Quote from: thedungeondelver;832721I wish there was a local retailer to whom "Miniatures" meant more than blind draw D&D/pathfinder/Hero* boxes, trade-ins of singles, and/or Reaper and Games Workshop 40k.

There's a whole world of great fantasy and sci-fi minis out there that I can only purchase online, which kind of kills the odds I'll drive any distance to make an impulse purchase.

The brick and mortar stores will sell what enough people buy.  If enough people bought miniatures the old fashioned way, then they'd stock them.  I expect the local stores found that stocking a lot of white elephant minis on the off chance folks like you made the occasional impulse buy didn't pay.

Happily, you DO get to buy precisely what you want, online.

Quote from: tenbones;832649Madness Comics - Plano TX (Dallas).

Some friends from LA came out this weekend I took them there. I LOVE the looks of fellow-gamers when I take them. It's like walking into Disneyland as a kid.

Smiles from ear-to-ear. Or the "OMG-face".

Reminds me a bit of two stores up in Toronto.

One, Sci-fi World went for a big mecca style expansion and had to downsize within a couple years. I suspect this was partially due to a relatively poor location for this sort of think.

The other 401 Games moved to a much bigger location and seems to have done very well. Much bigger store, and the gaming space is much improved. It's been a few years since I've been there though, and I remember the old store better. In a downtown location too!
(Downtown retail locations are generally more desirable and heavily frequented in Canada then in the USA)

Quote from: tenbones;832827Speaking of Madness Comics...

http://wpn.wizards.com/en/article/inside-worlds-most-successful-fnm

Do they own the building they're in?  Because that could make a huge difference.  Most small businesses that expand to a certain size get killed because the increase in the rent/lease can't be matched by the increased profits of having a larger locale.

Quote from: Thondor;833187The other 401 Games moved to a much bigger location and seems to have done very well. Much bigger store, and the gaming space is much improved. It's been a few years since I've been there though, and I remember the old store better. In a downtown location too!
(Downtown retail locations are generally more desirable and heavily frequented in Canada then in the USA)

Is 401 not on Yonge Street anymore?

Quote from: RPGPundit;833488Do they own the building they're in?  Because that could make a huge difference.  Most small businesses that expand to a certain size get killed because the increase in the rent/lease can't be matched by the increased profits of having a larger locale.

That's a good point! I'm fairly certain they don't own the building. I say this because I had a conversation with them during the second-stage of their expansion where they literally were two-storefronts with a LAN-center inbetween them, and the manager was talking about dealing with the owner about getting the "market space" (the current digs in the same complex) across the parking lot, and it was in negotiation.

Of course I could be wrong. But your point is obviously a good one. Either way - if they owned the building it would be a huge loss of money for the traffic that goes through this center (it's pretty busy) to have it vested in a failing business. But on the other hand, it's a testament to Madness that it retains enough cashflow to keep this party going. I believe they've been at this size for two years now.

I drop by about every two weeks. This joint is packed on the weekends. And every convention that hits Dallas, they have celebrity guests do signings there. During the weekdays, it's busy in the afternoons and evenings.

Quote from: Simlasa;827967First make your case about why we should care about saving brick and mortar stores.

Most of the local game stores are distant and of little or no use to me. I don't play games in stores and I'm not all that interested in listening to the resident mouth-breather tell me all about his 'build'.
It's not in their interest to carry the products I'd actually be interested in buying.
In terms of interests, cost and convenience I'd much rather shop online.

My idea for bookstores was that they make the place an event destination unto itself, coffee and pie and lots of book-related entertainments... author readings and bookclubs and discussion groups. Have single reader copies out on the shelves with a service that will jiffy-print any book you'd like to take home with you.

It's an interesting case that when someone doesn't live near a game store, or has no decent game store around that they tend to question why one needs an FLGS. However, I can tell you that when you do have a game store nearby, and it happens to be a really nice FLGS it is an immense benefit. On the other hand, I also tend to embrace the hobby as a social event, and while I'm not all that fond of mouth-breathers telling me about their latest build, either, I don't decide to abstain from human contact in a hobby that absolutely depends on it. As a result, I've had a decent location for weekly games to attend (no pain in the ass hosting at home for me; I can't stress enough how much of a relief this is, as I despise hosting even more than I despise the risk of being cornered by a social malfeasant) for eight years now, and I've met an immense number of cool people as a result. The fear of one mouth-breather (and I've met plenty) did not deter me, and now I have a veritable flock of decent gamers and a waiting list for my group.

I mean...I understand your argument, but am always perplexed when someone who lives in an unsupported or remote area doesn't really realize that they might be an exception, not the rule.

Anyway, on the OP question: it seems like the best strategy for RPG shops is to diversify...not be an RPG shop, essentially. No one can survive (best as I can tell) on selling just RPGs or even board games, minis games and RPGs. You need card games (cough Magic cough) and you need as much of everything else as you the owner of the store can stomach....one example of which is adding comics to the repertoire, or even diversifying into a full-on book shop. A game store which is also a comic store and even a botique book store has a lot more going for it. There are places out there like this, but surprisingly few....I suppose because what it takes as a small business owner to be interested in books or comics doesn't seem to translate into games, and vice versa?

Anyway......right now it seems like the real problem for most retailers I know is that they depend on most sales coming from MTG. When or if the bottom drops out from that they are all going to be in trouble.

Quote from: RPGPundit;833502Is 401 not on Yonge Street anymore?

It is still on Yonge Street. It was originally at 401 Yonge Street, hence the name, but moved to 518 Yonge Street. A little further away from Ryerson University, but in a nice "shopping area."
401 actually started as a convenience store, that started carrying Magic cards . . . and the rest is history.

Quote from: camazotz;833543Anyway, on the OP question: it seems like the best strategy for RPG shops is to diversify...not be an RPG shop, essentially. No one can survive (best as I can tell) on selling just RPGs or even board games, minis games and RPGs. You need card games (cough Magic cough) and you need as much of everything else as you the owner of the store can stomach....one example of which is adding comics to the repertoire, or even diversifying into a full-on book shop. A game store which is also a comic store and even a botique book store has a lot more going for it. There are places out there like this, but surprisingly few....I suppose because what it takes as a small business owner to be interested in books or comics doesn't seem to translate into games, and vice versa?

Anyway......right now it seems like the real problem for most retailers I know is that they depend on most sales coming from MTG. When or if the bottom drops out from that they are all going to be in trouble.

I've found lots of "Diverse Stores" that carry comics, cards and games (sometimes minis). The main problem I find with these is they often have very small RPG sections.

Sci-Fi World definitely fits the bill as it carries all the above plus sci-fi, fantasy and other niche fiction.

While I feel that your right about diversification, there is a caution here too—people do want depth as well as breadth. I'll go downtown to Fandom II to look for RPGs even though other stores are closer because there RPG collection has depth.

Quote from: camazotz;833543Anyway......right now it seems like the real problem for most retailers I know is that they depend on most sales coming from MTG. When or if the bottom drops out from that they are all going to be in trouble.

Gaming stores have been adapting from shifts in taste and fads for half a century now.  Most tabletop players much under the age of 60 never knew, but those FLGSs we thought were our private, permanent clubhouses were once Friendly Local Wargaming Shops.  The cutting edge companies filling their shelves were SPI and Avalon Hill, the games people talked about were Diplomacy, Kingmaker, Napoleon At Waterloo and Tactics II, the bookracks held dozens of illustration books so as to accurately paint your minis in proper period fashion, and the featured magazines were Moves, Strategy & Tactics and The General.

Cartridge console games, CCGs, Warhammer, Eurogames, traditional board games, RPGs themselves, they've all flowed and ebbed over the years, and I've never known a gaming store to survive on tabletop RPGs alone for any longer than it took the owner to go broke.

So I don't think they'll be in trouble when the Magic run finally winds down (at 22 years and counting and an ongoing professional circuit, we probably ought not hold our breath waiting).  They'll adapt to the games people will be playing.

Quote from: Ravenswing;833670Most tabletop players much under the age of 60 never knew, but those FLGSs we thought were our private, permanent clubhouses were once Friendly Local Wargaming Shops.  

I'd probably have said 50, 55 tops. Although maybe I was just gamingly precocious.

Quote from: Ravenswing;833042The brick and mortar stores will sell what enough people buy.  If enough people bought miniatures the old fashioned way, then they'd stock them.  I expect the local stores found that stocking a lot of white elephant minis on the off chance folks like you made the occasional impulse buy didn't pay.

Happily, you DO get to buy precisely what you want, online.

I know, I just wish.  Shopping online is such a delayed gratification action though! :O

Quote from: thedungeondelver;833708I know, I just wish.  Shopping online is such a delayed gratification action though! :O

No tactile fun while shopping either. I like picking miniatures up, feeling how much they weigh, and looking at them closely from different sides. I can't do all that online.

Quote from: Bren;833712No tactile fun while shopping either. I like picking miniatures up, feeling how much they weigh, and looking at them closely from different sides. I can't do all that online.

Yes.

The first time I ever bought minis in a shop (fantasy, sci-fi, etc.) they were bare on the shelf.  Not in a package.  I was weirded out when I first saw blister packed minis!

Quote from: tenbones;833540That's a good point! I'm fairly certain they don't own the building. I say this because I had a conversation with them during the second-stage of their expansion where they literally were two-storefronts with a LAN-center inbetween them, and the manager was talking about dealing with the owner about getting the "market space" (the current digs in the same complex) across the parking lot, and it was in negotiation.

Of course I could be wrong. But your point is obviously a good one. Either way - if they owned the building it would be a huge loss of money for the traffic that goes through this center (it's pretty busy) to have it vested in a failing business. But on the other hand, it's a testament to Madness that it retains enough cashflow to keep this party going. I believe they've been at this size for two years now.

I drop by about every two weeks. This joint is packed on the weekends. And every convention that hits Dallas, they have celebrity guests do signings there. During the weekdays, it's busy in the afternoons and evenings.

Well, every rule has its exceptions I guess.  Good for them (or lucky, either way) that they've managed to be a hit while expanding to a huge size.  It could be some local variation of the market (either a larger than normal base of gamers, or gamers with more disposable income, or a larger area that wasn't being catered to by any competition; who knows?).