Should I purchase a local Comic Shop or Start my own?

[The_Man_Of_Steel]

I need some help here folks. Last night after watching LOTR: The Two Towers, I talked with an old high school friend, and to my surprise, he told me that a small local comic is for sale. Now this wouldn't be such a big deal, except that it's the last real comic shop in the town nearest me.

 

I have mixed feelings about going into the comic book business. The biggest problem that I have is that I'm sure the joy of collecting would be reduced to a business standpoint. In other words, I would probably loose interest in it as a hobby (get burned out), and it would be "another job". The other problem is that I would most likely need to deal in NOT just comics, but action figures, statues, posters, cards of all kinds, heroclix, and something else. Maybe used video games? I have a vast knowledge of video games. Another plus with offering used video games is that a big would be competitor went out of business. "Long Beach Video" went out of business because of 1.) location 2.) the mainstream conversion from VHS to DVD 3.) the owner went through a divorce and is an alcoholic and a jerk. Another idea (that my dad brought up) for "something else", is new hardcover novels. Finally I've thought about offering music as "something else", but I'm afraid that the internet has all but killed the music business (at least for small business).

 

Anyway, I would look into what it would take to buy the small shop going out of business except for these things: 1.) the store is located on a steep hill and crowded by other business, and the parking is terrible with few spaces, another problems is that 2.) there is NOT sufficiant space for a descent sized inventory, 3.) her books would probably consist of 85% or more Moderns Age books 4.) I would NOT want to purchase her inventory of used paperback novels.

 

Thoughts? Advice? Help?

[Bonds25]

Re-read your post, and I think you'll have your answer.

[The_Man_Of_Steel]

If I start my own Comic/Card/ Shop at a different location, what should the "something else" be? Would I "need" to sell something else?

[ArAich]

If I start my own Comic/Card/ Shop at a different location, what should the "something else" be?

 

Yu-Gi-Oh cards along with tournaments.....

[murph0]

Two things. First, here's doubting the person finds someone else to buy the place due to size, space, and location. So I'm guessing you could come away with the place itself without buying any inventory you don't want. Second, it being in a business area the more stuff you can get for people..the more business you'll do. CD's might be a decent idea, books is a good idea, maybe video games..but I wouldn't put a lot of space into them. Also, you should include a lot of kiddie stuff as you can hit these working people when they're getting off work and looking for something nice to bring home to their children. If space is a problem, I think you should set up a couple computers for inventory. They can find stuff they want and if you don't have it at the store you can deliver it later on that evening. You can buy inventory online comic-wise and be fine. Books are also much cheaper online new..so what you could do is get some of the new hardbacks online and then you can still manage to keep them cheaper then what it costs at a book store. You may want to think about magazines as well.

Finally, if you need any help with a loan..let me know

 

Brian

[FlComicFan]

hey I am having the same thoughts as you . How much do you know about gaming and the auxilary that needs to be sold along with comics to make it these days? I was also considering starting a mail order subscription service as well instead of a brick and mortar store. From what you say you might be better off starting your own unless you are buying the stock for dirt cheap and paying little for the store with exception of if the store had a decent pull list for you to build from. Try selling used vhs, dvd and cds seems the few stores I have seen do a well with those along with the comics etc. What kind of rep did this business have to begin with ?

[murph0]

VHS's would be a very bad idea, unless it's porn which btw..is an even worse idea. If you go to a local Family Video you can buy VHS copies of any new movie for between 3.95-7.95, VHS is slowly dying...

 

Brian

[FlComicFan]

vhs is dying but I think retailers have abandoned it too soon I was in Best Buy at Christmas and they have only one small aisle of vhs now compared to 8 aisles of dvd yet there was a group of people buying vhs and pissed at the poor selection Blockbuster supposedly is still renting a ton of vhs as well as dvd. I agree stay away from porn unless you plan on having the Comic defense Fund come to bail you out, If you are knowleadgable about spportcards there is some crossover there as well

[aardvark88]

U need to be a businessman 1st, & a hobbyist 2nd. Crunch the #s to see if there is enough profit at the end of each month to justify working 7 days/week at the retail level then going home & thinking about how to increase business another 8 hrs/day. Comics & yu-gi-oh will consume your thoughts.

How about buying the comic store stock cheap then flipping it at weekly flea mkts or on eBay in bundles? Go to where the customers are instead of having your customers drive around looking for your retail outlet in the low rent district w/ no parking.

[murph0]

Go to Family Video, like I said..most expensive VHS, 7.95

I bought Scooby Doo on VHS for 4.00

 

Brian

[Illiterati-migration]

vhs is dying but I think retailers have abandoned it too soon I was in Best Buy at Christmas and they have only one small aisle of vhs now compared to 8 aisles of dvd yet there was a group of people buying vhs and pissed at the poor selection

 

Hmmm. Maybe this is because VHS is being forcibly removed from the market? If people won't just go upgrade to DVD players, the big retailers will force them to do so by removing the option. Same thing is happening in video stores. Blockbuster said around July of LAST year (2001) that they anticipate having their entire inventories switched over to DVDs by late 2003/early 2004. VHS is going out without so much as a whimper...

[hammer-migration]

1) Could be good, could be bad. A steep hill isn't going to stop someone from accessing your store unless handicapped. What TYPES of stores are bordering the proposed Comic-Shop? THAT'S the most important factor as well as WHERE is the closest competitor.

2) You can learn to work around this. Even a small space can go a long way if the space that IS there is used creatively. You'll change the layout of the store and position of fixtures many times before you'll finally optimize space, even in a larger area. The benefit is: less sqare footage, LESS rent, LESS overhead. Insufficient parking or low visibility to bypassing traffic...VERY bad. Sometimes, this is the best reason to PASS, overriding all other positives in consideration of a retail business venture. These two elements CAN'T be worked around. However, if you're right next to a SCHOOL, you might make this sticking point of parking and visibility up on good demographics! Weigh one against the others.

3) Blow out sale. Eventually, all her stock will be gone, replaced by the items that actually garner 90% of your sales.

4) Hidden cost. Buy them if you must, as cheaply as possible, burn them. You're buying the business primarily, not the stagnant inventory even though it IS factored into the price.

 

Most important: VISIBILITY!!!! You'll get THOUSANDS of dollars of free advertising monthly if on a BUSY street where you're easily seen and have an attractive storefront and interesting window display, or on a busy intersection.

Keep it small spacewise: No more than is needed. LOW overhead = bigger net. The bottom line matters far more than the gross sales.

You can make it work, BUT, be prepared, as in any business, to put in LONG hours. GOODbye social life. Do it right, do it yourself.

Choose help CAREFULLY and do not give access to cash transactions until 100% trust is acheived. Even then, in business, if your employess are SMART enough to work for you, they're smart enough to STEAL from you. And THIS, sadly, in business, is a very common scenerio. You will need ONE employee to do the schlepping. Choose him carefully. Perhaps a RELATIVE.

 

 

[murph0]

It's a superior product. Same thing happened with cassettes, only they weren't totally exiled.

 

Brian

[FlComicFan]

well that is for certain. This way they will force everyone to buy all the same stuff again in another format. I'm happy with vhs . I like the fact that dvds can have extra scenes etc but..... I am very dissapointed with all the halting ,freezing, pixxelation and the many times I have rented dvds and they just would not play. I figure right when dvd is 100% of the market share they will unveil a new format anyways,

[FlComicFan]

I'm curious to see if when vhs is extinct if dvd prices come down , stay the same of go back up? I have a nasty suspicion we will get screwed like with cds. Once everyone had a player they were supposed to be as cheap as cassetes which of course never happened.

[hammer-migration]

No reason for the companies to downscale their base prices, sales are VERY strong at the current levels for that format of video.

[Lockjaw]

The following is a cut and paste from the now defunct Warren Ellis Delphi Forum, and I am sure the original posting of this came from the Isotope: The Comic Book Lounge Forum (it may contain some information that is useful to you if you are interested in turning a pre-existing comic store into your own):

 

Dragged kicking and screaming out of hiding over at WEF.

Do you guys have anything else to add post re-launch as Isotope?

http://forums.delphiforums.com/ellis/messages?msg=38423.95

 

There are folks who have bought existing stores and have made a good run of it, but that ‘s a danger fraught area worthy of an article

of it’s own. There’s a dapper gent named James from San Francisco who would be ideal for an article of that type.<

That would be me, wouldn't it?

 

I've got a thought or two to add to this thread, but first let's get one thing straight:

 

For those interested in becoming proprietors of your typical, run-of-the-mill comic book stores STOP READING NOW. My advice is absolutely useless to you. For those interested in KICKING DOWN THE DOOR and being the BEST DAMN INDUSTRIAL-STRENGTH, SUPER-CHARGED BESERKER COMIC PIMPING MACHINES ON THE PLANET, I have some words of advice.

 

#1. GO LIVE YOUR LIFE FOR A FEW YEARS.

Start a band, travel to Europe, take a philosophy class, spend a night in jail, write a screenplay, wash dishes at Denny's, learn to

swing dance... the more life experience you can bring to this industry the better, and besides once you own your own business

YOU ARE GOING TO BE BUSY AS HELL. A good comic retailer is one-quarter uber-entertainment maestro, one-quarter short-order

psychiatrist, one-quarter pit-fighting gladiator, one-quarter comic book lovin' freak, and one-quarter cult messiah. Yes, I know that I'm talking about five quarters, but those that can't muster up that extra quarter NEED NOT APPLY.

 

It is going to take super-human enthusiasm, empathy, and endurance to do the job justice. It's going to take every madcap life story you

have, every miniscule scrap of useless trivia you know, and every single ounce of moxie that the gods have ever allowed to exist in one

human being to GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT... BUT in the end, YOU WILL CONVERT the faithless, INSPIRE the weary, [!@#%^&^]-SLAP

the heathens, and BRING RIGHTEOUS TRUTH to the masses.

 

So go get a job!

 

I suggest plugging your nose and diving head-first into the service industry, or roll up your sleeves and go digging into a sales position. Work for tips or a commission. Not only will this will make you tough as hell but it will teach you how to get your customers what they want and how to read people who have NO IDEA what they want. Those are the best customers of all, usually because they aren't the typical comic book readers and they are the ones that will MAKE YOUR BUSINESS GROW.

 

In the end it's all about giving excellent customer service, and before you invest your sweat, blood and money you should do whatever you can to equip yourself to give better customer service. I spent many fine years bartending and waiting tables in some of the country's most expensive restaurants before becomg a comic retailer and what I learned has been invaluable to me and my customers.

 

#2. IF YOU BUY SOMEONE ELSE'S STORE - THROW EVERYTHING AWAY!

That [!@#%^&^] wasn't working, why else was the other guy going out of business? Don't be afraid to go rent a truck and load it up! You're going to have to repaint the place anyway, if for no other reason than to make your mark on the store, so use the opportunity to unload everything that sucks. Anything that is ugly, stinky, trashy or doesn't fit with your vision MUST GO IMMEDIATELY! Donate what you can to libraries, churches, homeless shelters, neighborhood kids, and even your competitor and THROW THE REST AWAY.

 

Comic stores accumulate all sorts of ugly trash, like Pokemon cards and Youngblood comics, THROW THEM AWAY! If you can get a six pack out of the deal, or you can keep the out of the landfill somehow you are to be congradulated. If not, oh well.

 

#3. NEVER BUY SOMETHING FOR "THE OTHER GUY'S CUSTOMERS"

If the previous owner sold baseball cards and you don't know anything about baseball cards DON'T CARRY THEM! Why should you? How are you going to sell something you know nothing about? REMEMBER: YOU pay for EVERYTHING you order and if it doesn't sell IT COMES OUT OF YOUR PAYCHECK! Those baseball card customers obviously weren't such a great source of income that they kept the previous owner living on easy street anyway... HE WAS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS!

 

So to reiterate: NEVER BUY SOMETHING FOR "THE OTHER GUY'S CUSTOMERS"

 

#4. NEVER DO ANYTHING HALF-ASSED

If you're going to suit up, you had better be ready to play with the big boys. Your comic book store is going to suck money like a black

hole, devour your free time and wear your nerves raw anyway, so YOU MIGHT AS WELL MAKE IT THE BEST DAMN COMIC STORE IN THE WHOLE [!@#%^&^] UNIVERSE. Take EVERYTHING to it's illogical extreme and AIM FOR THE BLEACHERS EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU STEP UP TO BAT.

 

This game plays for keeps. Your dignity, reputation, and financial future IS ON THE LINE, so JUMP INTO TRAFFIC AND STOP THE BUS

WITH YOUR BARE HANDS. Wake up every morning READY TO KICK AND TAKE NAMES. Grab the bull by it's horns and TWIST IT'S DAMN HEAD OFF.

 

You're a COMIC RETAILER, put some [!@#%^&^] BACKBONE INTO IT!

 

#5. ALWAYS MARKET TO WOMEN

Women represent more than 50% of the population, and they read more than men do, and they tend to buy more gifts than men do.

AND they are generally an untapped market in this industry. What does that mean to you as a comic retailer?

 

IT MEANS MONEY.

 

Women tend to like a clean, well-lit store with a friendly and socially well-adjusted staff, but that's too easy. Take it to the next level and hire some SMOOTH-TALKING, ULTRA-SEXY NERDS to run the register, display copious amounts of THE GOOD STUFF all over the

store, and polish the chrome UNTIL YOU COULD EAT AN EGG OFF OF IT.

 

Make your store beautiful, keep your stock diverse, and go out and buy yourself a suit, or at least a clean white shirt. Sex sells and

THERE IS NOTHING SEXIER THAN A SHARP-DRESSED COMIC RETAILER.

 

NOTHING.

 

Don't worry about alienating your male customers, they will they still find their comic books, and probably some new ones as well. And as the old bar adage goes: ANYWHERE THERE IS THREE WOMEN IN ONE PLACE, TWENTY FIVE MEN WILL FIND THEM.

 

That is all you need to know.

 

James Sime

Comics & Da-Kind (with a fresh new radioactive flavor this November)

1653 Noriega St

San Francisco, CA

415.753.3037

 

 

[murph0]

Isn't Amazing Adventures on Noriega St in S.F.?

 

Brian

[Lockjaw]

Have never been there personally, but I lurk on the Isotope forum. I DO eventually want to visit the place...where else can you grab a drink and sit down to read a comic book (without people looking at you funny that is ), how cool is that?!!?

[The_Man_Of_Steel]

What kind of rep did this business have to begin with?

 

That is a very good question, but unfortunately I don't have a knowledgable answer. The last time I visited the shop would have been about 9 years ago. From my dealings with her, she didn't have a great deal of interest in comic books, she had a partner at one time, and he did have a genuine interest in comic books. If I'm not mistaken, something happened, and their business partnership ended. From my dealings with her, she lacked a great deal of comic book knowledge, and for the most part, she could have been more friendly. Of course, her lack of comic book knowledge had to do with her lack of interest in comic books. Her lack of friendliness had to do with her personality, or perhaps she would have rather been doing something else. I think she spent a fair amount of time reading paperback novels when business was slow. Anyway, many things can change in 9 years, so to be fair, my anwer is incomplete, and for all I know, things changed for the better.