I've been reading on a local game site about the desire for a game store in Bend, specifically a Games Workshop type game store. Got me thinking about whether such a store would succeed. To broaden the question, could a game store in Bend succeed (Games Workshop, but also rpg's, board games, ccg's, and everything else) ?

The short answer is, yes, possibly.

The long answer is; not if you want to have a life and turn a profit.

I believe the only way a game store would work in Bend would be for it to be insanely labor intensive. That is, the owner would basically have to live the store, day and night, for years. the owner would have to be willing to work 60, 70, 80 hour weeks. He'd probably have to make a huge investment, which would take years to recoup. And he'd have to find a prime location, which is large, cheap but presentable, and easily found.

The expense of having a viable store in Bend, would almost preclude anyone from trying who understood that it might take many many years to get back his investment. In fact, anyone who has that kind of money would be better served to go to a bigger town. A small, side-street store, run on a shoe string, wouldn't bring in enough money these days to be worthwhile in my opinion. It would have to be a fanboy shop, and those never last for long.

If you wanted to do it right, the biggest expense of all would be time and labor. Guerrilla marketing in all its forms. Tournaments and presentations and open tables (which would either require a second employee to implement or would run the owner ragged.) It might be fun to play magic every day for a year of so, but then the second year comes around and the third and the fourth, and it's the donut shop example. Can't eat donuts every day without a consequence. And it wouldn't just be magic, it would be pokemon, and Settlers of Catan, and Warhammer, and Star Wars miniatures, and just about every other game.

So, the answer is yes, a game store might succeed in Bend, but at such a cost that 'burn-out' is almost inevitable.

Don't underestimate the cost of your own time!

I'll repeat that. Don't underestimate the cost of your own time and effort!

I can't tell you the number of people over the years who tell me about their success at conventions, or online, but when you scratch under the surface, they simply haven't taken into account the costs of their own time and labor. Almost always, it turns out to be a short term enthusiasm.

I see more stores close because the owner simply took on more than he could handle than for any other reason (besides not making money, of course, but who admits to that?)

To me, having to expend 20 extra hours a week on labor in order to break even is the same as going in the hole, at minimum wage, 150.00. Worse, in a way, because of the wear and tear.

My own rule of thumb is -- don't take on any new tasks that you won't be willing to do for the rest of your career.

My store looks very complicated. And yet, despite having multiple product lines, I've more or less simplified it.

1.) Always go with S.R.P. If not, then always have a percentage in mind you need. In the case of my store, it's a minimum of 40% markup, which means multiplying the cost by 1.6666 on the calculator.

2.) Don't do any consignment. Consignment is really complicated, especially if prices change. Lots of room for mistakes and misunderstanding. A record keeping nightmare.

3.) Buy only from wholesalers. I've dropped buying off the street. I've all but dropped the 'collectible' aspect altogether. I know what I'm getting, the price is set. Trying to negotiate with a passionate fan is never fun, and if you get the price you need, the collector will almost always feel screwed. Not worth it.

4.) No interactive events. Just don't have the time and space. Don't want to babysit kids or adults. Not interested in having the same people around all day.

5.) No advertising.

6.) Special order for the store. That is, I don't take money upfront from the customer, I take their request and tell them I'll order it 'next week.' Sometimes I'll set the product aside, but they pay when they come in.

7.) We are a cash business. That is, people pay for the product when they come in. We don't have an 'accounts receivable.'

8.) Simplified systems and routines. Make reorders on the same days, with the same budget. Right down the crucial info, but leave the smaller details out. And so on.

9.) I don't sell at conventions, I don't do mail order, and I don't sell online. Every time I've done those things, I've worked out that my time and labor cost more than what I got back.

10.) No sales. I keep the product until I sell it. I will make individual deals on the spot.

And so on. Many other ways that I've tried to find to simplify. I simply shudder when I see some other stores open, because in my mind I'm calculating the complications.

I always see the day....which comes to all of us, -- when the owner will say to himself: "Is this really worth doing?"