn that you are dealing with potential gamblers. Building a good collection of singles for mtg is a must as it makes your place the local store of choice to pick up odds and ends for their shitty decks.
Next I would probably get some sort of food license and basic cooking setup to serve quick simple comfort foods rather than the normal bag of chips/soda/hotpockets setup most places have.
Next I would find the kids that seem to be the center of their respective groups and take note of who brings other people in and make sure the ones bringing others in get taken care of, even if a few dollars off here and there.
Other than that, I would ban yu-gi-oh or at least not sell it/support it. The fanbase is autistic (yes saying this in a tabletop gaming board) and cancerous to any LGS I've been to. They shit up the place and most anyone that doesn't play those games tend to get scared off by their severe lack of hygiene and spergy yelling. I don't care if it rakes in money, I would refuse to cater to them.
>>45549472
>ban YuGiOh
Smart choice my friend.
I've met YGO players before. I don't want that kind of person in a game store I'm in, much less one I own.
They are literally the worst player community out there. Say what you will about Magic or 40k players, at the very least most of them are normal (if not a little awkward) people. YGO players are actually just bad people. They smell bad, they try to rip each other off as much as possible, they steal, they're just terrible all around. I've yet to meet one that isn't human trash.
>>45545495
>>45542930
>>45542565 here. I live in NYC.
>>45546157
That is not an uncommon LGS practice. I have seen two do that. They usually were in deep on rent, and owed their distributors. Store A would vanish in the middle of the night, with store B opening a block away the following morning.
>>45541744
My own LGS? It would be a combination of LGS, bookstore, and bar.
The LGS section would have your usually RPG, board games, CCG's etc, but it would also have a book section specializing in science fiction and fantasy. There would be also be a couple of 3D printers in the store. Patrons could design their own miniatures, and the store would print them out for a nominal fee.
Right next door to the LGS would be a bar with geek themed decor and menu. Maybe a couple of old school arcade games like Golden Axe.
In between the LGS and bar would be a large common area. People could bring in games to play, as well as drinks and food.
There would be strict rules regarding behavior, hygiene, etc. The store/ bar is intended to be welcoming and inclusive to all.
>>45549867
Are you sure these ar YuGiOh players, and not Romani / Cigany / Gypsies?
>>45551137
I don't know, one of them was black so I don't think he was a gypsy.He was by far the worst, always smelled like literal shit, couldn't lose without throwing a temper tantrum, and was abusive to his friends, his girlfriend and his pets
>>45546658
Bus passes here only have a picture on them, no birth date, no "this is senior/junior/disabled card" mention.
>>45541744
Ideally (If I could figure out the business side), like a Golf Club.
I'd make it an awesome place to game, and have the business primarily based around services, rather than products.
Product sales would be present, but incidental, rather than the driving force of the business.
>>45541744
>How would you run your own store?
Into the ground
>>45544750
would smash both desu
>>45552307
The best way to do it!
>>45548635
Yup. We'd probably have a soup of the day, a good assortment of chips, some baked goods, and a few sandwich options plus a customisable sandwich where you pick bread meat etc.
Maybe we could have specials, like I could make shawerma some days and people would text their friends like dude you gotta get over here they got good shit
And we would have soda but also like teas and juices like a cafe has. Mmm
And we would have a wargame room, a painting station, a small room set up adjacent to the tournament area with a web cam for streaming the top table..
We could probably even sell beer and wine after a certain time. And our commercial is a homage to the cheers opening.
>>45541744
The store would also pull double-duty as a sex store.
You want your magical realm? Pick up your supplies here
>>45554605
There's a girl who sometimes shows up to my FLGS to play boardgames who, incidentally, sells sex toys. I once saw her cutting a deal and agreeing to deliver something to her house later with some other board game lady while they were between games. I had to ask a friend who knew her better to learn she was selling sex toys. I guess that's a distribution modal they're going for now, but apparently it works pretty well.
For me, at least, it was really strange, but it seems like all the regulars at my FLGS are way more sexually liberal than I am, so maybe it's just me
>>45541744
>#2 BOSS
I just got that joke, it means she's shit
get a feel for what moves off the shelf and don't stock too much that isn't that - tax and wasted store space on unsold inventory will slaughter the store dead.
sell snacks and beverages also for the people who play games, especially during FNM as well as PFS. Roleplayers spend a surprising amount of money, but not as much as CCG players.
board and card games are the backbone of our hobby, even if mtg is the lifeline that keeps the store in business. Make sure to have some space to the perennial sellers, like munchkin or that dull party games, as well as the new releases. Stuff that doesn't sell cut the prices to get rid of it because we can't afford to have that shit around.
Make sure the area where people play games has above average ventilation. Put up some signs encouraging people to bathe regularly and use deodorant. Nobody will even want to come into he store if it smells like armpit. Also, clean the floors and shelves regularly and make sure the store is well-lit.
All CCG decks and boosters, paint pots, and other small but high value items, go behind the counter. I don't want merchandise walking out the door.
Kingdom death and pervy anime shit will be behind the counter only if at all. That kind of stuff is both a big turn off for people and mars the image of /tg/ as a whole.
Customers will be treated like adults - if they do not act like adults they will be asked to keep things civil. If they refuse they will be asked to leave. Children may be accompanied by an adult, but we are not a licensed daycare center and cannot provide the services of one.
Think carefully before arranging a contract to stock GW products. It will not just be a product contract - it will be a relationship. That said, it can also be a money maker.
>>45541744
>How would you run your own store?
Into the ground
>>45555560
It works because a lot of people (men and women) might want sex toys but can't work up the nerve to go into a dedicated store for it.
The travelling dildo merchant can ease them into it (Pun entirely intended) by starting with less embarrassing items, like lube, or "sexy" consumables (Various forms of chocolate, mostly) and working up to the heavy stuff.
>>45541889
this is the truth
>>45541759
this is the way to make money
>>45545431
Oh, and I meant Spokane. Damn phone keyboard...
>>45557061
Yeah, that was how it was explained to me, too. It makes perfect sense, honestly, it just surprised me at first
>>45541744
Ban MtG
>>45541744
badly.
>>45541744
Very carefully.
>>45559049
Spokane is a shithole, I'll tell you now.
Further west is Ellensburg, which is not as bad, and an hour and a half outside Seattle. If you want to make the most out of your time in WA, you really need to get west of the Cascades.
>>45562722
Her family is in Spokane, so we'll start there. Might open a second shop if we can in Ellensburg
>>45547013
C'mon, be nice anon.
>>45544037
Adding to this, the shop would also be a place to sell our custom gaming supplies. One friend is making custom game tables, minis and such, another is making dice towers and trays, my fiance is making dice bags and printing shirts. Me, I am just organizing the stuff for now, making sure when we do start we have the supplies we need, the space to not only shelve the stuff but also have space for gamers to play at, from public tables to also one or two private gaming rooms.
As others have said, probably quite badly.
But if I could run a business halfway competently, I'd look to set up a store with several different rooms. One of the most common complaints that turns up on /tg/ and so on is about people playing other games stealing all the tables, being smelly/loud, and there generally being some form of animosity going on. Putting people in different rooms might help solve this, a bit like how if I ran a pub I'd have a sports/games room with TVs, a public bar for just drinking, and a pseudo-restaurant area where families can sit and eat (the only part of the pub children would be allowed). In a similar vein, a LGS would have a room for miniature wargaming, a room to pen and paper roleplaying, and a room for collectible card gaming.
>>45563834
Nifty idea, would like to see how it pans out
>>45541744
Aggressively push all of my homebrew shit and run it into the ground
>>45549867
>leave their trash everywhere
>grown men are too autistic to not realize they got ripped off by a 14 year old
>players trying to sell their old Walmart starter decks to the store and are somehow surprised the owner won't buy it
>loud
Fucking YGO players.
>>45541744
>live innawoods with a comfy, small, but outdated shopping center two minutes away
>always dream of opening a gaming store there
>across from an elementary school so I'd probably have to do some Pokemon and Yugioh shit
>foster a small playerbase and gradually branch out
>closest store for miles
>kids would have a blast
>new neckbeard generations created
>die alone but with the grandfatherly satisfaction that I spread my love for gaming to a bunch of stupid ass kids
It's a comfy dream of mine.
>>45565283
You could've condensed all of that into
>niggers
The true flaw when it comes to Yugioh
Wait until I'm a graybeard and open a small shop with my retirement money instead of going vacationing.
I don't know there is a way to do it making a good profit without the added headache of becoming a restaurant.
No girls allowed. It would be the most peaceful game store ever.
I recently got hired to manage two LGS in my area. Surprised that enough stores have actually shit canned YGO events enough that the last remaining players are scared enough of getting kicked out they self police each other for bad behavior. Some how we ended up with a thriving community of players that respect the store, spend money, and don't scare off other customers with theft.
There would be a pizza vending machine, that's for damn sure!
>>45566796
>The very vocal boycott outside begins ten seconds later
>>45546264
Yup, one that was near me was't even a quarter of the size of that one, plus it wasn't nice to be in.
All it could support was MtG and even that didn't last forever.
>>45555560
The last couple of cons I've been to have had an adults only vendor the room. Usually run after hours out of someone's hotel room.
>>45545741
>I guess you took "poor" literally? I thought he meant that the playbase wasn't populous. But who knows.
Actual rich people can afford actual rich people things.
mtg is a white middle class thing.
>/tg/ in chare of knowing shit
Into the ocean.
I'd run it attached to a bar. No under 18's. Very frequent gaming nights.
The "oh here come some greasy fingered children & their soccer mum to come and pick up all my fucking models" market is already cornered pretty hard around here.
I'd also have a pullup bar. If you bring a tryhard 40k force you have to do 1 pullup for each unpainted infantry model, and 10 pullups for each tank or walker. That should keep the autists at bay.
Viking themed, because vikings are cool & they drink a lot.
>>45551137
>>45546170
This is, frankly, the best thing you can do with them. Half the reason teenagers are so shitty is because they don't really get treated with respect anywhere. Treat them like adults and you'll find them to be pretty agreeable people.
>>45541744
with a liquor license.
LGS store in the front, gaming area/pub in the back
Have an online storefront with pickup and reservation options available.
Get an alcohol and food license
Offer bookings for tables that can be made online or over the phone. Couple with certain special offers to incentivise groups to book tables
Run it like a pub first and gamestore second
>>45573133
Go be a grifter somewhere else, gypsy.
>>45575790
>Pub first, gamestore second
Nerds don't drink, and they eat crap. This model of store would bring in the wrong sort of clientèle, and would confuse your target demographic.
40k nerds don't want to sip Martinis and eat quail eggs, they want to buy miniatures.
>>45575790
This
>>45576114
Also intoxicants that hinder manual dexterity is not what you want in a miniatures store. Not to mention just the problems you are going to have -- and that bars already have -- with a buncha drunk fucking idiots in a room with competition.
>>45541744
I wouldn't run it as a public storefront at all, but as a private club that offers deals to members, and provides them with a play-space, as a private organisation the chairperson ultimately takes responsibility for membership admittance or expulsion, which would be justifiable on any grounds which unquestionably harm the group and it's space as a whole, like fighting, stealing or destroying other people's things in the hall.
Games are only as fun as the people you play them with, and that requires a screening process.
>>45565459
>It's a comfy dream of mine.
Indeed, sadly Mom won't even let me deal in after-market Lego...
>>45554442
There's a gas station that's also a deli near where I work and its amazing. A liter of chicken and rice soup, a good sandwich, and a drink for around ten dollars. I go there every day for lunch, the value is unbeatable and I have half a liter of soup for dinner as well.
>>45572941
>>45541744
Obtain a liquor license.
>>45554442
>>45554442
Have your store connected to a deli, don't be a deli yourself. Easier cash, because normies would order.
>>45541744
>Fix Bayonets
