Where Should the Next DP Videogames Store Be?

[digitalpress]

Before I delve into the meat of this - if you have no frame of reference at all, there is the store page which has loads of info and pictures, just see my signature below.

This first store is doing really well. I have great people who can practically run the store without me, which just gets me onto the five-year plan a little sooner than I expected, opening a second store. I think about this a lot. Would it be better if it's a place that I can frequently travel to (NJ/NY/CT/PA) or better to really space it out and let it run via training (I could really use a 3 month hiatus to California, for example :)) and infrequent visits?

What area really NEEDS a shop like this? I am quite serious about expansion but won't just leap in - how can I overtake GameStop with willy-nilly decision-making?

Thoughts welcome...

[Cauterize]

In the UK :P Make it worldwide!!!
Heh nah, i wouldnt be able to say, only visted a few states on holiday. Good to hear all is going well though and all the best for the next store!

[Gorez]

alabama only has a few stores that sell classic games. you wouldnt have much competition down here...other than gamestop/eb

[Lone_Monster]

Stuart, Florida. There's no gamestore here for about 20 minutes, and I'd work there in a heartbeat. ;-)

[Rogmeister]

Put one in Pittsburgh...then maybe I'd finally go up and see a Pirates game. I could make it a buy games & see a baseball game dual purpose trip. :D

[agbulls]

There is a HUGE market in Chicago that is totally unserved. Sean Kelly's store is extremely far west and out of view to the majority of the city. A DP store based in Lincoln Park, or Wrigleyville (near Wrigley Field) would be HUGE. I'm a former EB/GameStop DM--and I personally petiotioned for a store in this location multiple times. But, since that megacorp doesn't listen to their employees it never happened. Here's why it would be a guaranteed success:

1. 25-45 Male demo here is HUGE and there is a TON of expendable income
2. Rents have dropped, making a large store feasible on the right street
3. There is not an EB or Gamestop ANYWHERE nearby
4. Chicago is extremely under-served in regards to what DP offers
5. I have inside knowledge on how to take down EB/ Gamestop!!! ;)

Outside of wanting a store here, I could also run it for you if you wanted :)

[drewbrim]

I would keep it close (30-45 minutes) to the original store. In addition to the things you mentioned about it being close for you to check on and take care of, that would also be the case for your current employees. You say that your current store can "be practically run without you", so take the most qualified/trusted person and make him or her manager of the new store. Or just continue to trust them to take care of things while you are spending most of your time getting the new location up to speed.

Plus you wouldn't have to familiarize yourself with new/different state laws and business regulations. Nothing I'm familiar with, just assuming it's little different once you cross a state line.

[ckendal]

The greater Baltimore/Washington DC metro area has a great community of classic gamers and virtually no classic gaming stores. Even our pawn shops and flea markets are weak or non-existent when it comes to games. We pretty much have to rely on sites like this and eBay.

I'd really like to see a digitpress store around here. We could really use a store that caters to classic and next gen needs. On top of that, it is only a short few hours to the original in NJ!

[shadowforte]

Evansville, Indiana. Almost no game stores. The one's they do have are orverpriced.

[Hardcore]

Albany, Georgia. EB owns all three of our game stores, and they are horrible.

[Captain Wrong]

Indianapolis, for obvious reasons.

(Plus we have one mom & pop left and it's a shell of it's former self.)

[Muscelli]

some place in lansdale PA or Blue Bell. There are a TON of people in the market for games around here. Plenty of money to be spent as well as far as blue bell folks are concerned.

[RegSNES]

Dayton, Ohio is in serious need of a DP. Little children cry at night because there isn't one here. Please stop the tears and bring DP here. =)

[Fighter17]

Palm Coast, FL

The city is in Flagler County, FL.

One of the fastest growing places in the U.S.

Good place to set up shop.

[DreamTR]

Joe, the Nashville/Smryna/Murfreeboro area. There are tons of colleges out there (Belmont, Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee State) and none of the music/record/game swaps have a good concentration of old school/new school. Most of the video game stores are GameStop/EB/Rhino in malls and such, and Game Trader is too far away from the colleges.

Sean Kelly's brother has a store in Gallatin (North of Nashville about 30-ish miles) which is also a Video Games Etc.

Besides, if you have one in TN, I can help with it, won't have to worry about people not knowing about pricing since I am moving there in May ;)

Oh yeah, and Murfreesboro is the fastest growing city in TN, and in the top 3 of fastest growing in the United States. MTSU has the largest undergraduate student body in the state (more than the University of Tennessee.)

[DarthKur]

Asheville, NC of coarse. We've got fresh air, beautiful scenery and lot's of people with plenty of cash to throw around. The only competition would be the former Rhino, which now does not deal in any retro material, and a very small privately owned operation, which also bases most of their business on the more current systems.
Of coarse, logically, you'll be more apt to locate your possible new store in one of the major metropolises in the country (i.e. Chicago, L.A., D.C., San Fran, Atlanta, ect)
Hey, at least if you located in Atlanta it would still be feasible for me to be able to make the three hour sojourn there once in a while. :)

[digitalpress]

Nice representation from the east so far. I should have mentioned that one area I wouldn't move anywhere NEAR driving distance of is Sean's place, now called "Videogames Now and Then" in Norridge, IL. West or east, if it's the Chi-town area it's off-limits. If it weren't for Sean, I wouldn't have a FIRST store!

[Richter Belmount]

Tj Mexico

[Sanriostar]

While I would LOVE to see a DP store out here in So-Cal/LA, (I could help decorate it..) are you sure that the distance might not be too far a reach from you 1st. store? If the Warm Chocolate Puddin' hits the fan here on the west coast, what would be your response time?

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see you again Joe, and shop at DP West, but I'd rather see 2 successful DP stores that I can't get to, than one nearby that might be too far from the owner.

[Push Upstairs]

How about the part of IL that isn't Chicago?

[Alucard79]

Memphis, TN

[dojosky]

first of all congratulations on your success ... bring one out here to california !! :D LOL ....

[Joe West]

Before you open another shop, how about printing the new edition of the red book, with the sales from that you can buy out Game stop, bring a store to
Taylor, Michigan,,,,,," Good Luck"

[ACiD]

After reading DreamTR's post below, I am going to try to be more elaborative.

I believe DreamTR is right about NY for one reason. I know of one that's in China Town and it has got it covered. You would just be creating a competition and it could turn out to be a flop. I also have to agree that drewbrim is right about keeping the two stores somewhat close together to keep an eye on sales and such.

I think NJ and PA would probably be the best route. If you were leaning towards these two states, I would say put it somewhere near Rutgers Or Pennsylvania State. For NJ I'd say Edison or New Brunswick.

I think Piscataway has a few game stores real close by. EB Games, Game Stop, Game Crazy.. wouldn't do so hot over there.

[DreamTR]

Not to be a naysayer, but everyone is basically talking about areas close to them without giving definitive information on demographics and colleges nearby, and the competition.

A store in California is a near impossibility unless you own the building, already have an established business, or are basically rich in the sense that you dont mind paying crazy lease prices.

In California, the clientele are here, but it is EXPENSIVE, and game prices do not really change much region to region...also, you would have to go against Game Dude, which has been around for 20+ years, and has the largest selection of video games in the country.

I say stick to high demographics, college towns, semi tourist traps, and cities where there is a possibility or current exponential growth rate.

New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco should be FAR off this list.

[Steve W]

I'd focus on locating a nearby large population city that's drastically underserved by videogame companies. And I don't mean GameStop/EB Games type companies. I'm talking about vintage games. Someplace within a couple hours driving distance at most. And putting the store within a short drive of a university or college would be ideal. Or putting the shop inside a high traffic mall in a good neighborhood could work too, although the rent would be pretty high.

[digitalpress]

I think Piscataway has a few game stores real close by. EB Games, Game Stop, Game Crazy.. wouldn't do so hot over there.

Let me tell you a little secret. Being NEAR GameStop, EB, GameCrazy... that's a GOOD thing! A great deal of my business is generated via reference from the local retail chains. You see, I provide something to their customers that they cannot - which not only gives them an "out" but also makes them look pretty smart without actually creating conflict of interest. You'd think these places would be great enemies, but they are in fact great alliances.

So if anyone else is thinking along those routes please consider that - it is absolute truth. I'd rather be in the center of a cluster of such stores than be far apart from any one of them.

[Dan Iacovelli]

I was going to say IL, but the one question I would have to ask is if you do decide to branch out to wherever, where are going to get the staff to run it?
you have to figure that first.
(I work in grocery store in strip mall in westchester,il and there are at least 4 empty stores there hint hint)

[digitalpress]

I was going to say IL, but the one question I would have to ask is if you do decide to branch out to wherever, where are going to get the staff to run it?
you have to figure that first.
(I work in grocery store in strip mall in westchester,il and there are at least 4 empty stores there hint hint)

Same as I did here. I'd work the store myself full-time for the first 3 months with "help wanted". I'd interview candidates during that time. Hired parties would work with me for whatever period of time I felt was necessary. The real trick is finding the store manager, who would pretty much have to be a right-hand man (or woman) in regular daily contact. Part of the issue of where to go is who do I know well in that area.

[chicnstu]

Put the store somewhere there isn't already a bunch of gamestores. I haven't seen good stores in West Virginia or NC.

The neighbors across the street are moving so....

[DreamTR]

digitalpress: Tennessee....it would be fun ;)

[VACRMH]

Now that Carl mentions it, there isn't a damn thing besides EB's and Gamestops in the Baltimore or DC area.

There's Pandora's cube which is mostly anime, and then there was Starland which is gone now.

[calthaer]

If your store is doing that well, then it may be worth paying a market analyst to draft up a list of some cities / areas where you might potentially do well. The "no game store within 20 minutes" is not a good rule of thumb to go by. There is no game store within 20 minutes of my house in DE - and there's a good reason for that (well, maybe not within 15 minutes, but). A market analyst will obviously want to know about your existing client base and then try to find other areas that have similar demographics.

I would approach California with caution for all the reasons posted here. That place is quite expensive.

I also think that making it within driving distance of the original store is a wise idea. At this point in the life of the business you want to be able to check in yourself and make sure it's doing well, I think, and it's tough to do that when it's that far away. That includes most of the Boston-Washington Metropolitan Area - there should be plenty of places within that zone where a second store would do well.

But consider that a market analyst might be able to point out where your third and fourth stores would succeed as well. Larger up-front cost but better long-term yield, potentially. Just a thought.

[Griking]

I'd make it somewhat local. You don't have the experience yet with running multiple stores and it's probably better off that your stores be close enough to each other so that you can EASILY commute to them when unexpected stuff occurs. Once you learn what kind of stuff can (and will) happen with sattelite stores you can open a third a bit further away. I'd probably look for a second location no further than an hour's drive away (considering traffic).

[digitalpress]

If your store is doing that well, then it may be worth paying a market analyst to draft up a list of some cities / areas where you might potentially do well.

Not bloody likely! C'mon, you're a gamer. Do you think there's a marketing analyst out there that understands THIS kind of business? My accountant and lawyers are STILL perplexed.


The "no game store within 20 minutes" is not a good rule of thumb to go by. There is no game store within 20 minutes of my house in DE - and there's a good reason for that (well, maybe not within 15 minutes, but).

Agreed. As I mentioned before, I'd prefer to be in the thick of things, I have no intention of being in the middle of nowhere just so I can say I'm the only one there. I'd rather compete in a busy area.

[Kroogah]

Rockford, Illinois has 3 Gamestops, 2 EBGames, 2 Game Crazys, and 1 indie store that is kept alive only by his partnership with a cellphone guy. This is because he prices games by either checking Game Dude or searching completed eBay auctions, finding the highest price, and adding the shipping charges. A few months ago, I went into that store for the first time in a year and it was like his stock hadn't changed at all.

Plus it sucks having to drive to Norridge or Green Bay for all the good games :bawling:

[Niku-Sama]

the west coast is kinda lacking in stores that sell any thing older when it comes to games. california has a few places and washington i know has Pink Godzilla Games but its mostly imported stuff.

in oregon all we have that i know of is game crazy and even theyre lacking in what they have, where i live game crazy is the only place that sells any thing older than playstation and even then they only have 5 NES games and 8 SNES games.

the problem with the west coast is things are more spread out, the nearest big city is a few hours drive where as the east coast things are more close together and that why you have got so many people comming to these "NAVA" meetings or just general clintel. at any rate, medford (where i am at) is growing pretty fast nothing interesting has just come in to town yet

[Dan Iacovelli]

where I live there aren't any video game stores near by.
besides sean's store which out by harlem and irving shopping center
there is one Ebgames broadview,IL and one in Oakbrook,il
I think they are few more in a couple malls as well,but as far as westchester,il goes there isn't one(closest would be braodview,IL)
I would suggest this though instaed of going out of state to open another one
work on your area branch out in NJ open two or three more this will save you on the travel expense from going to one store out of state to your main store.
after the stores in your area start doing good, then branch out of state and then you can travel set up a store. then if get 3 or more out of state start looking for district mananger to run a chain in the area. my .02 cents

[jeffg]

The 4th Largest Media Market in the USA: Dallas/Arlington/Ft Worth has a real dearth of good classic game stores, most notably the Arlington Area right in the middle.

This is the largest area behind NY, Chicago, and LA and is growing fast.

We have 1 Gamecrazy in the metroplex now and it is in a bad part of Dallas. We have about 4 small mom & pop shops which are all located in the NE and North Suburbs of Dallas, anyone in Fort Worth/Arlington has to go over there to get something or head south Towards Waco and Killeen to get something.

The only saving grace for this area is there is a flea market about every 5-10 miles apart that you can visit and find stuff at.

With your GS/EB note above, I can do a store locator 25 miles from Burleson TExas and come up with almost 40 GS/EB stores in a 25 Mile radius.

Talk about references, I have been in many gamerushes(about 10 of them also) and have heard countless people ask for it.

The only downfall is that Vintage stock did just buy the Movie Trading Company and they now stock old games. Their trade in values suck though on old stuff, I took in my extra Kid Icarus and it was $2 trade in, but they sell it for $19.99, Adventure of Link $1.50 and they sell it for $19.99

So you would have some advantages there

[Soviet Conscript]

Put one in Pittsburgh...then maybe I'd finally go up and see a Pirates game. I could make it a buy games & see a baseball game dual purpose trip. :D

I second that. Pittsburgh, that way its half way between the chicago area and your current store

[digitalpress]

I would suggest this though instaed of going out of state to open another one
work on your area branch out in NJ open two or three more this will save you on the travel expense from going to one store out of state to your main store.
after the stores in your area start doing good, then branch out of state and then you can travel set up a store. then if get 3 or more out of state start looking for district mananger to run a chain in the area. my .02 cents

Here's the thing. NJ isn't THAT big. If I opened a store in NJ it would compete with my current store, which of course would suck. I have one other limiting factor, my pal Nick owns a store in south Jersey. That means that northern/eastern PA and south Jersey are off limits. However, New York, particularly Manhattan, is another matter entirely. I'm nearby and there are all kinds of social factors involved, making it a pretty likely target.

[Fighter17]

I work for a Real Estate office in Palm Coast, FL.

So Joe if you're interested I can give you their contact number.

But I recommonded doing research on Flagler County, FL first.

We have tons of new buildings opening up fast over here!

[udisi]

Let me tell you a little secret. Being NEAR GameStop, EB, GameCrazy... that's a GOOD thing! A great deal of my business is generated via reference from the local retail chains. You see, I provide something to their customers that they cannot - which not only gives them an "out" but also makes them look pretty smart without actually creating conflict of interest. You'd think these places would be great enemies, but they are in fact great alliances.

So if anyone else is thinking along those routes please consider that - it is absolute truth. I'd rather be in the center of a cluster of such stores than be far apart from any one of them.

If you wanna be near GameStop/EB you should come near me.... We have 4 Gamestops within 5 miles of me, and the area isn't really that big 20,000-40,000 people. It's pretty much just upper-middle class housing and commerce as far as the eye can see.

[dylan0228]

Jefferson, Wisconsin!

[Dan Iacovelli]

Here's the thing. NJ isn't THAT big. If I opened a store in NJ it would compete with my current store, which of course would suck. I have one other limiting factor, my pal Nick owns a store in south Jersey. That means that northern/eastern PA and south Jersey are off limits. However, New York, particularly Manhattan, is another matter entirely. I'm nearby and there are all kinds of social factors involved, making it a pretty likely target.

one question: why don't you want by your friends shop?
nothing wrong with competition. grocery stores do it.
over here theres about one Dominick's to each Jewel (ie I work at Dominicks
in westchester,il about two blocks a way theres a jewel)
and while I'm at where I work we have a slew of fast food places and they
are right next to each other: it start with taco bell, then KFC,then BK and ends with Mickey D's then inside the strip mall there a Subway and local pizza and hot dog place.
we also have a Dunken donoughts(inside dominicks we have a starbucks)
and evena chinese take out and boheumin restruant.
Down the road from there is an Arbys,pandea bread, panchero's mexican,
and a Bunno beef.
I do understand you don't too close to the friends store, but if you have about 2 or 3 miles away from that I won't see a problem with that.
think of your travel expenses first before you go out of state.

[digitalpress]

one question: why don't you want by your friends shop?

...snip...

I do understand you don't too close to the friends store, but if you have about 2 or 3 miles away from that I won't see a problem with that.

Dan...

With all due respect, it's clear you don't understand this business or even what a friendly business relationship might be. 2-3 miles apart isn't friendly competition when you're in a niche market, it's outright warfare. I don't see the big chains as competition for many reasons: they don't stock what I stock, they don't have a LAN center, they don't do repairs... but these are ALL things that my friend has, and he's less than 5 miles away. Think about it. Then, put IL out of your head for good.

[ROBOTNIK666]

Put one in Evanston, Illinois. Kids here need to learn that good graphics don't make a good game!

[boatofcar]

While I'd love to follow the trend of "put one where I live," I think from a practical perspective putting a store in the DC metro area is a great idea. While business real estate in the Arlington/Alexandria VA or Rockville MD area is getting more expensive, there is a lot of room for expansion, which keeps the prices from getting too insane. From a location in the DC area, you'll get customers from these major cities/suburbs, all which have a TON of cash to throw around:

Richmond
Arlington
Alexandria
Pittsburgh
DC
Rockville
Silver Spring
Baltimore
Plus a ton of the suburbs around Baltimore I don't know about.

Combine this with:

You're well within a day's drive of Jersey yet not so close that the two stores will compete.

From what I've heard from the small business groups I used to work with when I was with Apple, Maryland is very small-business friendly.

You'll fill a void left by Starland, which was a great store that suffered from poor management.



...but if you really want to, I wouldn't object to a store down the street from me in VA Beach, either ;)

[exit]

Down here there was a CD traders that lasted awhile in this one spot, they sold everything from CDs and Records to Atari games and PS2 games. The store shut down a few years ago tho, mainly because of internal problems (they ended up losing this guy Mike, who was the main factor of the stores success), but a store like this would probably do wonders there. There are schools close to the area and it's in between some restaurants and other misc stores.

[Dan Iacovelli]

Dan...

With all due respect, it's clear you don't understand this business or even what a friendly business relationship might be. 2-3 miles apart isn't friendly competition when you're in a niche market, it's outright warfare. I don't see the big chains as competition for many reasons: they don't stock what I stock, they don't have a LAN center, they don't do repairs... but these are ALL things that my friend has, and he's less than 5 miles away. Think about it. Then, put IL out of your head for good.

ouch, just some freindly advice(hope you don't get this way when we meet at CGE in vegas)
ok, that I understand that you got business relation with him,ie the no compete clause like ted turner got when he left the wrestling business,
ok no problem, can I ask you this: where do you want another store to be?
it shouldn't be up to us, because your going to hear a bunch people(me included) say put one by house or city or state.
this is your business not ours say you listen to one of us, and that store fails
who loses the money, not us but you.
what you do is first do some research on some good areas "YOU" think will work, then you think about your expeses(travel, since you might want to check on your stores from time to time, cost to run the store, supply and demand ...) if all that come out good then you go for the location.
you said you like to have it NY,Manhatten area, then check out the location
check the cost of rental units if you can afford it,and all expenses are low enough to actually do it then give it a shot.
in summary expand locally,where it only cost you a few gallons of gas for travel, after that store makes a profit,then consider opening up others out of state(NY is out of state for you but it's close to you, when I say out of state
I mean like ohio or something like that, or you can go out further in ny area if you want and just makea local chain)

[LAGO]

I'm not the best with markets and such but I would suggest keeping the store within a 2 hour driving area for a couple of reasons. The main one being travel expense. You want the store far enough away from your first to not undercut business but putting it to far out and you're going to eat up a lot of money by driving to the store and gas. Well ok that was one reason but it sounds solid.

[Greg2600]

I would go where the money is, i.e. more affluent places, that also has parking. I also wouldn't stray too far from your homebase with just 2 stores.

[Muscelli]

everything you mentioned so far is great as far as blue bell or one of the surrounding areas is concerned. Montgomereyville and lansdale are both very close by (each that have their fair shares of gamestops). There is no indie game store close by unless you count game tapes unlimited which is somewhat far from bluebell and is just a flea market vendor.

There are many families in the areas close by like lansdale, audubon, and worcester. Not to mention the main line folks. Household incomes for all these communities are close to or above 100k (besides audubon), so I am sure you would have repeat customers fairly. But it is a nice community, which is FILLED with families. I have no doubt there would be plenty of customers willing to buy from the DP store.

Renting out a space in a shopping center is fairly cheap as well. Id take a look at what the town has to offer

[Kitsune Sniper]

Calexico, California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calexico%2C_California). Yes, DreamTR already said that you should avoid California. But here's a reason why you should open a store here:

Snowbirds. And Canadians in general.

Calexico has a very large fluctuating population. We get a lot of visitors during the winter months because our climate is relatively tame in comparison to the north. We get thousands upon thousands of visiting Canadians (who we call Snowbirds)

The only available game stores are the following:
Gamestop (which is run by a total jerk)
Wal-Mart
Toys'R'Us
Tavio's (which is run by an idiot who likes to reseal games and try to pass them off as new)
Random Asian and Mexican-owned stores (who sell you Greatest Hits titles at a $30, minimum, and GBA pirate games at $50).

The location is excellent - the city is right next to the border with Mexicali. The city's inhabitants like to cross the border, buy games, then smuggle them back into Mexico (rather than pay those insane Mexican import / sales taxes). Also, Calexico is close to San Diego and Arizona. You could get lots of people from there to come to your store.

We've got tons of young folks going to school here. There's a huge college population in Mexicali, but not so much in Calexico (again, I bring up the smugglers ;p)

I'd work for ya. But I'm biased. ;P

Hell, I tried.

[Garry Silljo]

I second that. Pittsburgh, that way its half way between the chicago area and your current store Pittsburgh has a lot of competition from other chains. "The Exchange" has multiple stores in and around the city, and "Cash and Culture" is another that services classic gamers. Joe surely could compete. Both of these chains aren't exclusively for gamers but also deal in movies, cds, action figures and more. On an interesting side note, when people trade games into "The Exchange", they use this site's online rarity guide to make their offers.

My suggestion is obviously biased, but here in Washington Pa it would be great. We have EB and CD Warehouse for used games, but only in the current gen. There is no shop here to trade or buy carts. The EB in McMurray used to before EB stopped doing that and a lot of people here in Washington made a special trip there because the nearest place after that would be 40 minutes to an hour from Washington as opposed to 20 from McMurray. A lot of new stores have been opening here and we've a burst of economic activity, but nothing in this genre. The need certainly exist here.

[j_factor]

If you're seriously considering the West Coast, the whole stretch north of Hollywood and south of Seattle is basically void of good used game stores. Off the top of my head, I would suggest Sunnyvale, located in between San Francisco and San Jose. It's the city where Atari was founded and the first Pong machine was operated, and it doesn't have a classic game store anywhere near it.

[DreamTR]

udisi: Joe can't open one out there, TRade N Games is already within the area, and he already provides everything that the DP store provides.

Dan I: Joe is right, I have not "opened" my own store yet, but I plan to do so with a flea market first and building up the inventory, but my point is, I would NEVER EVER open a game store near where personal friends are. You have to understand if my buddy spent 20K to open a store, then I come along and take half his business in the vicinity, he could lose everything he has or go under?

Selling in an area where there IS a GameStop/EB as long as it's not IN a mall (I know people say the mall drives in traffic, but if you boost in rent and the fact that most indie stores are never in a good place when there is a GS/EB in the same mall, you are better off in the outskirts doing exactly what Joe said, providing customers with something they can NOT receive at EB.

I plan on having various arcade fighting games and steal the arcade market, Tennessee has a 35,000 student college in the middle of the state and NOTHING TO DO AT NIGHT. Hello????? DDR anyone? LAN Center, Anime, Action Figures, Classic Games, Game/System Repairs, video game clothing....GameStop and EB are basically free advertising for your store nearby, half the time their employees will come and REFER customers to your store.


jfactor: uh....I can think of at least 20 game stores I have been to (with classics) on the West Coast. What part of the state are you searching? Game Dude, Alameda Game Exchange, 4Jays, Game World Exchange, A&J Games, and at least 5 others I went to in the NoCal area...

[Mianrtcv]

I can tell you Flushing, New York in Queens. There is a great amount of foot traffic and public transportation. There is even parking for the most part. There are many different businesses and to tell the truth not really any place I can think of that sells games aside from a chain like fye or something. It has a diverse population. There are a good amount of gamers in the borough. There are many schools that use Flushing as a transportation hub. As well as your 20-40 yr old demographic in commute from school or work. Not to mention I can get there easily. Yes, I'm selfish.

[MrRoboto19XX]

The Central MD/Baltimore area would be intresting (and incredibly convenient for me), you have 3-4 moderate-sized schools there, as well as a good number of Ebgamestops. There is a small independant chain around here called Power Gamer, they deal mainly in current imports, but have a decent chunk of classic games as well. In my opinion, they would be the guys to beat; they have a reputation as the only place to buy the afforementioned games, and they're not pushy on reserves, subs, etc. Their main problem is their staff consists of a bunch of elite gamer types that either like you or are annoyed by you.

So in recap,

Pros of the Central MD store:

Lots of big name competition/refrences
The Suburbs of DC/Balto have some affluent potential customers
Relatively easy commute if need be
Decent locations available
Indie chain has the product, but not the service

Cons
Locations can be pricey
Indie chain already present
Word of mouth marketing may be a bit tougher


Hope that helps a bit, and best of luck.

[Dan Iacovelli]

Dan I: Joe is right, I have not "opened" my own store yet, but I plan to do so with a flea market first and building up the inventory, but my point is, I would NEVER EVER open a game store near where personal friends are. You have to understand if my buddy spent 20K to open a store, then I come along and take half his business in the vicinity, he could lose everything he has or go under?.

I've already posted that I under stood why he wouldn't go by friends store and open there. and again, Isay the choice should be joe's and not up to people like us. do you think Dominick Dimato(the man who started the Dominicks food store in IL) got his 120 store chain going by asking local customers where they think the next store should be. no he did research
went to local neighborhoods,check out the territory and brought the right locations.

[Mattiekrome]

As much as I would like to see a DP store here in Charlotte, I would have to say the retro-gaming community isn't that strong in this area (at least from what I have seen in the past). Maybe the ATL or around Baltimore, or more specifically Aberdeen Maryland :cheers:

[DreamTR]

Dan: Dominick's is owned by Safeway now, but that is besides the point. I see where you are going with it...You can not compare two completely different industries, one, which involves groceries at only a 2.5% margin, and uber niche classic game stores. I'm glad he is asking, because we are part of the market, and he is just getting a wide variety of ideas. I lived in IL once myself (Chicago) and before Sean's store, Windy City Game Exchange was the best classic store to go to, but the prices were OUT OF CONTROL.

[ckendal]

There is a small independant chain around here called Power Gamer, they deal mainly in current imports, but have a decent chunk of classic games as well.

This shouldn't be a concern as they are highly overpriced and I am sure Joe's prices would put them out of business. Last time I walked into one of those they had a FF2 SNES cart for $60 and a SMB/DH cart for $12.

[scooterb23]

You say you want to be near the Gamestop / EBs of the world? Come to Columbus Ohio. There are 26 (roughly) of them here within 30 miles. 2 in the same mall even... can't get much closer than that ;)

I will also say that all my favorite classic gaming sources have either gone under, or abandoned the classics. Plus there are lots of chances to make perverted ads using Ohio States giant block O logo.

Good luck with the expansion / worldwide domination tour.

[Dan Iacovelli]

Dan: Dominick's is owned by Safeway now, but that is besides the point. I see where you are going with it...You can not compare two completely different industries, one, which involves groceries at only a 2.5% margin, and uber niche classic game stores. I'm glad he is asking, because we are part of the market, and he is just getting a wide variety of ideas. I lived in IL once myself (Chicago) and before Sean's store, Windy City Game Exchange was the best classic store to go to, but the prices were OUT OF CONTROL.
uh, I work for the chain, started in melrose park,il lake and manhein (right by the bridge)went to Oak park when they closed melrose park down( I know windy city exchange right down the sterrt from the oak park dominicks I stoped there a couple time waiting for the bus,then they moved to the swap- a-rama flea market in melrose park,il.) now I'm in the westchester store.
So I know all about the dominicks chain,met mr Dimato in person when he came to our store(nice guy), was there when they sold the chain to yupicca
and was there during the big contact disbute few years back. so don't get in my face about the chain.
back on subject:
asking us is ok as we are the gaming public,but the choice has to be joe's he take our opions and do more research on the areas we suguseted.
that is all I'm saying Do more research.

[mrmark0673]

How about just outside of Boston, like Cambridge MA? Many, many college students in the area and the rent prices are fair depending on where you were looking to locate. Also, its fairly close to your first store but far enough away that it would not overlap with traffic from that store.

[Blitzwing256]

If you want to put your store where people have a disposable income, why not try las vegas nevada?

tons of people who need money quick will sell off thier game stuff for booze/gambling/whore money on a regular basis, theres also two college campuses in the area (henderson as well) lots of well off rich people with money to burn and you know..its vegas.

[DreamTR]

uh, I work for the chain, started in melrose park,il lake and manhein (right by the bridge)went to Oak park when they closed melrose park down( I know windy city exchange right down the sterrt from the oak park dominicks I stoped there a couple time waiting for the bus,then they moved to the swap- a-rama flea market in melrose park,il.) now I'm in the westchester store.
So I know all about the dominicks chain,met mr Dimato in person when he came to our store(nice guy), was there when they sold the chain to yupicca
and was there during the big contact disbute few years back. so don't get in my face about the chain.
back on subject:
asking us is ok as we are the gaming public,but the choice has to be joe's he take our opions and do more research on the areas we suguseted.
that is all I'm saying Do more research.

Dan, the Windy City one I referred to was in the North Side of Chicago. I'm not getting in your face about the chain, I am just stating you can't compare the two industries, and I am sure Joe is going to do plenty of research.

Blitzwing: as much as Vegas has grown, they have at least 4-5 classic game stores in the city.

[Nate Nanjo]

I would say Augusta, GA there's 5 Gamestops/EB/Rhino stores and 1 play n trade. Also, if a game store was put closer to Fort Gordon, sales should be good as being closer to the Military gamers.

Should note that PnT is the only classic store, but its really weak on inventory.

[k8track]

Perhaps you could expand slowly toward the west (and south), one region at a time (i.e. Midwest, Southeast, South Central, etc.), finding a strategic and central location in each region. I'd suggest the Midwest next, and since you're (understandably) not going to go to Illinois, how about Indiana? I would think Indianapolis would be a strategic location, though I admit I don't know anything about it. But I will second Captain Wrong's suggestion.

[Scrimble]

Congratulations on your sucess Joe. How about a store in Fishkill NY? Yeah... I know nobodys heard of it. About an hour and 20 minutes from Clifton NJ. Theres a few hotels(one being built at the moment) and I-84 runs right through town so there's always people passing through. I'm not sure what the demand for games around here would be since there's no stores until you get to the Poughkeepsie area.

Theres a Gamestop and an EB in the local mall, and another Gamestop litterally 2 minutes away. The only store to grab classics is a store that also sells paintball, comics,arisoft, and other hobbies. They don't really pay attention to the classic gaming except to charge alot of money, and to give you pennies for your trade-ins.

Marist and Dutchess colleges are within a 30 minute drive so that may be a good thing.

[Dan Iacovelli]

Dan, the Windy City one I referred to was in the North Side of Chicago. I'm not getting in your face about the chain, I am just stating you can't compare the two industries, and I am sure Joe is going to do plenty of research.

Blitzwing: as much as Vegas has grown, they have at least 4-5 classic game stores in the city.

ok, but I do remembera game store in oak park when Iworked at the dominicks
(which right down the street from Austin city limits btw,I know because they sent down there to pick up loose carts) back them you can't compare the grocery stores to game stores, now grocery chains are selling videos and dvds
and prob other items. Oak park is as close to chicago you can get with out getting to the city. sounds like your deciding for joe where it should be.
what ever joe decieds I'm sure he will do ok, look at what he did with his first store. another idea is to expand his current store instead of just looking for another store.

[xsegatasanshirox]

Somewhere in the Hudson Valley in NY would be great, like Wappingers Falls, or Poughkeepsie, as long as your located on, or near Rt 9. Theres two Gamestops in Wappingers that hire anybody and have no knowledge of there products besides Halo, and theres only one store that sells vintage games around here called the Dragons Den, but its not really there specialty, and don't have a very big selection, but they sell a lot of what they do have, so theres already a big market here. The area is growing really fast, a lot of people are moving in and there are housing developments everywhere now. The other nice thing about the location is that its right near i84, so its easy to get to from anywhere.

[Mattiekrome]

Now that I think of it, maybe Mooresville or Huntersville NC (about 30 miles north of Charlotte). Both of these areas are growing at an exponential rate. They are both right on the lake, where all the rich people live. Its a very nice area. Competition wise there is an EB and a Gamestop in Huntersville and an EB in Moorsville, but none of them sell anyting pre PS2 now :roll: Interstate 77 runs directly through both of the towns, plus I-85 isn't too far away. It is definitely the "happening" place to be. Not to mention Moorsville/Cornelius is the NASCAR capital of the world (many NASCAR teams make there home here, include DEI)

Of course with current gen stuff, it might be a little tougher, but with pre PS2, as far as I know there is nobody around that sells it

[xsegatasanshirox]

I didnt see Scrimble's post probably because i was typing it when he posted, but it just goes to show that there are a lot of people intrested in classic games around here. Wappingers is right in the middle of Poughkeepsie and Fishkill.