Genesis Comics

Sorry for the lack of an update yesterday...started at 7:30 and didn't end till 11:00...going to settle in a bit and hopefully fill you guys in about the last 2 days...no major issues, still mostly on schedule...took a bunch of pictures...we'll see if I can get them uploaded here...be back in a bit...

11 hours ago, SteppinRazor said:

In my experience with warehouse/shop space, commercial doesn't work that way.  At the shop I split with some friends, we had to do all the infrastructure for the space.  Removing the old tenant not included though, that's pretty BS

Even if the first two months is free, Genesis can (and IMO should) consider telling this dude that starting next week, he'll have to pay a storage fee for his mess that isn't out of there.  And make it cost more than a public storage place or end up in the storage business.

Yeah, it's pretty aggravating...the landlord was getting agitated as well...he has an empty store in another location that he told him to move his stuff to...He's 98% out now...just a few things in my storage area that doesn't affect me for the next few days...He has a truck coming tomorrow to pick up what's left and all the trash outside.  

7 hours ago, 01TheDude said:

it seems that so much of this work you are doing is something the landlord should be responsible for in the first place. Somewhere earlier in this thread was a link to the guy showing videos of what he negotiated with his landlord that included getting the space ready for move in-- including walls, ceiling, and floors. Seems like you are doing all of that on your own dime. That makes sense if you own the property -- not so much if you are leasing. And this previous tenant is a real PITA imo. Get your out of there already goofball. Yeah Yeah-- leaving you some nice things from his old store but why is he dragging his feet on getting this stuff out of the way. He should have been out of there 2 weeks ago.

I look at it like moving into an apartment-- the landlord is responsible for having the place ready to move in-- including removing the previous tenant, fresh coat of paint and no holes in the walls, working electrical though out, no issue with the floors or replace the floors if there are issues. Unless you negotiated that away, how is this landlord getting away with this slipshod treatment putting all the burdens on you and never meeting a single promise made in a timely fashion.

Sorry-- hope that doesn't get you mad. I just see you might be getting screwed while the guy is smiling at you and acting friendly.

Not mad at all.  I negotiated the rent price down based on what I was going to do and also negotiated no CAM charges as well...I was taking care of floors and walls, he was ceilings and making sure all was in working order...got a significant discount on the rent, which will make up for my layout about 1/2 way through the 2nd year.  Lot's of places were "as is" that I looked at.  Like you, I originally thought the landlord took care of all that stuff, but in my search for a place that wasn't the case in 75% or more of them...the ones that "got it move in ready" were unwilling to negotiate on the rent, CAM charges etc.  Maybe not the best deal on my part after I saw the work involved, but it is what it is.

Tuesday - Walls...spackle, tape, sand, repeat, etc.  Starting early in the AM so I can put on 2 coats of spackle if necessary.  Want the walls ready by end of day if possible...I will have time on Wed for this as well if needed.

Alright, 2 updates in one day!  You're Welcome!!  

Quick note to everyone commenting and giving suggestions...I may not answer every comment/suggestion, but rest assured I am reading them and taking everything into account.  So if I haven't answered or commented, it's not because I don't appreciate the thoughts and suggestions!

Also, I took some pictures and will take more each day, documenting the progress...I'll start attaching them tomorrow as tonight's too late and my phone is upstairs and I'm lazy.

As you may have read above, in my previous update post, the 1st day had some bumps in the road, however, I am still on track to have the place move in ready by Friday.

Tuesday was just supposed to be walls for me...but because I am not doing them now, just paying someone else to do them, that gave me some extra time to work on other things.  The guys I hired came in and worked wonders, great job so far...one more coat tomorrow (they did 2 today) and I should be ready to paint on Thursday.  I had an appt this morning for flooring for the back of the store (front 60% has really nice wood laminate...unfortunately it was a Home Depot exclusive 11 years ago and they no longer carry it.)  Figured I'd get same type of flooring on back...if I couldn't match exactly I'd go for totally opposite color.  The area in question will be the gaming area.  After I got a price for leveling and resurfacing the floor with the laminate wood, I quickly decided on carpet lol...would have preferred the laminate, but I'd also rather have that extra $$ for collections that come in.  It's going to be installed Thursday morning.

We will start with the good stuff today.

I was able to go to PSEG (electric service) and get the account in my name...tomorrow is National Grid (Gas).

Bought tiles for the ceiling, my brother and uncle coming tomorrow AM to switch out water stained/stained/damaged tiles.

Spoke with Diamond and they are working on expediting the shipping on the entire system so I can get it hooked up and practice with it for a few days before the grand opening.  No guarantees but I should find out tomorrow for sure. The wonderful thing about the Diamond POS sytem is that you get credit towards select trade paperbacks from the major publishers...I'm sure they are not the cream of the crop, more likely they are things that didn't sell.  However, I am getting $6700.00 worth!!  That pays for the system plus more!  I realize I probably won't be able to sell them all at full price, but it gives me a lot of inventory to do sales with!

Went to Loews and got paint/primer with an extra gallon of each for me to keep...figured if I ever needed to fix an area, I'll have the same color and not a shade off if they had to make it a few years down the road.  I went with superhero blue, yellow, and red.

Got my shirts in the mail today...Ordered from Vista Print while they had a 33% off sale.  They look good...I'll prove it to you tomorrow!

Now for some of the bad:

Guy from carpet company was supposed to be there between 8-10...didn't get there till 11:30...had a few phone calls to make, so did that while waiting. Could have used that time better and gotten National Grid done today, but oh well.

Can't get a call back from the guy from the insurance company...left 3 messages to remind him to send over insurance quote so landlord can review and nothing...no call back, no email.  Called the company today to see if I can get some help getting the quote...got transferred 3 times, waited on hold for just under a 1/2 hour before I hung up.  If I don't hear back from him by tomorrow, I'll move on to another company.  I want to give them money...crazy...

Spent 30 minutes on hold with Pepsi as well...no one ever picked up lol...will have to try again tomorrow.

AC was left on overnight, set at 70, reading 72 (not my dime, so no real concern there).  At around 9:30 I noticed it felt like it was getting warm in there...went to the thermostat to lower the temp 2 degrees...after a 1/2 hour, even hotter, now reading 77...called the landlord to let him know the AC wasn't working...can't get someone there till Thurs/Fri...my workers loved that today...ugh.  Not looking forward to the heat and humidity while trying to get paint to dry...

The tenant, was supposed to get a truck today to finish getting his stuff out...I had asked him to make sure the walls were clear so that my guys could work...of course that wasn't done so I was schlepping his stuff from one side of the room to another...I'm trying to be real patient, but it's starting to wear thin.  Truck never showed today so there is STILL a bunch of in my way, and in the way of my workers...I was moving stuff all day, his stuff, and just putting them in piles...he promised that everything would be out tomorrow...I need to have the carpet installed on Thurs and paint...can't have his stuff lying around anymore...already almost a week after I was supposed to inherit a clean building.  There was also the remnants of a wall running down one part of a wall that I needed to work on, I overheard him saying to the guy who was helping him that the electrician would take care of it when came in...I went over and said, look, we don't know when the electrician is coming back...this needs to go now.  This was aggravating as it's being taken down around the guys that are trying to spackle...while they were working on it ceiling tiles, supports, and one lighting fixture crashed to the ground...nobody was hurt thankfully, but this should have been taken care of last week...the light fixtures were being held up by the top of the wall that was coming down, so without that support, everything started bending and falling...told him to just take the lights down, replace the supports and I'll just put tile there...I'm a nice guy, a patient guy, but this guy is now taking advantage...not cool.  I even told him that I'm not doing any work on my new storage area so he can pile all he wanted to the ceiling as long as it was out of the way...still not done...he's a truckload away from being done...so don't want to get nasty, but still...c'mon man.  He's leaving me a bunch of stuff including the $1700 neon in the front window as well as a glass showcase and some other items I need for the storage area...I appreciate that, I truly do, and he's a really nice guy...just wish he had a little more  sense of urgency.

So another kind of frustrating day, couple more hiccups...nothing earth shattering that can't be fixed.  Still on schedule due to some luck and extra $$.  

Thursday I added to my calendar going to my supplier to pick up my "initial" order of TCG's, POP's, comic supplies, gaming supplies, etc in the morning...I have a lot of volunteers that day to paint, and a bunch of volunteers to help me move in fixtures and merchandise over the weekend.  

Pictures tomorrow, I promise!

Keep commenting, suggesting, catchphrasing!  Hope you are enjoying the journey as much as I am!  Thanks!

Hey again folks!  Trucking along!  I had written an update yesterday, and before it was done, by computer battery died and I lost it lol, did not feel like writing it again.   I'll give a brief recap of Monday and then move on to today...

Monday (tomorrow) - Heading over in the afternoon (Dr. appt in the AM) to do a full once over.  Going to check the electric, all outlets, plumbing, back and front door security.  Going to determine what I need to purchase in order to "finish" the box and have a clean retail space.  Going to clean, sweep, dust off a few shelves that I asked him to leave in my "NEW storage area" lol.  I have a contractor friend of the family coming to give me an estimate on getting it all clean.  I will then determine if he can meet my time frame and how much extra it will cost if any for me to do it myself with the help of others...I am not very handy unfortunately...my guess is it will be too much, and I'll move on to Home Depot and Lowes to pick up the sheetrock/paint etc that I will need.  The good part is the front 60% is beautiful so a coat of paint or 2 is all it will need...I'm only dealing with the back 40% and bathroom/storage area for actual fixing up.  I will be cleaning the bathroom and replacing all lights (tenant left a full box for me), that are out or on their way out.  I will also be making multiple follow up phone calls concerning gas, Diamond POS.

Above was my plan for Monday...here's how it  worked out...Checked the electric...few outlets not working, some lights in ceiling held up by wall that was put in came down...not a big deal as there are plenty of lights.  Tenant still not out, walls still not completely down...once again, not a huge deal as the day was mostly about checking things out...but lot's of stuff still left...truck coming on Tuesday to finish up...I could work around things.  As he started moving stuff away from walls, things got ugly...his back room was patched, holes in wall that I didn't see based on tuxes being hung everywhere...pretty much out of my realm of capabilities to fix AND make it look good...this was the back area where the gaming was to be to nothing really to even cover it up...I had a friend of the family coming by to give me an estimate on some work, so I figured I pay a few extra bucks (story of my opening lol).  Spoke to him at 12...said he had 2 hours left and he would swing by...at around 3, I call, no answer, 3:30 I text, no response...4 I call my brother in law who works with him and he says we finished over an hour ago, he was supposed to swing by after.  Now I'm a bit worried about him, but also worried about what I'm going to do...it's getting late and as you all have mentioned I have an agressive timeline to get things done.  I call some family members to see if they can help with the spackling and it was too far gone for them to atttempt...ugh.

I'm starting to get a little frustrated, not only because this guy bailed (he was OK btw, just never showed), but the tenant is moving slow getting stuff out, can't get calls back from Diamond about the POS, and can't get a call back from the Insurance company who was supposed to send me a quote.  

Couldn't get to the lights to change out as there were fixtures literally hanging from the ceiling and supports and tiles all over the floor, plus, the area where the lights were was buried in piles of stuff the tenant had yet to remove...once again, not a big deal...about an hour or 2 of work all told at some point...

Decided to call the guy that painted the inside of my house a few years ago at about 5...great guy, a bit expensive but did great work!   Going to ask him to give me an estimate on getting all work done by Wednesday so I can paint on Friday...LMFAO...that sounds reasonable right???  Wouldn't you know it, he was doing a job in Ronkonkoma, the same town I am in, and was just getting off so he could stop by!  He put together a crew within 15 minutes and told me it would be done!  WOW!!  Great luck on my part...not cheap, but last minute work usually isn't.

Going to digress for a moment to explain my thought process about the short timeframe...It is just as TheDude surmised...I had a plan that was pushed back and didn't adjust to the shortened time frame...this was not because I didn't think of it...on the contrary, I was well aware of the work that lied ahead...BUT I wanted to be open before kids went back to school...(around the 1st week of September here on Long Island).  I wanted a good week or so, where kids were still off, parents were out shopping for school supplies.  My thought process is that once kids go back to school, there's not a lot of going out that month...parents are setting up systems for their kids...being strict for a week or two before they forget and loosen up...plus I wanted to use as much as the "free time" I got as I could.  I built in a few extra days for soft opening as I had said, if things didn't work out...I could always change the grand opening if I had to...plus, the pressure of getting open keeps me focused, my wife had taken off this week.  

Took a look at the floors where I wanted to put down laminate and started to lift some rugs in the back...reason there were rugs is that there were issues...not something I can do...again...so called a flooring company (Empire-my wife used to work for them) and they are coming Tuesday.

So really kind of a frustrating first day...more damage to floors and walls than anticipated, friend of family no call no show, lots of tux stuff still there, electrician came and looked at the bat-pole...thousands to remove and re-route...working out something with landlord.  He said he'd remove it, but after I re-did my floor plan I was able to work around it better than initially thought...not losing any gaming tables moving some stuff around.  Instead of spending a few thousand to remove and re-route, the landlord will replace the AC and heating units with new ones as the unit is old.  Did not get a call back about insurance, and did not hear back from Diamond about POS system.

The good, is that I got a replacement guy to do the walls, got a carpet company coming to give estimate on flooring, met a few other tenants in shopping center.  More good than bad, but still on track to get the list done...of course I'm paying more as I'm having people do the work as opposed to doing it myself...so that's a downside, upside is it will look much better than if I did it lol.  And the best news is I'm on my way to becoming a comic book and gaming store owner!!

I'll be back in a few hours to update Tuesday's "progress"...going to price some books now!!  

Alright folks...getting close to the home stretch...

Picked up one of the keys this afternoon...he still has some stuff in the store that he has to remove, but that's OK as tomorrow is assess and buy whatever I need for the walls day...I took a picture of the pole and will post as soon as my phone charges...it's definitely electrical in nature as a small pole about 4 inches long comes out of the floor into a junction box that's about 12x14 approx and 4 inches deep.  Out of the top of the box about 6 inches to the left another pole comes out and goes to the ceiling.  I've been playing phone tag with the landlord, we've called each other numerous times and keep missing each other.  He will meet me there tomorrow to discuss and hopefully move or remove if it isn't necessary.  The place before the tuxedo shop was a hair salon so they may have needed extra electric coming in...hopefully that's the case and we can just kill it and move it...

I also spent some time over the last few days getting the grand opening weekend together.  I got some semi-professional cosplayers set up for Saturday and Sunday.  I reached out to multiple artists and have not gotten many responses, the ones I did get were unable to make it, the others are either at shows this weekend or on vacation.  So hopefully I can get someone in on Saturday...hoping for Billy Tucci or JaCo Taratuga (I love his stuff...check out his facebook if you haven't seen it before...unique)...but no guarantee...I also got someone in for facepainting on Sunday for the kiddies and also for Sunday (and hopefully Saturday) Mr. Popintwist.  If you are not familiar with Mr. Popintwist, he is a balloon artist...he makes the most incredible balloon items..check out his facebook page for some of the work he does.  Unfortunately, the cosplayers for Saturday, let me know today that they are unavailable for that day due to a con commitment they had forgotten about (Inbeoncon) ...that sucked as I was trying to have cosplayers on both days...luckily I was able to get the NYC Ghostbusters on that Saturday, but I'd rather have Harley and Spidey lol, but still cool nonetheless...Harley will be coming on Sunday making an appearance with Green Arrow and Poison Ivy!

Over the last 3 days I have gotten insurance, telephone and internet (Verizon), set up the signing and gave a deposit, reserved a truck for Friday (wanted to get it early as kids are going back to college soon), purchased a large dry erase board to post gaming/other events, picked out colors for the store (yellow, blue/red), purchased a printer, phone, began work on my grand opening flyer, contacted Diamond about better terms on the POS, set up a few estimates for work on the floors/walls...I will most likely do the work myself, but if the prices are cheap enough I may go that route...really depends on what I see tomorrow as the walls were not completely down when I was in today.  I also went to Ikea at 2PM on Saturday afternoon...note: if you hate yourself go to the Long Island Ikea during this time, anyway I picked up 2x4 cubes to place under the bookshelves as had been suggested in another thread about me looking for comic bins...going to build it and see how it comes out...the bookcases are also from Ikea and match the cubes, same exact color.

One unexpected thing that I ran into was the transferring of the Electric.  As a new business owner I need to put down a deposit of $495 dollars...not a big deal...figured they would just use it as credit for my first 2 bills or so...BUT it doesn't work that way...the $495 deposit is HELD by them for 36 weeks!!  LOL...if I pay my bill on time for that stretch, they will return the deposit, with interest)...another unexpected bill...geez...

I spent most of the morning working out my time frame so I could come up with a Grand Opening Date!  Here is what I came up with!  I do have a number of people helping me throughout the week, so it's not just me running solo or this time frame would not work..

Monday (tomorrow) - Heading over in the afternoon (Dr. appt in the AM) to do a full once over.  Going to check the electric, all outlets, plumbing, back and front door security.  Going to determine what I need to purchase in order to "finish" the box and have a clean retail space.  Going to clean, sweep, dust off a few shelves that I asked him to leave in my "NEW storage area" lol.  I have a contractor friend of the family coming to give me an estimate on getting it all clean.  I will then determine if he can meet my time frame and how much extra it will cost if any for me to do it myself with the help of others...I am not very handy unfortunately...my guess is it will be too much, and I'll move on to Home Depot and Lowes to pick up the sheetrock/paint etc that I will need.  The good part is the front 60% is beautiful so a coat of paint or 2 is all it will need...I'm only dealing with the back 40% and bathroom/storage area for actual fixing up.  I will be cleaning the bathroom and replacing all lights (tenant left a full box for me), that are out or on their way out.  I will also be making multiple follow up phone calls concerning gas, Diamond POS.

Tuesday - Walls...spackle, tape, sand, repeat, etc.  Starting early in the AM so I can put on 2 coats of spackle if necessary.  Want the walls ready by end of day if possible...I will have time on Wed for this as well if needed.  

Wednesday - Painting (front to back) of course...by the end of the day on Wed I'm hoping to have the walls done and completely painted.

Thursday - Flooring in the back.  Once again I have someone coming for an estimate...based on some research, looks like almost the same price for me to do it myself, but we will see.  I'm thinking matching the laminate with a "joiner" not sure of the word between each side...won't need too much...can do it myself for about 500-700 depending on how much I need and how many pieces I screw up trying to get the pieces correct around the bat pole lol.  If I can get a similar price from Empire today, they can do it (my wife used to work there so we can get a discount).  I also plan on replacing the ceiling tiles that have water damage (there is no roof issue anymore...they had issues 2 years ago and the roof was totally replaced as verified by multiple people in the shopping center).  I will also be installing my camera system.

Friday- Friday is move all the heavy fixtures in day and hang the slatwall and take lot's of aspirin day...needless to say I am not looking forward to Friday...I have back issues as it is...4 showcases, 7 bookshelves (3 for Trades) 2 for comic bins, 3 large cube shelves 2-5x5 and 1 4x4 for binders for cards, Tables and chairs for gaming, front desk, and a few other odds and ends.  Hopefully during the week I will have some help building the 6 cubes I bought so I would just have to put it all together on Friday...

Saturday AM, hook up all computers/phones/printers, etc

My aggressive goal is to have all this done by Friday night and to use Saturday PM and Sunday as merchandising days...unpacking boxes, loading up shelves.  I have been working on pricing items every night for the last 2 months...it's weird...I can sort through Magic Cards for hours on end, but pricing comics drives me nuts!  I'm actually taking a break right now to write this.  The hardest part was the older books, silver and bronze, as I used both Overstreet and Ebay, spent a lot of time on condition etc...I think I did a pretty good job of pricing the books fairly...we will see lol...just working on copper/modern backstock now...trying to keep the prices low enough to be a deal, but not too low to leave too much on the table...a fine line that I'm sure I went both ways on.

I'd like to soft open on Monday-Thursday (which gives me 4 days of leeway).  Friday evening I'm going to have friends and family night.  Basically just having everyone in, thanking them for all their hard work and support,  buy a bunch of pizzas and soda and have everyone tell me how wonderful the store looks and how successful I'm going to be LMFAO...

Saturday August 26th is my projected Grand Opening.  As I mentioned earlier, I will have face painting 12-3, NYC Ghostbusters (12-4), sales on comics (50% off back issues (Copper/Modern), 25% off all Bronze Age/Silver Age not on wall and 10% off wall books 25% off trades), all day.  Learn to play Magic the Gathering from 4-8. Trying to get some free into decks.  Open at 12 Closing at 10

Sunday August 27th- Green Arrow, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn cosplayers from 12-4/5 taking pictures with guests, Harley tells me she does a little show as well (Spidey can't make it on Sunday unfortunately). thinking of doing a kid cosplay contest as well with store credit being give out to the winners ($40, $25, and $20 for 1st 2nd and 3rd, and maybe a free comic or pack of cards for all participants.  Mr Popintwist 12-2 and learn to play Magic the Gathering 4-8, Open at 12 close at 9.  All Pokemon, plush, mini figs, POPS 25% off all day.  Both days Standard MTG packs are 4 for 10 (normally 3 for 10/11 depending on where you shop).

Both days I will be giving out free comics and free magic cards for anyone that likes and shares our page (comics and cards are in a blind box, about 10% is good stuff $5-$40 dollar stuff, other comic stuff is modern books I took at random and for Magic the Gathering, bulk rare cards...I have a list made up of what's in there so they can see what they can get.

Still have a lot of little things to do that I will fit in on the coming days and nights, but these are the main things I have to do...like anything else it's just a plan and things can and I am sure will...just have to roll with the punches/poles/cosplayers cancelling etc...till next time, thanks again for all your suggestions on the pole, and keep the catchphrases coming...there are a few I like and by this weekend, I'll pick 3-5 and post a poll to see what you folks thing I should go with!

One more piece of homework for you fine folks:

What does your LCS have as far as a "Comic Club".  What percentage do you get off...is it based on volume?  Is there an initial fee?  Is there a yearly fee?  What is their policy on books not picked up?  How long with they hold them with no communication?  I've read through the "Pick up your books" thread, but wanted to know what your LCS does (please include your location as well...rent is high here on LI so I may not be able to do what a store in North Carolina does etc)

Keep the feedback coming, I will keep the updates coming!  Appreciate you all!!!!  Thanks!

P.S. I did not proofread this as I have to get back to pricing books

On 8/12/2017 at 5:16 PM, 01TheDude said:

Genesis-- Come see our Bat pole!

Love it!!!

On 8/12/2017 at 11:35 AM, masterlogan2000 said:

Great updates as always.  I'm really enjoying reading this thread.

 

Also, it does look like genesiscomics.com was registered waaaaay back in 2012, so maybe you saw something different when you searched GoDaddy.

That's definitely possible...maybe I was looking at .org or .net  

1 minute ago, SteppinRazor said:

It could possibly be a plumbing vent stack then.  If no one else has one, and you're not in the center of the strip, that would be my second guess.  Electrical coming into the building shouldn't be coming up through the floor, but a plumbing vent could.

It's possible...I'm the 2nd store in from the left...I'm swinging by there today...I'll take a pic

6 minutes ago, SteppinRazor said:

Do you have a drop ceiling?  Can you see the end of the pole?  Electrical pole is very unlikely.  Wires are typically run through the walls.  Supports for the building would typically be at least a 3" diameter pole, but that's what I would guess it is.  Landlord's not going to pay what it costs to eliminate it, so I would just take some drek Batman comics and glue pages onto the pole (I like the Bat pole idea).  If you've got anything that you sell that's light, you can buy hoseclamps and clamp on a few small bins to the post and use as a display fixture.

I do have a drop ceiling, but have not had the ability to go up and see what's up there.  It's a metal pole, none of the other locations in the shopping center have one...I'm the lucky one lol.  Some good ideas there, thanks!

1 hour ago, mrwoogieman said:

Where is the store located again?

600-26 Portion Road

Ronkonkoma, NY 11779

It's in the Stat Health shopping center (known around town as the old Blockbuster Video shopping center)

So, here I am with another update!!  I know you've all been waiting at the edge of your keyboard!!  LOL...

Last week, when I was to receive my first Diamond order, I worked out with Diamond that they call UPS and hold it at the UPS facility for me to pick up (luckily it's 5 min away).  My rep told me to call on Tuesday of the next week if I needed that order held, so I did and she told me, oh, that's been delivered already!!!  What?!?  I explained that I did not receive it as I wasn't in the store yet.  I asked for details and she told me that it had been signed for and left at the front desk.  This was odd as I am on COD.  I asked what I should do and she told me to go to the location.  Ugh...the guy doesn't want me there and the landlord said not to go vs. my product!  Needless to say, I hopped in my car and went into the shop, hopefully it's there....

First, some good news ...when I walked in he was packing!  Woo Hoo!!

Secondly, he was such a nice guy!  He apologized about the prior week...he was upset/melancholy about having to close and just wanted to be alone, he told me whatever I needed to check out to go ahead.  He gave me copies of his bills as well as a piece of the floor (it's laminate flooring that's only in the front, I need to finish the back.

Thirdly,  he took the package in and reached out to the landlord to have him contact me to let me know it was there.  The box was not marked COD and came one day early! Really Diamond! But it was only box 1 of 2...box 2 was delivered today with the full COD.

Now a little history...when I first saw the place, the back room was so filled with suits/tuxes/shelves/boxes,  multiple poles hanging from the ceiling with tuxedos hanging everywhere!! You get the picture, it was hard/impossible to see fully into the back.  The landlord said, let's go a few stores down to check out another store (all the locations are the same in the shop, only difference is left store/right store (what side the doors are and what side the bathrooms are).  I went into the Cricket Wireless and went to the back which was wide open.  He explained that the tuxedo shop was a mirror image, a clean box as he called it.  Sounds good...

Now, back to the present...I finally get to see more of the back as the tuxedos are starting to be packed up.  Turns out when he said "mirror image" he did not mean a traditional mirror, but a fun house mirror!!  The bathroom is on the opposite side, however, instead of being at the back left corner, it's 8 1/2 feet away from the wall...basically a 6x6 foot box coming off the left wall, with 8 plus feet behind it...now while this screws up my floor plan that I had finalized, it's not the worst thing.  I had gone back and forth about having a storage area, I wanted one, but I also wanted enough room for 40 people to sit and play card games...so decision is made for me about the storage as I can't do anything else with the 8x6 space behind the bathroom, and you guys can be happier as I can't fit as many gamers ...can't put gaming tables behind the bathroom as I can't see it from where I would be set up by the register, also on the left side...so now I have a storage area!!  

Now, here is the worst part...first off the space is 15 feet wide by 64 feet deep, about 1000 square feet.  About 16-18 feet from the back wall and about 6 1/2 feet from the left wall, there is a pole, floor to ceiling.  This is, according to the tenant, an electric pole.  Not a super thick pole...probably about the same as the thick part of a baseball bat.  Tenant does not believe it can be moved, based on what he knows, but it was in his back room and not in the way so he did not bother with it.  Not real happy.  Called the landlord and he had not idea what I was talking about.  He said he was going to stop by and take a lookwhich he did.  I will be speaking with him tomorrow.  Now part (maybe most, heck maybe all) of this is on me, I know that, and I accept that.  But I should be able to believe what the landlord is telling me right?  He seemed legitimately perplexed on the phone and when I spoke to the current tenant today he told me that the landlord was confused when he came in and saw what I was talking about.  I'm thinking maybe if I can find a life size  Batman figure I can hang him from the top of the  pole and call it the Batpole! If anyone has any creative ideas that don't involve pole dancing (I don't have the body for it anymore) lol, let me know! Man, I am not good at this so far.  2nd big mistake on my part.

So, if you've read some of the previous updates, you would have seen that I was supposed to get the keys on the 10th...after my conversation with the tenant, he will be out by this Sunday (13th).  I started to feel angry/upset/annoyed with not only him, but the landlord as well, but then decided, it's not worth it.  Legally, should I have had the keys today? Yes.  Is it worth it for me in the long run to make it a big deal? No.  I'll just bank these issues with the landlord, let him know I'm not thrilled, but things happen...not going to let these things ruin my dream...I'm too busy anyway!!  And if I'm nice to the tenant, maybe he will leave that glass showcase...(me trying to find the positive)

Now onto other stuff that doesn't involve my whining about my bad decisions...

Picked out some colors for the shop, going with comic book blue/yellow/red.  Not sure exactly what I'm going to paint what yet though.  Have a few days to figure it out as the some of the sheet rock needs work.  Colors will match the logo on my website ( genesiscomicsandgaming.com ) And yeah, I know, it's a long name...lol...but Genesiscomics.com was no longer 2.99 for the domain, someone had bought it (a few days after I searched it on the Godaddy site ironically  and now it was for sale for over $1000...hence the long website name...so if you are ever looking for a domain name, don't wait after you have searched it on the site...pay the 3 bucks!!  Otherwise it will be gone!

Went to a few stores to see if I could match the flooring to the piece I had gotten from the tenant, but it was put in about 11 years ago and wouldn't you know it, they don't make it anymore (originally purchased at home depot)...going to try a few other flooring spots before I decide what to do...don't think I want carpeting in the back with the "gaming rats".  I'll probably just get a similar flooring and have to make it work.

Ordered shirts for myself (polo) and t-shirts for family/friends and my part time/sometime employee, Jason. I went with the polo to stand out and felt that the polo looked more professional.  Polo is black with small stitched logo on upper left.  T-shirts, also black, have large printed logo in center with Ronkonkoma, NY underneath.  I toyed around with address/phone number, but felt that it was too busy on the front and didn't really like it on the back, so I went simple.  Only ordered about a dozen or so so I could always change and get more.  I was thinking about coming up with a catchphrase, but I haven't come up with one I love yet.  My best (and I'm using that term loosely, is "Get your CGC's and TCG's at GCG!!"  

So, I'm looking for a catchphrase!!  What do you got???

I did get a call from a woman who I had spoken to a month or 2 back about a collection of comics that belonged to her son's friend.  He didn't  want them anymore and her friend was moving and gave them to her.  She said it was about 8 boxes of books from the 70's.  I reached out 3 or 4 times and each time she told me that she didn't have a car and the comics were in storage, she needed her friend to drive her.  I had given up as it had been so long, but then she called!  I meet her outside the storage unit, she's probably about 65-70 so I am hopeful that the comics are old.  Then I do the math and figure her friends son was probably about 40 or so and if he collected as a kit, the books would be 30 years old...copper...  I waited outside the unit for about 15 minutes as she fiddled with about 30-40 keys for the lock lol...finally opened the unit and the first box in front had water damage 90% of the way up to the top   Rest of the boxes looked ok, all comics were bagged and about 75% were bagged and boarded!  Good sign.  Pulled out the first box and grabbed a couple of books from the middle.........Quasar 19,20,21 LMFAO copper it is!...not quite 70's...good news is it looked like the comics in the water damaged box were not water damaged, no musty smell, no rusted staples, no signs of water damage at all...looks like at some point the box got wet and was just re-used.  All the books with the exception of 4 silver age ( 3 DD's in the 20's and one X-Men in the 40's) were late 80's to early 90's...comics were all in nice shape including a nice New Mutants 98 (9.4), 87 (9.2).  1st Squirrel Girl (9.6), Wolvie 1 (regular), X-Men 201, 221,266 (9.4), Harbinger 1 (9.4/9.6) with coupon, Infinity Gauntlet, Killing Joke (6th print), Marvel Age 97, bunch of other 10-15 dollar books  Total of 8 boxes.  Was happy overall, would have preferred 8 boxes of bronze but copper keys are nice as well.  May send a few in for grading...

Tomorrow is another phone call day...need to get insurance, internet/phone, electric, gas, cc processing, and POS/register sorted out, as well as get another estimate on signing.  

Man, I'm all over the place with this one, but there is so much going on.  Please forgive the randomness lol.   I will try to update daily at the end of the day once I get in there on the 14th letting you all know my issues as well as all the good stuff...I may be too tired some nights, but I don't want to disappoint my fans!!  LMFAO.  I'm hoping that the painting/flooring is done by Thursday so that on Friday I can load in the fixtures.  I will then spend Saturday and Sunday merchandising, I'll have a quiet opening on Mon-Thurs and hopefully if all goes well (I know, I know lol) I will have an official Grand Opening on Saturday August 26th!!  If you are in the area, address is 600-26 Portion Road, Ronkonkoma, NY.  feel free to stop in anytime after the 15th and introduce yourself!  If you like to paint, even better!  If you like lifting boxes and heavy things, we will be fast friends!  I pay in pizza and beer (and maybe a comic or 2)!!

So, to finish up here is your homework!

1) I need a catchphrase.  Family friendly please!

2) What do I do with the Batpole? Again...I cannot stress this enough, family friendly lmfao.

3) Check out the website, look at the colors, and give me your thoughts about how to go about painting the walls and what color combos I should use. (ceiling is tile and back wall is smallish).  Fixtures are mostly dark wood color (almost black) and new comic racks are grey.

Thanks again for all the feedback, constructive criticism, well wishes!!  Keep em coming!  I really appreciate all the feedback and kind words!

On 8/3/2017 at 1:25 PM, sckao said:

Hi,

First of all, good luck with your store. I just came across this thread and always find these threads interesting. 

I did take a look at your existing website and it could probably use some updating. 

I'm not sure if you already talked about this earlier as I haven't read the entire thread, but if you're planning on synchronizing the website to coincide with your Grand Opening, you should probably have your POS and Diamond system in place (mentioned by you earlier), which will then give you a continuous stream of content for your website. (At the minimum, Address, Store Hours, Directions, Email and Contact Information, New Releases information, Subscription Service information,  Events Calendar, Blog, etc.)

Is that also your logo and have you actually used it as your physical StoreFront logo/sign?

We did a little updating to the website and will add more in the next week.  Still working out whether or not to get the Diamond POS as the credit terms I got were over my budget, so I have to see where I can cut...the sign also came out a few hundred over budget so need to do some moving around of $$ lol.  Yes, that is my logo, and I will be using it as my sign.  There is also a marquis on the street that I will just have "Comics" on.

I haven't locked in my hours yet, so that's why they are not on the site.  Thanks for the feedback on the site!  I appreciate it!

9 hours ago, thehumantorch said:

Well, good luck.  I'd consider the landlord breaking a verbal promise to be a concern.  It is reassuring that other tenants seem to have a good relationship with him.   I wouldn't complain too, too hard as that might make your relationship with the landlord quite strained.

I've done my best to keep it civil/pleasant as I know I have to have a long term relationship with the landlord.  All the other tenants speak highly of him so I am guessing that this is a "old tenant" issue more than a landlord issue.  I'm thinking he's such a nice guy that he doesn't want to upset anyone (he genuinely comes across as a good guy).  Hopefully the old tenant gets out soon so I can put this all behind me and get started!!!

7 hours ago, shadroch said:

Having comics delivered before you open isn't good business. If you get the keys on the 3rd, what date do you think you'll be open?

A disappointing beginning.    You have to be more careful. Rookie mistakes will kill you.

Yeah, you are right.  Didn't think this one through...first of a few mistakes I'm sure, but hopefully won't end up costing me too much...I've already reached out to a few comic shops in my area to let them know if they run out of something to let me know.  Live and learn...

So, I've run into my first "real" issue.  The location I am taking over has a tenant currently.  The landlord told me that this wasn't an issue and that the tenant was month to month and all will be fine.  We had agreed verbally to getting the keys on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.  The lease says the 10th, so I had initially planned on the 10th and anything earlier was gravy, but he mentioned more than once that the place would be ready for me by the 2nd or 3rd and I would have the keys as soon as he turned them in.  Yesterday, I drove by the location, hoping to see it closed and cleared out, just needing the landlord to take down the wall in the middle of the location, and instead of that, what I saw was the Tuxedo shop, still open and doing business???  I had earlier in the week called the landlord asking if I could go in and make 2 measurements.  I was told that the gentleman who was in the tuxedo shop "did not want to be bothered".  It wasn't "make or break" on getting the measurements, so I just chalked it up to a guy who was unhappy that he has to close his business because it was no longer making money, he doesn't owe me anything,  but it did put a concern in my mind.

My wife had a co-worker call the shop and ask about renting a tux and although he was told that the location was closing and he was no longer renting, he would be there until the middle of August?????

I immediately called the landlord to voice my concerns and I was told to not worry, he would speak with him.  

I explained that I was worrying as the information he "promised" was not coming to fruition and along with that  I had another issue, I have my first Diamond order coming in on the 2nd.  He told me again, "don't worry"...this is his favorite saying btw lol, the guy in the shop will take it in for me when it comes in.  I asked him why would he do that when he won't even let me in to measure the bathroom?  Why would I trust this guy with a few hundred dollars in product?  I called Diamond and they offered to get in touch with USPS (couldn't hold or re-route the order).  Luckily I have a USPS one town over and they are able to hold the delivery for pick up.  I know some of you will wonder why I had the order shipped so soon, but orders have to be placed well in advance, and even if I wasn't open, I was promised to have the keys.   

I tried to explain the "shelf life" of new comics.  I  explained that new comics have a shelf life, like milk...that if I didn't sell the new comics in the first 5 days, that there was a 75% chance that they wouldn't sell at all (I don't know how realistic that number is, but I had 3 different shop owners tell me that). That being said, I realized the first delivery or 2 would be there before I officially opened, but NOW, it may be 3 or 4 which is the real issue!!!  He did not seem to understand my "milk" comparison.  Don't get me wrong, this won't "break me" but it's still $$ being spent that has less of a chance of a return, which I've read is not good for a business .  More aggravation and anxiety than anything...

I'm sure that most of you will say, and I agree, that if it's not in writing, I shouldn't have any expectation.  But he OFFERED that I would have the keys by the first few days.  I assumed (and we ALL know what happens when one assumes) that based on the relationship he had with the tenant, when I originally looked at the space (he seems to have a great relationship with all the tenants I spoke to) that it would go smoothly and there would be no issue.  

Just needed to vent a bit, so thanks for listening.  It's just aggravating as I have so much to do and my time frame is now all screwed up, including the people I had helping me...more than a few friends who were available to help to get me set up, have vacations the 3rd week in August...

So thanks for listening!  I called him again today and he assured me (we will see how that goes) that he will be out by the 10th...we will see...keep your fingers crossed!!!

And if your LCS sells out of any books this week, send me a PM lol!!

Just got a beautiful and IMHO undergrade!! Batman 229.  Shipped quickly and safely.  Would definitely buy from again!  Thanks Greg!

6 hours ago, GACollectibles said:

In case you go looking for this on the website, it's already on hold.

 

1 hour ago, Comicdey said:

Do you have a network of collectors that may be willing to sell leaving you a profit on books you might not otherwise see to help out with want/wish lists that you accumulate?

I have a small group of people that I know that have some books, as well as 2 stores that I will be working with...one is relatively close by and the other is a county away.  And these boards are always a good place to get books that I may not be able to find in the wild.  

1 hour ago, Comicdey said:

Do you have a network of collectors that may be willing to sell leaving you a profit on books you might not otherwise see to help out with want/wish lists that you accumulate?

I have a small group of people that I know that have some books, as well as 2 stores that I will be working with...one is relatively close by and the other is a county away.  And these boards are always a good place to get books that I may not be able to find in the wild.  

21 hours ago, Avi said:

Harley Quinn 24 SDCC exclusive foil

Grade: NA (has a spine tick) | Quantity 1| Price: $25 shipped

I'll take it!

So, here I am with another update!  I officially signed the lease!!!  3 year lease with a "good guy" clause (If I decide I want out after 1 year, I can forfeit my deposit (2 months rent) and only pay for the months that I am open.  Hopefully this won't be the case, but you never know what life brings.  I was able to get 2 1/2 months free which will help me getting started.

I've spent the last month working on a few things.

1) Working out the details on the lease, we went back and forth and I got most of what I wanted.

2) I did Eternal Con in July (Nassau Coliseum), while it wasn't the greatest show, I did get a bunch of email addresses, and advertised that we would be opening in August.  Spoke to a number of other store owners and got some contact info for some artists to possibly be there for the grand opening or for other monthly events.  

3) I got signed up with Diamond and made my first comic order   It was relatively small, but I did work with another store owner on the order and he guided me through what he orders and I ordered about a 1/4 of that and left some stuff off that he just orders for individuals.   Still nerve racking as I'm doing this order AND I have to have the next in before I open.  The 3rd will be after I'm open for a week or 2... You get  a pretty significant discount the first few months so that is helpful.  I also ordered some POP figures and some Vinimates (look like larger Lego figures).  I passed on the toys that were offered due to the price AND the available space I will have...I ordered some of the top Graphic Novels (Watchmen, Dark Knight, V for Vendetta, Marvels, Killing Joke, etc.)  About 25 in all.  One of the cool things is that the publishers (Marvel, DC, Image, IDW, and Dark Horse) all send "welcome" packages (for lack of a better word) for no charge other than shipping!!  Probably about 1.5-2K retail all told.  These include older Variant Covers (nothing overly exciting from what I saw, but, hey, free is a good price!) and Trade Paperbacks (about 50+).  The DC package is the best of the group IMHO.  

I am STILL waiting on a call back from Diamond about their POS system.  I have now placed 3 calls without a call back.  I called my rep and explained that if I did not get a call back this week I would move on to another POS system.  Very frustrating.  

4) A game shop in my area, is unfortunately closing.  But, thankfully, they are selling their fixtures!  I am currently working out pricing, but the prices I've seen so far have been decent.  I will be able to furnish the location about 70%.  I will still need some slat wall and some shelving along with comic bins (see my WTB in the WTB thread), but this gets me more than 1/2 way there.

5) I have been drawing up different layouts for the last week and have realized that 1000 square feet is small!!  LMFAO...I have so many things I want to do and not nearly enough space to do it in.  I have revised the layout at least a dozen times, but I think I have it down...(plans are based on my buying "new" comic bins so I used the dimensions of those, but may change if I can get my hands on some used ones).  I have the gaming tables in the back and comics in the front so as not to have the gamer's mulling around when the comic guys are trying to search through books.  Once I get the bins and their dimensions I will draw a final layout and post it here for feedback.

6) Insurance industry must be rocking as I've reached out to multiple agencies about business insurance and have not gotten 1 call back LOL.  All were recommended by local collectible shops in my area.  I've also called a few Credit Card processing companies and learned a lot about how everyone likes to take a piece of your $$.  Makes you want to run a cash only business (I know this isn't possible, but i can dream).

7) Security System/Cameras, Signs, all in the works.  Once I get the place I will work on internet, phone and getting the heat/electric over in my name.  I am thinking about upgrading all lighting to energy efficient, but I have do to a cost/savings analysis to see if it's worth it.

8)  I have started working on pricing books...man this is tedious...this is mostly back issue stock ($1-$5 books), most of the good stuff has been priced for shows, but I have found a few decent books in the boxes as I go.  Taking longer than I expected, but I should be done in plenty of time.  Have about 50 boxes left.  Should be done in 2 weeks if I do 3-4 boxes a day.

9) Spoke with Billy Tucci about coming down possibly for the grand opening if he is available, but he may be on vacation.  We will see how the timing works out.  I also went to Jersey and stopped by the Secret Stash, they were filming at the time (couldn't get in, I tried lol).  Spoke to one of the cast members about making an appearance as well, so we will see where that leads...I'll keep ya posted as I get more info.  

10) Wifey is working on social media (mostly facebook, but will be updating website/twitter/instagram in the coming week.  We are going to be printing up flyers and handing them out to businesses in the area.  I will be going to the movie theater across the street this week to see what I can do about some advertising...maybe even getting a spot on the big screen before superhero movies in those ad's that nobody watches before the previews lol.  Would love to be able to work out something with them, but we will see how that goes.

Money is going quicker than I expected (but I kind of expected that?!?!) LOL...but I'm still in decent shape.  If I have to buy new comic bins, that will be an expense I was hoping to avoid.  But it is what it is.  

I feel like I'm doing 20 different things a day as it gets closer to the grand opening (which will be determined by when the old tenant finally leaves.)(hoping to be open by the 15th or so of August, but may be a week later, depending on how long the work I need to to takes).  Their are days when I'm tired and wondering why I am doing all this, and there are days when I'm excited for the possibilities ahead!!  I have not gotten truly excited as there is so much work involved.  I am doing my best to cross all the t's and dot the i's, so there aren't any major problems.  It's tiring (and I haven't even opened yet!!), but hopefully I will get into a rhythm after the opening.  

Going back to pricing some more books now, lol.

Thanks again for reading the update, and as always, comments, suggestions, and opinions both positive and opportunistic are encouraged!!

P.S. As I mentioned in the WTB thread, anyone with a lead on comic bins that leads to a purchase will receive $100 store credit!  Thanks!

2 minutes ago, GregBjur said:

Batman #229 VF $22

I'll take it

Hulk 104,105,106 I'll take 'em