Greetings!
Hmmm...game stores aren't special snowflakes unbeholden to the necessities of running a good business that is plugged in well to the community they serve. I can think of a number of game stores that I have been a regular patron of. In most cases, each such game store had been in business for ten years or more. Some are large and spacious--while others have been small, and cave-like. *Laughing* They have all offered excellent and diverse selection of products, from a large variety of RPG books, to dice, accessories, terrain, miniatures, as well as books on history, board games, model building, paints, and so on. Most also provided tables and game nights, and featured demos and that kind of thing. All of them always have well-paid, knowledgeable, and friendly staff working there, at all times. The game stores are managed well, most often by a single private owner that is dedicated to the hobby, running a good business, and being approachable and innovative. From what I have seen, if such businesses are managed in such a positive and professional manner, they succeed. Those that fail to do so, go down the drain and disappear.
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK