Those are nice ideas, although keep in mind, 20% of your customers will be responsible for 80% of your sales, or around those amounts.
And 80% of the folks who aren't in the hobby that you talk with won't get into the hobby either, they just won't. To be honest, you'll be lucky to get 20% of those into the hobby, 2 out of 10 would be considered a good ratio, yet that is on the high side.
Very true. Might not be worth the effort after all. It's a niche franchise. But as a company I can get games cheap, crack one and allow people to try them out, for a small fee. Sell coffee, snacks etc. Lots of people visit the town by boat, selling board games might attract some more customers. Selling and trading used models could be a way, but I can't sell used stuff GW still sells, if I want their products, mainly the paints. Would use trading groups on facebook to get deals, sell them in the store or charging a small fee for renting models and a gaming table for 2-3 hours or sell them online.
Could just rent the space myself to have a space for my gaming group, sell stuff on occasion, but a bit pricey for that. The cool thing is that I live in the same building, it takes about 30 seconds to get there from my flat. So even if I'm not open I can get there fast. We'll live here for at least 2 more years while saving up for a house.
I've done some observations during my way back from work or on my daily walks. There's a lot of older gentlemen hanging out during the day outside in the market square, ww2 games might interest them. Flames of war starter sets, for example, cost the same as any game, and it's a full game for 2 with infantry and tanks. I'll show them how if works and have tables set up for them to game on.
This building, where the empty spaces are, is about 400 metres from the market square and you can see it from the pharmacy. A new shop opening would get locals excited, always the same shops and have been so for at least 10 years. All sell clothes for women, no stores are targeting males, teenagers or kids above the age of 9. The big shopping center is a 45 minute drive away and people tend to care for the local stores to keep them running. You wouldn't drive for 45 minutes to a store to buy pokemon cards for your kids and then drive all the way back on a friday. But if you could just let your kid go to the market with some friends, no hassle for you.
Pointed out to the landlord that this building isn't on the market square, and she wants the same price as the empty spaces there. Why would I go with hers it there is a better location, with a lot more people passing by, for the same price as hers? A way cheaper start for rent would allow faster expansion, and I'm not quiting my day job just yet. As a experienced teacher with a degree, finding work ain't hard so if this adventure would go down in flames, I could go back.
Still, this seems like such a opportunity to do something else and I can see a market for it, it's more than a hobby store, it's entertainment in a town where almost nothing happens when the summer ends, we're talking September until May. There is a cinema but it's runned by volunteers and good will. I could also sell RC boats, could get them cheaper than the toy store and cooler boats like warships, since there is water all around town and ponds a plenty. Some of the larger residential areas are built around large ponds.
Anyway, going to put away some money from now on, think about this and research more, enjoy some games with the group I started, see what they're into, when the summer ends and vaccinations for people aged between 20 and 40 are done.