[Musing of a Game Store Owner] Tips and other Tidbits

As the voice for the FLGS Owners hanging around, I have been talking about the realities of owning and running a store for the past couple weeks. I got some great comments and questions, and I have really enjoyed writing the posts to answer them.

Porky's comment last week is the subject for today:


I enjoyed reading that. I have a question, but it's a big one. What's the one thing, possibly the few things, that you think would do most to stimulate game store creation and/or help existing game stores thrive? It could be anything. I'd love to know where the pressure needs to be exerted.


He's right. That is a big question. He was right to assume the possibility that there wasn't ONE answer, but there might be several things that would apply here. There's no "magic answer" to helping FLGS be more successful  It's a combination of things that we'll talk about. Even if a store has or does all the things I will mention, it's possible that they won't flourish, because retail is a funny thing. There are a lot of variables that go into making a business work, and there are no promises, just a lot of hopes. 



Opening a FLGS takes a lot more than a location and a small amount of stock. I've alluded to some of the things I'll mention over the years I've been writing at the House, but today I'll spell them out to the best of my ability. 

The first and most important thing for a potential FLGS owner to know is: 

you can't be "nobody". 

Any person can get a storefront, slap a sign on it and open their doors. The problem comes in customers. Who does this "anybody" know that will shop there? And not just shop ONCE, but become a regular, if not a loyal customer? 

You need a large personal network- friends, family, coworkers, and gaming community that know you, trust you, and are willing to refer you to THEIR friends, family, coworkers and gaming community. The need for a personal network is pretty serious in order to stay open over the course of several years. 

Being a FLGS owner is something like being a real estate agent, an insurance salesperson, or a drug dealer. You're effectively becoming an independent contractor and you are solely responsible for bringing in customers, sales and profit. You have to START out with a reputation based on YOU as a person and some kind of "cushion" (people you can depend on to purchase from you while you get your feet under you) and then BUILD from it through being reliable and easy to do business with. Being easy to do business with can be any number of things- it includes having set hours, offering hassle free special orders, being pleasant to customers, having a nice location; and much more. 

But none of those things matter if no one knows who you are. Sure, you'll get customers who will check you out due to curiosity, but without a personal connection of "hey, I played D&D with that guy" or something similar, there's very little reason for them to co come back. 

The next factor for a starting FLGS owner to know is that it's a BUSINESS. It can't be your personal clubhouse if you want anything resembling success down the road. The store has to be a place where people OTHER than your network are welcome and even encouraged to come in, shop, check out games and otherwise feel like they are valued. 

This particular factor is probably the hardest one for owners to get into their heads. Changing minds, hearts and attitudes on this front is exceptionally difficult and it's a huge part of why so many stores have failed in the past. There comes a time when the owner looks at the receipts at the end of the day, week, month or whatever, and says "hey, I'm paying the bills with just my buddies. I'm doing ok, I don't need to do any more". 

It's an unfortunate and discouraging reality, but the "buddies" flake. They lose jobs. They move. They get married. They find a new hobby. They get pissed at the owner over something dumb. They get pissed at each other. Any number of things can happen, and then the customer base is dwindled or gone, and your shop is out of business. 

It's also tough because it means being social and meeting people outside your comfort zone, which is a talent most gamers don't have or want. Being an extrovert and wanting to meet new people, loving the thrill of finding new friends and being willing to put yourself "out there" all the time are things most gamers find more terrifying than a beholder. 

The fact that you're a BUSINESS is essential when it comes to discounts. In short: DON'T GIVE THEM. Every discount you give is money out of your pocket, and when you're paying yourself (see above), that isn't smart. Discounts are a large part of why so many little stores go belly up so fast. By giving a discount to customers, owners are effectively giving away the rent, the power, the water bill or the next order of ships that go "vroom". evenif you are "making it" with on the backs of the orders your buddies make and you have no reason to think that will change anytime soon, if you give discounts; you don't have 'EXTRA'.

It's 'extra' that helps buy terrain. New tables. More stock. It's extra that allows you to (eventually) hire employees. Extra helps you rough the lean months a lot more easily, and extra gives you the ability to try new things. It's all the stuff that extra helps pay for that leads to the next tip.

Have a community.

Have an environment that is welcoming to ALL gamers, that fosters friendships and hanging out, and that grows a community. The community is very likely going to be based off your personal network at first, but make sure you are welcoming to people outside of it, too. You want to make sure your business isn't an elitist clubhouse -because it's a business, and everyone should like shopping at your place, and hanging out there too,

An important point to mention on community: it's one thing to say you are welcoming, and another entirely to BE welcoming. it's not just what you do or say, it's how your customers act. Make sure your customers know that they don't get to decide who is or isn't welcome, who is or isn't "inner circle", or who is or isn't "cool enough". YOU, as the owner, are the arbiter of who you want in your store. If you want to be successful; it should be as many people as possible.

The community aspect of your store will help lead into this next point, but for the most part, this is all on you- your personality, your ability with names or faces, your drive, your hustle, your sourcing abilities; whatever makes you special.

Give your customers a reason to be loyal.

Whether it's a great community, an owner that remembers your name after just one meeting, a fantastic special order program, awesome minuatures tables and terrain, a painting club, or something else; give your customers a reason to come back over and over again.

Be something more than "a place to buy stuff"; be a place that will engender regulars and loyal shoppers. You want your personal network to flourish and find new people to add to it so that it can continue to sustain you and your business.

Lastly, you need to love games.

Having knowledge of, passion for and interest in games is huge. Being a vital part of the community and encouraging others to enjoy their passion is going to be a major portion of your success and accomplishments. Be enthusiastic! Smile! HAVE FUN. Let peopleknow that your heart is right along with theirs, and give people a reason to enjoy what you're doing.

These are just some of the ideas I came up with. I'm sure there are more, but that's a good start.  I'd love to answer more questions!