I'm just wondering....do you guys know how hard it is to run a successful comic store? I've now had a used bookstore for 5 years, and I can tell you on a scale of one to ten, it has been a two in difficulty. Comics, after 25 years, are still a nine.
I've now experimented enough with other product lines, and have those 25 years experience to apply, and I'm convinced that I could start a toy or a game or -- despite all the gnashing of teeth of independent bookstores -- a new bookstore that would equal my sales in comics within a couple of years or so, and be easier to do at that.
I have a fully functional store, and comics are more than half the mix, and there is no reason to go away from that. I'm able to experiment in new books and boardgames, for instance, without putting my store at risk.
But I'm limited in space.
Move? I've been praying for the kind of foot traffic I'm now getting for most of my career. A booming, hot downtown, which has morphed around me to the point where -- instead of being on the edges, I'm smack dab in the middle.
But I feel like I'm in a straightjacket, with no wiggle room. I can do small changes, take this out, move this over, but mostly I've done that.
This may sound arrogant, especially the game guys, but I'd love to be able to apply 25 years of experience to a more meaty part of the population instead of the expending it all on 1%.
Or maybe I just like throwing my work life into turmoil ever few years.
I would love to try all my ideas on a new space, but I'm wondering if I should risk what I've got.
I've now experimented enough with other product lines, and have those 25 years experience to apply, and I'm convinced that I could start a toy or a game or -- despite all the gnashing of teeth of independent bookstores -- a new bookstore that would equal my sales in comics within a couple of years or so, and be easier to do at that.
I have a fully functional store, and comics are more than half the mix, and there is no reason to go away from that. I'm able to experiment in new books and boardgames, for instance, without putting my store at risk.
But I'm limited in space.
Move? I've been praying for the kind of foot traffic I'm now getting for most of my career. A booming, hot downtown, which has morphed around me to the point where -- instead of being on the edges, I'm smack dab in the middle.
But I feel like I'm in a straightjacket, with no wiggle room. I can do small changes, take this out, move this over, but mostly I've done that.
This may sound arrogant, especially the game guys, but I'd love to be able to apply 25 years of experience to a more meaty part of the population instead of the expending it all on 1%.
Or maybe I just like throwing my work life into turmoil ever few years.
I would love to try all my ideas on a new space, but I'm wondering if I should risk what I've got.