Friday, December 21, 2007

I'm just wondering....do you guys know how hard it is to run a successful comic store? I've now had a used bookstore for 5 years, and I can tell you on a scale of one to ten, it has been a two in difficulty. Comics, after 25 years, are still a nine.

I've now experimented enough with other product lines, and have those 25 years experience to apply, and I'm convinced that I could start a toy or a game or -- despite all the gnashing of teeth of independent bookstores -- a new bookstore that would equal my sales in comics within a couple of years or so, and be easier to do at that.

I have a fully functional store, and comics are more than half the mix, and there is no reason to go away from that. I'm able to experiment in new books and boardgames, for instance, without putting my store at risk.

But I'm limited in space.

Move? I've been praying for the kind of foot traffic I'm now getting for most of my career. A booming, hot downtown, which has morphed around me to the point where -- instead of being on the edges, I'm smack dab in the middle.

But I feel like I'm in a straightjacket, with no wiggle room. I can do small changes, take this out, move this over, but mostly I've done that.

This may sound arrogant, especially the game guys, but I'd love to be able to apply 25 years of experience to a more meaty part of the population instead of the expending it all on 1%.

Or maybe I just like throwing my work life into turmoil ever few years.

I would love to try all my ideas on a new space, but I'm wondering if I should risk what I've got.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

But I feel like I'm in a straightjacket, with no wiggle room. I can do small changes, take this out, move this over, but mostly I've done that.

(1) The 90/10 rule applies to all human endeavor, I refuse to believe that 90% of your STOCK cannot be shit-canned, to salvage the 10% that does, to make room for new stuff. ... Shove the 90% into your wife's store, and send the esoteric customers into that corner.

(2) It's harder the hell to find board-games for tourists in this town. You JUST need to advertise in and the HOTELS with those little brochures that say "Have fun in your room, enjoy the family, get a life without TV, ..."

Whatever, let the tourists KNOW you have board-games, and charge them full retail.

Duncan McGeary said...

I won't argue.

You're both right and wrong. There are things I can take out.

But you can't just sell steak.

Anonymous said...

But you can't just sell steak.

...

Nobody said 'steak', you admit yourself you have 25 years of shit, you claim that its all sell's equally, and I say BULLSHIT.

Things never work this way, the 90/10 rule always applys,

Like or 2,000 realtors, 200 problem closed this year, the other 1800 were 'posers'.

You say you go through all your stuff and it all turns twice a year, yeh right, and you been in business for 25 years.

You need to MOVE, and move into a small place, and then maybe you'll begin the task of figuring our what you don't need, or perhaps an inventory system, that shows you the 90/10 rule is applicable, while you want to believe that all things are equal.

Don't mess with 'steak' or food, shelf life is too short.

Duncan McGeary said...

LIke I said, I won't argue.

I could probably do with some exercise, eat healthier, watch less T.V., read better books and see better movies.......