Captain&#39;s Log

Thanks! All ready going down that path... I've got "Connections" at Wizard from back when I worked in Marketing for irthdayExpress.com, wonder if any of those same people still work there?

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http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/clt/273331721.html

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I think that is awesome, although I think you are limiting your profitablity by putting it in Anacortes. There is a reason all those storefronts are empty and every time a new business goes into them they die within a year.

Here is a friendly critique of the old to help with the new. Your store back in the day gave the impression of a garage sale. Stuff was everywhere and it felt really uncomfortable. I like to go into a comic store and see comic books on display. I always felt I was surrounded by white boxes. It also had that old comic book smell which I find really unpleasant. I also remember several times I went when you were supposed to be open and you weren't.

My wife has a degree in business management and she has taught me a TON about how to run a small business and I have years of management experience in all aspects of running one. If you want advice, let me know.

As for fixtures, I highly recommend http://myworld.ebay.com/washington-state-surplus

This is a Washington State surplus auction which is in Auburn. You can go and look at the stuff and it goes for DIRT CHEAP. You pick it up yourself so there is no shipping charges. They bought all my shelves when my game store was cancelled a couple years ago. They are awesome to work with.

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holy cow that is a steal!

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Hmmmmmm...but it's TACOMA. Don't want to compete with Comic Book Ink (the major store down south) because I *will* lose. But the inventory... I just may have to consider the inventory!

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Spanaway actually...

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Thanks for the link! And yeah, I know the old shop was very yardsale-esque... like I said, I started it up with less than $5k! No fixtures, no displays... and yet we STILL turned a profit month after month! So if I can get in there with something a bit more professional, it'll REALLY knock your socks off!

Now to address the business limitations of Anacortes... you know why those store fronts are empty in Anacortes? Look at what businesses were in there: A retro clothes shop; and Antique Store; a Kite Shop; An art gallery/Framing Shop; and a place that sold hand-lettered calligraphy.

None of those stores belongsd in Anacortes for various reasons; from over-saturation of the local market to just plain old bad ideas that didn't play to the strengths of Anacortes. There are four major revenues in Anacortes, one of which remains untapped to this very day:

Street Festivals (Arts & Crafts, Shipwreck Day, Tulip Festival)
Traffic from the Ferry (1-hour tourists)
Fixed-income families
One of the finest Public School Systems in the United States

It' that LAST group that needs to be tended to! There's a copuple thousand kids in Anacortes that have nothing better to do than skateboard, watch TV, take drugs and/or have sex. As I found when I opened my last store, all the kids in that town need is a place to explore different options. They need a hands-on, interactive environment to see that there IS more to life than working at the cannery and using your paycheck to get drunk.

When I opened my shop, the only customer-base I was targetting were the "Grandkids". Anacortes is a lovely place for old rich people to go and die, and they all had Grandkids who would visit in the Summer and be bored to tears. But NOW, over recent years, Anacortes has grown to include more "Yuppie" families than ever before! There's a whole new generation of iPod wearing, internet-surfing, MMORPG-playing kids just waiting to give the "Old Skool" nerdiness a try! And I am more than happy to give them the hook-up.

So whereas all those other businesses that have come and gone catered to just one or two streams of revenue, a Comic/Gaming store caters to all 4 (I'd go in o that with greater detail if I had time right now, but I gots to get going).

Thank you SO VERY MUCH for the input and feedback! This is the exact type of stuf I need to hear so I can solidify my business plan! THANK YOU THNK YOU THANK YOU! Keep it coming!

Oh, and as far as the "Old Comic Book Smell" is concerned? That's like an aphrodesiac to me! Do I really need o get rid of it :(

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It is... if the competition in Tacoma weren't so fierce I woul have to jump at that!

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Gotta research Spanaway now. What's Spannaway got going for it other than a very nice game shop I wonder?

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You wouldn't have to keep it there. Gut the place, take the loot and rebuild with a better name somewhere closer to home.

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True... but part of the appeal in buying that shop is that it's already established, with clientelle and a reputation. The STUFF I can get through connections at probably right around the same price.

I've been building my rep within the industry for over ten years now, after all :)

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An aphrodesiac? I can just see the scene in a couple of years when your daughter comes to the living room with her arms full and says in an innocent voice, "Daddy, what are these magazines you had hidden under the bed? What is a She Hulk?"

Another thing to consider with opening the store is location in relation to home. My brother lives in Anacortes and works in Mill Creek. He spends thousands of dollars a year on gas and maintenance for his car. He also rarely gets to see his 3 kids.

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Perhaps, you could talk to the owner and have a look at his books. You may just find he's making okay money that you can improve with better business tactics.

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from what i've heard, not much. :-p

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Hey, speaking of gaming... is there Magic: The Gathering going down in Lynnwood toniht at the Alfies? I was thinking of bringing all the new cards for you to see tonight if you've got time :)

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Oh, that's a huge part of it too! We'd be moving to Anacortes! That way Moly gets to grow-up in one of the finest public school systems ever developed!

So is that Bud that orks in Anacortes and drives to Mill Creek? Last I saw him he was managing Value Village...

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Heh... SEE CURRENT POSTING ON MY LJ :)

The more I've been thinking about it, the more I realize that it can' hurt to at least take a peek :P

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Bud is managing a Schucks Auto in Mt. Vernon I believe. Harold is the one who works in Mill Creek.

If you set it up and need someone to run Warhammer tournaments let me know and I'll be right there :D

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indeed there is!

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Cool! What time? Or should we arrange a special viewing for just you first?

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lol, i'm ok with whatever... peeps start showing ~17:00, things are in full swing by 18:00. turnout tonight should be about average... i'll be getting there as close to 18:00 as i can.

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We'll try to e there around then! See ya later!

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freydis.livejournal.com

I would love to help you open a comic book store. Commic book stores rule. However, I'm struggling to open up a patisserie myself, so my funds are a bit tied up.

But if I ever win the lottery.....

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supernovame.livejournal.com

I would like to be involved somehow, but I also have a large storage unit full of inventory, which I know you don't need more of. If you ever consider hosting a display case for guest collections to be sold in, or something similar, I would give that a shot though. Otherwise I am not in a place at this time to be an investor, but would consider a box there if you would ship my comics to me. I could support you in that way at least! :) If you need help setting up and maintaining a website I could also work on that end. It is too bad you couldn't have a fully online comic store, then you could list your books and mine and anyone else's, maybe have a special auction page attached, setup direct ordering and virtual comic boxes, and not need to pay for a storefront or display cases or anything on that end.

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