How to start a Card / Game shop?

>Scout out the area, does it look like gamers exist?
>Get the money to buy an area and stock up
>Research questions asked in OP on google not bing or 4chan
>...
>Profit?

>>54109352
The most important thing to know is, is there a market? Is there a uni nearby? Is there a Barnes and Noble and can you ask them how well Magic sells? Fuck, does your town even have a GameStop? If so is it busy? You want to know how many 'geeks' are around before you even consider opening a shop.

>>54109449
last I checked the nearest Gamestops are in Bellville and Kingston. for local unis, there's Queens in Kingston and Loyalist in Bellville
also a Chapters/Indigo is in Bellville.

well, would be kinda something for a high functioning dumbass like me doing something like this.

dangit... this all seemed like a good idea in my head...

Making a life evaluation based on the inactivity of a 4chan thread is more autistic than you wanna be .

Don't run a store, but I have watched all the drama as a buddy and his wife took the plunge a few years back.

Look, one of the reasons you're not getting a load of responses is because we all dream about starting our own place at some time or other. Very few follow through, and those who do usually go bust in under a year. Starting a small business means a lot of work for very little pay off, so you should be sure of some things before you go into this.

1. Capital. You will need at least a year's worth of ready cash to run the store. Nobody trustworthy will invest in you, most banks won't give you a loan unless you put up the whole thing and your car, your house, and your teeth as collateral. This is in addition to money you need for minor stuff like food and your mortgage payment. Get about $75,000 to $100,000 together first.

2. Get the word out. So there are clubs and universities in your area, you say? Make sure they know you're there. If I see a new game shop open in my area, I always wait 6 months before I check it out to see if it's a flash in the pan, but I might be more inclined to come see it if I hear interesting things about it.
3. Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance. Pay your goddamn bills. Clean your shit up. Have stuff happen at your place. Repeat forever, you no longer have a life.

>>54109352
Alright, so these are some things from when I was involved in starting up a business, learn from mistakes.

1) Start small. You want the shop of your dreams, and if you're doing war gaming you do want a place with enough room for shelves and tables, but size also generally means more rent.

2) Rent and Utilities are your biggest worries. When I was involved in a shop (non-gaming), the local utility company insisted on a deposite of something like 150% the highests payment made by the last business. If this is the case in your area, you'll want to check on this for the place. A few months unpaid bills, or high energy costs, and you can be well fucked.
Rent is another big thing, but depending on your area and the location of the shop, this can be ok.
3) you're going to want at least six months worth of rent/utilities on reserve before you open. It's better if you have closer to 3 years though, because that's how long it takes to start turning profits depending on business.

Honestly, my suggestion is if there's a mall or shopping center, see if you can do a kiosk to start with. Maybe they'll let you do that, put up a couple folding tables (or find a place to rent out with tables once you make enough profits). Probably your cheapest bet, and most secure, to start. Then, once you've got enough saved up, invest in a larger store, go from there.

Godsspeed, anon.

>>54109352
>population around 15k
>population density about 34/km^2
Don't even bother. I don't want to be a dick and stomp on your dreams or whatever but you do not have the population to generate enough sales.

>>54116643
This, sadly. The demographics are stacked very heavily against you - this is a town of older, low-to-lower middle class families without much disposable income. (median age 44, median income $50k CDN)

Props for wanting to make a splash, but location is everything for a business, and you don't have a good one.

>>54116643
If it's a college town, he might have a chance.

>>54109352
Game ships are expensive and are usually a labor of love. Don't open a store unless you have some money to comfortably fall back on.
CCGs are the big money-makers. Magic and Pokemon alone will pull your store out of the red, especially if you host frequent tournaments and events.
Visibility is also important. I'd recommend getting property near a local college, they're full of young nerds with money to spend. Also get a social media presence going so people can learn about you.

Source: I work for a distributor of games and supplies, and have seen the rise and fall of many shops. The best shops rely mainly on CCG tournaments and are built near colleges.

>>54109352
Youtube - Alpha Investments - How to open a game store.
He did a 4 part video, the first 2 parts are the really reasonable one, the rest are just him rambling about what if scenarios.

Looking at your town, it doesn't seem like there's any competition for game shops, but that's probably a bad sign instead of a good one. There are more shops in the neighboring cities, which leads me to believe that that's where all the customers are.

Maybe you should try creating/finding a local game group or facebook page instead? That way you get to play games, organize things, and hang out with friends - without the financial burden of making ends meet and paying for a business.

>>54109352
Based on what I've seen from Belleville to Cobourg, most shops are small and survive based on the few loyal customers that come for regular events. Most double as a second business within the same shop. Unless you can find 20+geeks in Napanee that will hang out regularly, I wouldn't take the risk.