Design ideas for the inside of a game store

[bibowski]

Ok, I'm opening a game store within the next month. We already have the place, just replacing the carpet new coat of paint, etc. etc.

My question is, does anyone know what might look cool for the walls? I wanted to get some of those space invaders decals, and maybe even mario bros. wallpaper for one wall. Who knows. I'm really going to be specializing a lot more in older games, so hopefully the customers coming in are actually going to care about the attention to detail that I put into the store.

Any ideas are VERY welcome!

[Yago]

Good luck with your venture. Going into stores myself I could care less what is on the wall, I go for content. The more games laying around the more I like it.

[suppafly]

something very cool would be a big wall painting of pacman and master chief....the past and the present :)

[bibowski]

Good luck with your venture. Going into stores myself I could care less what is on the wall, I go for content. The more games laying around the more I like it.

Oh, don't get me wrong. The inventory and organization are #1. I just want to make customers feel like the store is giving them something no one else does. EB stores feel like they've been churned out of a cookie cutter and the employees seem brainwashed into thinking customers like to be forced to buy things they don't want.

I just want to bring back the 'old school game store'. I'm not in it for the multi-millions, sure I want to make some money from it, but I'm not going to push customers or bug them. I'm really excited, so hopefully things go well. Anyone in the western-Mississauga (or even the Toronto) area should come check it out in late-June.

[Hovoc]

Good luck with your venture. Going into stores myself I could care less what is on the wall, I go for content. The more games laying around the more I like it.

Oh, don't get me wrong. The inventory and organization are #1. I just want to make customers feel like the store is giving them something no one else does. EB stores feel like they've been churned out of a cookie cutter and the employees seem brainwashed into thinking customers like to be forced to buy things they don't want.

I just want to bring back the 'old school game store'. I'm not in it for the multi-millions, sure I want to make some money from it, but I'm not going to push customers or bug them. I'm really excited, so hopefully things go well. Anyone in the western-Mississauga (or even the Toronto) area should come check it out in late-June.


do "mom and pop" game stores actually exist and thrive?

i would imagine that new games would be cheaper from eb and gamestop, but on the flip side, used games seems they would be more acurately priced at mom and pop stores since you dont have some suit guessing on prices.

[Zadoc]

Ok, I'm opening a game store within the next month. We already have the place, just replacing the carpet new coat of paint, etc. etc.

My question is, does anyone know what might look cool for the walls? I wanted to get some of those space invaders decals, and maybe even mario bros. wallpaper for one wall. Who knows. I'm really going to be specializing a lot more in older games, so hopefully the customers coming in are actually going to care about the attention to detail that I put into the store.

Any ideas are VERY welcome!


Video games boxes placed face out. That is all you need.

[SKVermin]

Anyone in the western-Mississauga (or even the Toronto) area should come check it out in late-June.

All I need is the address! St. Catharines is a bit of a haul, but if it's a good shop, it'd be worth the drive. Really only about 45 minutes. Be good to meet a fellow DP member and do some business. :)

[pacmanhat]

TV's w/ systems hooked up are a must.

[InsaneDavid]

Could do Legend of Zelda underworld maps.

Speaking of game stores to address "customers coming in are actually going to care about the attention to detail that I put into the store" then how about you actually have mostly GAMES in the store instead of anime DVD's, manga, DVD's, anime posters, action figures, trading cards, and more non-game related items. :D

...DAMN I hate what mainstream game stores have become. :angry:

[tylerwillis]

Second the idea of working consoles/TVs.

Also - if you can get your hands on broken consoles, you might be able to use them as decorations. Even make a display out of it - find a dead Intellivision and then write up a brief history, note worthy games, screenshots, etc. Make it look interesting and informative - many people who wander in to an "older" gaming store might go for that rather than posters everywhere. Shows that you know your stuff - and aren't afraid to display your roots. They don't even have to be whole systems - just the casing. Ought to be reasonable to find.

I'd stop by, but it's a bit of a drive from Texas. :)

[THATinkjar]

All those dirty pesky kids touching all my beloved games... it makes my blood run cold!

But goodluck with the venture, sounds like a damn fun thing to do. Something I would LOVE to do myself. Keep us posted!

[felix]

Stay away from painting etc... it looks very amateur'ish if you have it done.. I have worked with a close friend of mine on his shop in the mall. It was small so it was easy to decorate. Heres what worked best for us..

Use your walls as storage space!.. You will need all the space you can get when those games start rolling in.

DISPLAY CASES! Somehow he got a hold of 4 or 5 cases (glass ones like in what they use in pawn shops). One of them is a MINT nintendo glass case (with a nintendo logo on the top). I wouldnt want those pesky dirty kids touching my mint games.. keep um behind glass :)

We bordered the celling with old xbox and ps2 case inserts (a border touching the celling on the wall.. It looks great!)

EBgames tosses all of their displays. I worked at an ebgames that was just a few stores away from the other shop and I took down the cardboard displays to his shop to see if he wanted any (it was closer than the dumpster and he would toss what he didnt want). I also made a few bucks in credits with him this way.. Get moochie moochie with an employee there (offer him store credit etc) in exchange for his goods.

We put in a bigscreen tv and a couch.. that takes up a better part of a wall and brings in customers.. You can have games running on it, test incomming games and host game parties all at the same time.. this has been the best investment so far.. Highly recommened.


I hope some of these ideas helped ya out.

[bibowski]

Wow, thanks guys. Didn't expect to get so many replies :)

These are all great ideas, I'm sure I'll be able to use pretty much all of them. The idea of selling JUST videogames is a good one, but at the same time, when I go into a game store, I'm more pleased than bothered that there are used DVD's or action figures there too. I don't see them as a cheap way to get more $$$ from customers, but more as another thing that customers would love to buy.

Don't get me wrong, games are what we'll do best, but if you're interested in picking up a second hand copy of the Indiana Jones Trilogy for cheap, it's there!

[bibowski]

Oh, BTW.... the store is in Mississauga. 3100 Winston Churchill Blvd. to be exact. Just north of Dundas. It's NOT Microplay :)

It's called GameNow.

[goatdan]

I'd second the suggestion of not painting the walls. No matter how that it done, it would be really tough to pull off correctly.

I would suggest trying to find some nice banners from major releases in the past. Personally, I have banners for Donkey Kong Country, the Lynx, the Jaguar, the Playstation, Quarterback Club, Mario Party, Aladdin: the game, the Lion King game, and the Dreamcast launch. Find some of those that you think will look good, and scatter them around in the various sections.

Also, I have a set of the Jaguar "cinema" posters that I framed, and I think they look awesome. I wish other game companies did stuff like that. Even if your Jaguar section isn't big, I'd suggest getting a couple of them, buying cheap black frames (the ones I got cost $12.00 at Target) and they look really professional. Here's what they look like:

http://home.wanadoo.nl/jdetlev/posteralienjaguar.jpg

http://home.wanadoo.nl/jdetlev/posterironjaguar.jpg

Those can be found from this site: http://home.wanadoo.nl/jdetlev/merchandise.htm

That's a very fair price, but I don't know what shipping would be.

If you're interested in some banners, PM me. I was planning on putting most of them up at the GOAT Store to sell in the future, but I wouldn't mind parting with a few of them to help you out for a fair price :)

[9c1lt1]

I suggest displaying old video game system boxes. I like looking at the different version of the boxes. Or display some really weird video game peripherals.

[bibowski]

I'm definately going to have a little blurb about old systems in the glass showcase right next to the system. Hopefully people will get a kick out of it. Even if some of the old stuff doesn't sell (i.e. Virtual Boys) it will get people talking and will keep them in the store. Almost like a museum of sorts.

[Push Upstairs]

I'd throw some caution to displaying boxes for older systems you don't have in. People would come into the store i woked at and ask about pre-Nes systems at least 3 times a week and we would 99% of the time have to say we didnt have it.

But out store was also a "if the box is on the floor then we have some in stock".


Also, don't let your back stock be viewable to the public. We had our empty cases on shelves and people would always look over there and ask for the games :angry:

I'm sure you have taken this into consideration, but do lock any systems up that are on the floor.

[swlovinist]

One day, I want to open a game store, and in it, I would put cut out ads for old video games. I think the it would add arcade marqs on the wall as well. Also system boxes make a nice touch. One thing is for sure, try to make it different than every other main chain around.