Stores that decorate seasonally generate more sales than stores that don’t decorate. That’s all I need to know about why you should decorate. I like selling games. If hanging streamers makes people buy games, that’s enough reason for me.
If you need more reason, seasonal decorations appeal to the community, which is our raison d’être. Decorating gives the store identity. It shows that you care about the customer’s general happiness and well-being and not just their wallet. Decorating also gives the crew a fun chore they can enjoy.
Set a Budget
FLGS launched on a low budget. Not a shoestring as I’ve defined it elsewhere, but finances were tight. Fortunately, we had a Dollar General next door. Each year, I allocated $30 for Christmas decorations. The first year we had a little garland that we put up around the counter, some flashing lights, and a tiny tree. When it came down, it all went into a little box for next year. Each year I added another $30 worth of decorations. Eventually, it filled the store. Naturally, that became the model for seasonal decoration. Start with a few essentials, then expand every year.
Set a budget for your store according to your stage of growth and available resources. I would not spend $2,000 if my expected sales for the month are $20,000. Once you have a budget, assess the options and get the biggest bang for your buck first. Also, consider how many times to decorate each year. Ideally, do this in conjunction with your Annual Marketing Calendar.
Decorating Occasions
While some holidays are obvious candidates for decoration, others might surprise you with their marketing potential. Here’s a list to inspire your decorating efforts:
Halloween
Spooky decorations like cobwebs, skeletons, and black lights can transform your store. Highlight horror-themed games like Betrayal at House on the Hill or Arkham Horror. Also, host a costume contest or run a one-shot RPG with a horror theme to tie into the season.
Thanksgiving
Decorate with warm tones, autumn leaves, and cornucopias. Create a cozy vibe by promoting family-friendly games that bring people together, like Codenames, Ticket to Ride, or Dixit. A gratitude wall where customers can write what they’re thankful for adds a community-building element.
Christmas
Classic decorations like twinkling lights, garlands, and ornaments create a festive atmosphere. Feature a “12 Games of Christmas” sale. Offer a deal on a different game each day. A small tabletop tree decorated with dice and miniatures adds a thematic touch.
Magic: the Gathering Pre-releases
Embrace the theme of the upcoming set with specific decorations. For example, a forest-themed set could inspire trees and vines, while a gothic set might feature candles and faux stone backdrops. Highlighting the set’s flavor connects the environment to the product.
Other Opportunities
Valentine’s Day
Pink and red accents paired with two-player game promotions.
Summer Themes
Beach vibes or tropical decorations during the slower summer months.
Local Events
If your community has festivals or parades, tie your decorations into those events.
Indulge the Crew’s Creativity
Encourage staff to dress up for the event. Not everyone will, but some people love any excuse to be out of uniform. Allow them to indulge themselves on controlled occasions, and they’re more willing to follow uniform policies the rest of the year.
For example, on Halloween, invite staff to wear costumes, and maybe even offer a small prize for the best-dressed employee. For Magic Pre-releases, suggest outfits that align with the set’s theme, encouraging creativity and enthusiasm for the event.
Practical Tips for Decorating
Keep It Safe and Functional
Decorations should enhance the space without getting in the way of customers or staff. Avoid cluttering walkways or blocking shelves, and remember to beware of trip hazards. Bring attention to the products instead of concealing them.
Highlight Key Products
Use decorations to draw attention to featured items. A holiday wreath around a display case or a themed table runner under a game demo setup can focus customers’ eyes on what you want to sell.
Reuse and Repurpose
Invest in durable decorations you can reuse year after year. For Magic pre-releases or similar events, consider generic themed items (like fantasy props) that can work for multiple occasions.
Solicit Feedback
Ask your customers and staff what they liked about the decorations. Did they enhance the shopping experience? Were they distracting? Were there any missed opportunities? Use this input to improve year after year.
An annual marketing calendar is a tool you create once a year and follow as a guide for your marketing and advertising plans throughout the year. It takes an hour or two to design and detail and it provides guideposts for an entire year’s worth of marketing and advertising.
Step 1: Set Annual Goals
Start by defining your overarching objectives for the year. These could include:
Increasing overall sales by a specific percentage or dollar amount
Increase new customer count by a specific number
Expanding into new product categories or games.
Hosting more in-store events or tournaments.
Remember basic goal-setting tips. Goals have to be achievable, measurable, and need a deadline. In this case, we’re providing finite deadlines for each goal as part of the nature of the project. Keep them achievable by knowing your current status and what’s a plausible room for expansion. If you have 600 customers in your database after six months, adding 2,000 customers in a single month is implausible. Measurable goals are defined in terms of counting things. “Increase category sales by 10%” is a good goal. “Have more fun playing Battletech” is not something you can concretely measure. You could instead measure the number of people playing in a league or regular weekly open play.
Set up a spreadsheet or sheet of paper with these headings and extend the months all the way to December.
Step 2: Identify Key Dates and Cycles
Map out important dates that can anchor your marketing efforts:
Holidays: New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas.
Gaming Events: Gen Con, Free RPG Day, local conventions, game releases.
Store-Specific Dates: The anniversary of your store opening is a good one.
Fictional dates: I always like to observe September 22nd, the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Socia-Media created events: Talk like a Pirate Day (September 19) is a new event that could be good for promoting specific games. You could promote a different pirate-themed board game each week.
You can use a resources like https://nationaltoday.com/ to discover fun days to fill in months for which you have trouble coming up with a reason to celebrate.
Step 3: Assign Monthly Themes
For each month, choose a theme or focus that aligns with your goals and key dates. Examples:
January: “New Year, New Games” (Focus on introducing new games)
February: “Games for Couples” (Valentine’s Day promotions on two-player games.)
March: “March Madness of Minis” (Focus on miniatures and wargaming events.)
Step 4: Plan Your Marketing Channels
Decide how you’ll reach your customers each month. Consider:
In-Store Promotions: Discounts, additional loyalty rewards, or free items.
Digital Marketing: Social media campaigns, email newsletters, website banners.
Event Hosting: Demos, tournaments, or meet-and-greets.
Community Outreach: Partner with schools, libraries, or local influencers.
Step 5: Schedule Specific Campaigns
For each month, detail the activities and campaigns you’ll run. Here’s an example breakdown:
Example Month: March
Theme: “March Madness of Minis”
Goal: Increase sales of miniatures and hobby supplies by 20% over the previous year.
Budget: Include an amount to spend on promotion and operations (including additional labor). Professionals spend marketing & advertising dollars regularly, and having this structure in place helps maintain spending discipline.
Activities:
Host a painting contest with prizes.
Run a “Buy 3, Get 1 Free” sale on paints.
Share weekly social media posts showcasing miniatures tips and tricks.
Offer demos for a miniatures game.
Establish an area for themed games near the front door. Rotate it each month to match the theme.
Do a popularity contest bracket, asking your players to vote on their favorite miniatures game, eliminating losers with each update until you have a single winner. This plan gives you a reason to post for the entire month, and it encourages two-way dialogue. It also highlights the diversity of miniatures games, reminding players that the category isn’t entirely owned by Games Workshop.
Step 6: Create a Content Calendar
Drill down into the specifics of what you’ll publish and when:
Social media: Schedule 2-3 posts per week related to the monthly theme.
Email newsletters: Send at least one newsletter highlighting promotions and events two weeks before the main event, one three days before, and one the day of the event.
Website content: Write an article tied to the theme, such as “Top Miniatures Games for Beginners.”
Step 7: Monitor, Evaluate, and Adjust
At the end of each month, review your results:
Did you achieve your goals?
What feedback did you receive from customers and crew?
How accurate was your spending? Did you need to increase a budget because of unexpected costs? Did you underspend?
Use these insights to fine-tune your plans for the following months.
Example Marketing Calendar
Month
Theme/Focus
Key Activities
Target Goal
January
New Year, New Games (games launched in the previous year)
Demos for new releases
Increase foot traffic by 15% vs. previous year
February
Games for Couples (2-player board games)
Valentine’s Day sale, couples event
Sell 30+ units of two-player games
March
March Madness of Minis
Painting contests, bundle deals
Grow miniatures sales by 20% vs. previous March
April
April Fool’s Day/ Humorous games
“Silliest Character Build Contest” for RPG players, “Joke’s On Us” discount—randomize small discounts at checkout for the day.
Increase sales of humorous games by 20% compared to previous April.
May
National Geek Pride Day (May 25)
Geek Trivia Night each Thursday, display geek merchandise at themed display
Increase merchandise sales by 15% compared to last May.
June
Free RPG Day/ non-D&D RPG titles
Free RPG Day itself,
Increase sales of target games by 30% YOY
July
Independence Day/Historical games
Board game demos, demo period-set RPGs like Call of Cthulhu
Generate 20+ sales of topical games, demo Timeline to 300 players
August
Back-to-School
Meet gamer friends
Create 6+ new weekly games in the store
September
Fellowship Month/cooperative games
Host collaborative games like Pandemic Legacy or Betrayal at House on the Hill, “Bring a Friend to Game Night” campaign with referral discounts
Increase new customer count by 50
October
Halloween/Horror games
Costume contests, giveaways
Increase sales of promoted items by 25% over previous year
November
Thanksgiving/Customer appreciation
Double loyalty points
Increase number of visits by 20% from previous year
December
Christmas
12 days of Christmas sales
$10,000 in sales of the promoted items
By creating a clear, month-by-month plan, you’ll ensure your marketing efforts are proactive and consistent, making it easier to achieve your goals and keep customers engaged year-round.
Here’s a short version of my hiring process and how I choose who I hire.
The general principles apply to everyone, but the details focus on hourly employees who work the counter.
As Always, Preparation First
Create a web form on your website. You have two conflicting issues. You want as much information as possible to help you with your hiring decision, but the longer the form, the fewer people fill it out. At least get the identifying information like name, address, e-mail address, phone number, etc. Ask for work history for 2-3 jobs. Ask about games or game categories of proficiency. I like to ask this part as an open-ended question instead of radio buttons. Random people with no knowledge of the hobby can press a button, but they have a harder time making up names for categories they don’t know.
I do not ask for resumes for hourly employees. Preparing a resume is a lot of work for a job that doesn’t pay very well.
Refer everyone interested in applying to the online application.
Avoid paper applications. If you lose them, then you might be exposed to a lawsuit for discrimination. Crew who collect applications might not pass them on to the appropriate person out of carelessness or maliciousness if they see the applicant as a competitor. If your application process is online, then you avoid all these issues. Applications stay in your e-mail and you can create a folder specifically for those e-mails so they’re easy to find when you need them.
Advertise the Position
Post your interest to your social media channels. Monitor these posts for comments. Some people might ask for clarification that allows you to improve your posting. Others might want to apply but missed the critical link and need more direction. Some people might post negative experiences that you can address or remove as necessary.
Also post notice in the store. Your in-store signs should include a QR code that links to the application. Some people decry them, but QR codes provide an immediate connection to the application and increase the number of applicants you receive.
The First Filters
After collecting the applications, review them, looking for exclusions.
Reject anyone not legal to work in the US
Unrealistic salary expectations are an automatic rejection
Applicants without the skill set I need are excluded
Most people with the right skills get an interview because you learn far more about a potential employee by talking to them than you do by reading an application.
Other retailers minimize the importance of game knowledge because they expect to teach it as part of their training. That’s a perfectly valid approach. I’ve had exceptional salespeople with little gaming experience.
Schedule availability is another possible filter. If they can’t work the needed shifts, then it doesn’t matter how good they are. I have a great deal of flexibility on this point, but some things are locked in. My chief Magic person must run Friday Night Magic, for example.
The Interview: Introduction
Aim for privacy. If you don’t have an office, that might mean interviewing before the store opens or at a restaurant nearby. If you are at the store and have staff already, make sure you won’t be interrupted.
My interview process is simple. I engage in brief small talk to make the applicant comfortable. I’ve been on that side of the desk, and I know people can be nervous. Afterward, transition to the formal part of the interview with clear language.
Start by telling the applicant about the job. Explain their role in the company and how it interacts with the rest of the company. Also, describe their expected duties, and tell them what will make them successful. For example, I tell them “We are ‘shippers. We bring people together to play games. If you’re doing that, the rest comes naturally.”
Interview Questions
Ask about retail experience. I want to know about merchandising experience and customer interaction experience. I’ll teach these skills anyway, but it’s good to know their starting skill level and willingness to perform the required tasks.
If no retail experience, I ask them about other customer engagement experience. It’s the more important part of the job, and I want to give them a chance to say yes, they have that experience. If they keep saying “no,” I don’t want them to get dispirited and give up mid-interview.
Second, I ask them about their game experience. For one thing, that’s a skill I want from them. For another, they become animated when they talk about their passion and talk. The more they talk, the better opinion I can form. If they trash-talk another faction, that’s a negative, but it can be trained out. If they exaggerated their game experience on the application, I’ll notice it.
For my Games Workshop expert, I want them familiar with the factions. I ask them what armies they play for what games. I ask them if they paint their miniatures. If so, I ask if they’re comfortable with the idea of conducting a painting workshop. I watch for their reaction and their body language. If they shrink away from the idea of being the center of attention and leading a crowd of people, they’re not the person I need for a customer-facing position in a game store.
For a RPG expert, I ask what games they play. Do they run games? Do they use miniatures and terrain, theater of the mind, or a combination?
Other Topics
In all cases, I ask if they’re part of any communities—Meetups, Facebook groups, Discord servers, or in-person club. I ask if they attend any of the local game conventions. I want to know about their network. Can they introduce me to a new one in which I’m not already involved? Can they bring the store to the attention of a large group of players at once?
If they have no answers for any of these questions about gaming or related work experience, I ask them to tell me about previous work experience or work-like experience for a first job. I really want them to talk, and what they talk about doesn’t matter at this point. I watch for their comfort level while recognizing that they’ll be more relaxed with co-workers and customers than they are with a potential employer.
My interviews tend to go quickly. I know what I want to see and hear, and I can quickly tell if an applicant doesn’t have those talents.
This focus on a few short topics focuses the interview, but it also helps me avoid asking questions that could expose the company to liability. Here’s a brief guide regarding some of those questions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtAmHJOgnuw
Solicit questions from the applicant when you’re done with your questions. If you have not discussed wages, that’s by far the most common question at this stage. Take note of common questions and integrate their answers into your routine.
Thank the applicant for their time and give them a deadline for a reply. “I have more interviews scheduled, so I can make a decision today, but I plan to make a decision Friday.”
Follow-Up
Check references. An application doesn’t tell you if someone was fired for theft or violence in the workplace. A former employer might not tell you those things—but they might. It’s worth asking.
I once had an employee who turned out to be terrible. I won’t provide details, but it was like a horror story of badness. When he left me, he went to work at my bank! I called my bank to candidly discuss the cash discrepancies on that person’s shift. They said that he had already raised red flags and implied that they would terminate his employment. If someone had alerted me the same way, it would have saved me a great deal of trouble.
Calling that former employee’s current employer involved a degree of liability. I didn’t say anything I couldn’t support with evidence, but defending myself in court against a lawsuit could have been costly. In this rare case, I considered it worth the risk. The point of the anecdote is that checking into past employment could have led to a better hiring decision.
For most positions, I don’t care about education. If I did, I’d We’re not doing science or a specialized trade. You don’t need to demand certifications.
The Decision
I look for people who bring unique skills to the company. I want an applicant who makes my company better.
For standard counter positions, I hire category experts. My must-haves are
Magic expert
Games Workshop expert
Roleplaying games expert
This mix matches my sales by category. If my top 3 categories were different, my hiring priority would be different.
Note that your skills count. If you’re a 40k guru with 10 armies and an Imperium tattoo, you might not need to hire a Games Workshop expert. If you are never the primary person on the cash register, then your staff must represent all the skills among themselves.
I hire others as needed. If my Games Workshop person can double as a board game expert, then that category gets less priority with the next hire. Once I cover all the necessary skill sets, additional hires should have skills and availability that complement existing skills in a proportion that supports the community.
I also take into consideration additional skills that a company needs. Someone skilled at social media can expect to take on a larger share of that burden while also helping to reinforce my training of the rest of the staff.
The Paperwork
If you use a payroll service, they’ll handle all the paperwork. Direct new employees to create an account and submit the appropriate information. I recommend using a payroll service because the liability transfers to them.
Popular credible payroll services include
Square Payroll
Gusto
Paychex
OnPay
Justworks
I’ve only worked with the first three, but they all do what you need. Compare current prices, make sure they do what you need. If all else fails and one doesn’t work well for you, it’s easy to switch.
After you conduct interviews and make the decision, inform the chosen applicant and schedule their training. Inform them of anything they need to know to start working—uniform standards, where to park, what time to arrive, etc.
Tell the other applicants that you have made your decision and that they were not chosen at this time.
I have—on rare occasions—been so impressed with more than one applicant that I created a new job to bring both people on board. If you can afford that, great! You have discovered a treasure.
Once you have them on board, it’s time to train them.
Existing game store owners speak constantly about holding events at the store. We speak about it casually, as if everyone participating in the discussion has the familiarity we do. Let’s stop a moment and make sure we all understand the goals and processes to make “running events” a successful store strategy.
What’s an Event?
Products are goodies on the shelf you can sell. Events are activities in which players can engage. The most common event is probably a Magic: the Gathering tournament like Friday Night Magic.
The way I describe the concept of game store events to non-gamers is that the game room turbo-charges the retail space. It improves the efficiency and capacity of the part of the store that sells stuff.
Creating and hosting events offers several advantages to stores. They encourage people to buy things. The immediate sale is the entry fee for the tournament. Long-term sales include sales of singles or miniatures ahead of time as players prepare, or similar products between ongoing events.
Running events provides players with a reason to visit the store more often. Players who might not otherwise think about the store might anticipate a tournament all week. It’s hard to create that sort of top-of-the-mind awareness, but hosting events gives you an edge over other stores that don’t host events.
Hosting events allows you to advertise an activity instead of a thing. People respond better to such ads, even if they have no intention to attend the event. They are less likely to unsubscribe from your e-mail list when they receive a notification like that or to unfollow your Facebook page. It’s like being invited to a birthday party—even if you don’t go, it’s nice to be included.
Lay Down the Groundwork
Before inviting people to your house, make sure the house is ready for visitors. Make sure that when players show up for an event you have everything they need at hand.
Having enough space means having enough chairs, enough tables, the right tables. Ideally, the tables match, and they’re well-suited to the event. Magic players won’t be comfortable standing at chest-high tables normally used for miniatures games. Likewise, tables that are wide might be perfect for roleplaying games but too wide for the card players to read their opponent’s cards on the table.
Have relevant merchandise on hand. For a Magic tournament, that means booster packs and singles (if you sell them), of course, but it also means accessories like sleeves and boxes. Order anything you need in time for restocks to arrive.
Have event-specific supplies available. If you run a Magic draft, have basic lands. Decorate the store for major events.
Schedule enough staff before the event. If it’s small, you might not need any additional people on hand, but if it’s a very large one, you might need multiple people. Your staff might include tournament organizers.
Likewise, task out your staff and be clear on duties and expectations. The tournament organizer might not touch the POS system, for example. If the event is a miniatures tournament, whose responsibility is supplying the terrain?
You might need to downloand, install, and register for event management software.
Plan a Variety
It’s important to spread out events as much as you can. An event’s maximum capacity depends on your maximum space available, and if you run two simultaneous events, each event’s maximum is reduced. If you can fit 48 Pokemon players on Saturday night, adding a Lorcana tournament doesn’t let 96 people fit in the seats.
Use different time slots for different events. I’ve had success with miniatures tournaments in the daytime, while evening is more popular for card games. Make sure that the earlier event has enough time to go over a reasonable amount and has wrap-up time; you might need time to determine winners, and you need time to clean or reorganize for the second event.
Spread out the schedule to different days of the week. Poll the community to identify the best days. If Saturday is already packed to capacity, try to schedule events for Sunday instead. Incidentally, being standing-room-only was my impetus to move to a larger suite in the shopping center, giving me the largest game store in the city.
Some events lend themselves to weekly play. Others might draw interest but not often enough to repeat. I experimented with a flea market in the store, and it was a huge success. It eventually became a quarterly event that the players eagerly anticipated. If something is successful, repeat it. Beware of fatigue. A league, for example, might work for six weeks or three months, but players eventually expect an end. It’s better to end it too soon and let player feedback encourage a longer event next time than to wear people out to the point where they put the game aside for a while.
The Devil Is In the Details
Establish the details of the event. If it’s a card game like Magic, identify the format. For a miniatures game, set a point value for the armies and decide which optional rules apply. If it’s a roleplaying game, identify which books are allowed for character creation or announce that pre-generated characters will be provided.
Announce the fee and how to pay it. Can players pre-register? How? Provide a link. Just as important, make people aware of the prize amount or the method used for calculating it. Transparency with your prizes is paramount for establishing trust with the player base.
Who is running the event? Your choice of judge might encourage (or discourage) some players.
How long is each round, and how many rounds are there?
What’s the maximum number of players allowed? If you have too many sign up, how do you resolve that? My solution is to make every event a “first come, first serve” signup. In any conflict, the time stamp on the call or message determines who got in first.
Establish Rewards
When you set your prizes, make sure the value of the prizes stays below projected fees. If you expect to bring in $120 to $180 in entry fees, don’t regularly give away $300 (you *might* do that for exceptions; talk to me about that first).
For example, my standard GW event prizes are ½ of the prize pool in store credit to the overall winner, 1/3 of the prize pool for 2nd place, 1/6 to third place. If we bring in $180 in event fees, that’s $90, $60, and $30 respectively.
Promote the Event
Promoting events is critical to their success. You want a large, well-attended event so that players have a variety of opponents, the store feels successful, and you generate as much revenue from both entry fees and add-on sales as the space allows.
Social media is a free way to notify existing customers of an event. If you’re lucky, it might be shared by your players to spread the message to potentially new players.
In-store signage also reaches existing customers, including those unfamiliar with your gaming community. It’s cheap (potentially free, depending on the method used), and it reinforces other methods.
Game store owners often disregard e-mail lists, but many consumers read them. Small mailing lists are easy to maintain and generally free, depending on the service you use to manage them.
SMS messaging can reach existing customers and often better received than other direct methods of contact.
Temporary external signage notifies not only existing customers, but it can bring your event to new eyes as they drive by. You can hang a vinyl banner for a day or two at a time. You can get swap out different facings for an A-frame sign, or you can use a chalkboard signs for different daily messages.
Inform customers in the store by talking to them. Make sure the crew notifies customers about an event. Your POS should be able to create reminder pop-ups for anyone buying particular products or products from a particular category. Check your documentation to implement that.
After an event, regardless of success, poll your customers for feedback. Maybe you tried to run it on a day when many players were unavailable. Maybe the time of day you chose didn’t work. You might have appointed a tournament organizer who’s unpopular with the existing community. Find out what worked and what didn’t so that you can improve next time. Ask not only those who attended but those who didn’t to find out why.
Among the information you solicit, discover how many people who you expected to be interested knew about the event and find out how those players communicate with you. Maybe you overlooked a communication method in your promotion. Maybe you advertised too early and people forgot. This feedback is important for fine-tuning your promotion as well as the execution of the event.
Expect that players will always ask for more prizes and lower fees.
In doing research for clients, I’ve standardized my search criteria somewhat. Here are the objective things I compare.
Size (in square feet)
Rate (usually in dollars per square foot per year)
Rent (in dollars per month)
ADTC (average daily traffic count)
5-mile radius population
To find the first three (and sometimes the other two), google the address and the term “pdf.” This almost always reveals the flyer the property management uses to advertise the site and provides the information you need.
To find the average daily traffic count, check your state’s department of transportation site. Some of them are more complete than others, but if the address you’re searching doesn’t return a result, it’s probably too low to consider.
Here’s a sample header from a recent client’s plan, along with my summary:
My summary is highlighted in red, yellow, or green. A red summary is not recommended. A yellow summary could have potential, depending on the subjective parameters. Green summaries would be my first choice.
Why Traffic Matters
I believe this metric is not as important as it used to be. When I started gaming retail, if a customer didn’t know where a store was, that person had to call the store on the phone and get directions. If they couldn’t find it, then they had to find a payphone and call again. Many people gave up at that point and became customers of somebody else or just didn’t buy that thing.
Now customers shop differently. They check their phone to find out how far away you are and sometimes check to see what else is near you so they can double up on their trip. The exact location isn’t as important because the voice on their phone is going to walk them straight to your door.
In that regard, you can use a suite that faces the side road and has a daily traffic count of 750. It’s fine.
On the other hand, a high traffic count has a measurable benefit—the number of eyes that see your exterior signage. Many people learn about the existence of your store by driving by and seeing your sign. For example, my Jacksonville store had an average daily traffic count of 39,500. That’s over 14,000,000 customer impressions annually. If my suite faced the side road, that figure would be 95% lower. I benefited from a 20-fold increase in the effectiveness of my façade sign by choosing a suite facing the busier side.
Yes, most customers find you online, but you can’t disregard the value of external signage and facing traffic.
To find the 5-mile radius population of a location you’re considering, go to https://www.freemaptools.com/find-population.htm, adjust the radius to 5 miles, and then enter the address. Always choose the most recent estimate or the nearest projection.
Why Population Matters
Proximity affects a customer’s frequency. Elsewhere I’ve broken down sales-building into three methods: you can increase customer count, increase customer spending per visit, or increase the number of times a customer visits. Closer customers visit more often. I know every single existing retailer immediately responds with that one guy they know who drives 45 minutes three times a week, but the exception does not invalidate the rule. Closer customers visit more often.
The more close customers you have, the more repeat visits you have. By signing a lease in an area with a high population count, you’ve have already begun the process of optimizing one of your three sales-building methods. You have made strategic decision of critical importance.
Build-out Estimates
Some factors aren’t so definitive. You need to estimate based on experience or quotes. Expect cost overruns in every case.If you can negotiate rent reductions for a build-out then, the cost isn’t a consideration–just the tiime.
Build-out Costs
Build-out costs could be an impediment or a neutral factor. If you can negotiate rent concessions for the build-out, then it costs you nothing. If not, you and you are paying out of pocket, then it matters.
Build-out Time
Customization time is another issue. If it takes 3 months to build out the store you want, then that’s three months you’re paying back any lending you took out without any income coming in.
The Subjective Considerations
Shape
The shape of the suite matters. One of the largest factors is frontage. A wider suite is more visible to the customer and is priced higher. The more frontage you have, the more you pay. That’s why most suites a long, skinny rectangles.
Rectangles are good. Squares are good but not as good. If an “L” shape lets you have substantial game space without paying a premium for window frontage, then take advantage of it.
Weird polygons are bad. They result in a lot of wasted space, which means wasted rent.
Neighbors
Low-quality neighbors might attract criminals or vagrants that can deter customers. In your “Pros” and “Cons” column, mark off a tick in the “Cons” if potential neighbors include
Pawn shops
Check cashing or payday loans
Adult entertainment industries
Other businesses vary. They might be quite tolerable neighbors if they are part of a large and well-monitored chain, or they might be quite sketchy. These neighbors include thrift stores, pawn shops, tattoo parlors, dollar stores, or liquor stores.
Good neighbors include
Coffee shops
Restaurants
Bookstores
Gyms
Grocery stores
Banks or credit unions
Nail salons
Shipping centers (like a UPS store)
Many of these businesses have the advantage of closing earlier than you do, freeing up their parking spaces for your customers.
Side of the Road
You want to be on the homeward-bound side of traffic. People don’t stop at game stores on the way to work. They stop at coffee shops or dry cleaners on the way to work. It’s better to be on the right side of the road for homeward-bound traffic. If a perfect location is on the wrong side of the road, but it’s at a corner where customers can easily enter and return to the road, that’s a good second choice.
Parking
Parking should be suitable for your seating. If you have seating for a 96 players, consider that if you have that many players competing in a tournament, you might also have 10-20 shoppers in the retail area, and 2-4 crew on duty. Few of those people came together. Do you have space for 120 customers?
If you’re in a walkable city, discount your parking needs accordingly. Some stores succeed with no parking at all.
Shopping Center Layout
The shopping center’s layout should allow for visibility of the tenants to drivers on the road, easy driver access, and smooth shopper access on foot once they park. These factors affect these issues
Distance from the Road
A store within 200-300 feet of a major road is generally considered highly visible. At this distance, customers can easily spot the signage without obstruction, and the store remains in their field of vision as they approach.
For larger shopping centers with anchor stores, visibility is enhanced if smaller retailers (like game stores) are placed near entrances, facing the road or parking lot, allowing drivers to quickly identify them.
Clear Signage
Prominent signage at the front of the store and on the shopping center’s monument sign near the road is crucial. The sign should be large, well-lit, and positioned at an intersection or other highly visible area. Having a pylon sign at the roadside can also capture the attention of passersby.
Anchor Tenant Placement
If your store shares space with big-box retailers or popular anchor stores (e.g., grocery chains or fitness centers), placing your store along the main path leading to these anchors can improve traffic flow past your storefront, even if it’s not directly on the roadside.
Good Shopping Center Layout
Linear layouts, where the stores are arranged in a straight line facing the parking lot and road, offer maximum visibility from a distance and encourage customers to walk past multiple stores on their way to their destination.
“L”-shaped centers work well because they maximize road visibility from multiple angles while still guiding foot traffic efficiently across the storefronts.
Ample Parking in Front
The parking lot should ideally be between the store and the road, ensuring that customers parking for one store can easily spot others and walk to them. Parking should not be obstructed by excessive landscaping, as this can reduce visibility.
Drive-by Traffic Flow
A well-designed center features entry and exit points that are easy to navigate. It should be accessible from both directions of traffic, with multiple points of entry to reduce congestion and ensure a smooth flow of cars throughout the center. Centers located on corner lots at busy intersections tend to perform better because they can be accessed from multiple sides.
Poor Road Visibility
Deep Setback from the Road
If your store is set too far back (over 400-500 feet) from the road or hidden behind other buildings, customers driving by may miss it entirely. Long setbacks also decrease the store’s exposure to impulse shoppers.
Poor Signage Placement
Even if the store is well-positioned in the center, having small or poorly placed signage can drastically reduce its visibility. Without a clear roadside sign, many drivers may not notice the store, especially in larger centers.
Obstructed Storefronts
Trees, large medians, or landscaping that obscure storefronts from the road can detract from visibility. Additionally, large anchor tenants blocking smaller stores from the road can be detrimental if the layout doesn’t allow for clear signage or lines of sight.
Poor Shopping Center Layout
Centers with a “U” or “C” shape or those with stores facing inward toward an interior courtyard or parking area can be problematic if most customers drive by on the perimeter without seeing what’s inside. This leads to fewer spontaneous visits.
If parking is located behind the building or too far from the entrance, it can decrease foot traffic. Likewise, parking areas that are hard to navigate or too small during peak times may turn customers away.
Shopping centers located on one-way streets or roads without easy turn lanes or intersections make it difficult for drivers to enter or exit, reducing overall foot traffic. If customers must make inconvenient U-turns or drive past and backtrack, they may decide not to stop at all.
Door to the West
Storefronts that face west can get hot. Doors facing the sunrise aren’t much of a problem because few stores (if any) are open at 6:00 AM. Every game store is opening in the evening. Even with a powerful HVAC, crew at the counter can feel it. Be aware of this issue, but don’t let it keep you from a good space.
Non-Issues
Zoning
Zoning isn’t usually an issue. If you’re considering the space, it was probably zoned for retail before, and it’ll be zoned for retail when you leave.
Internet or Phone Connectivity
In a very rural market, these things might be issues. Any place that doesn’t have internet access doesn’t have gamers. Cows don’t buy games. Anywhere there is a retail shopping center probably has ample access.
Making the Final Decision
I would love to tell you that there’s a formula for all these factors. If I could say something like “score one point for each thing, and total those up to find the best location,” it would make this process simple. But there’s no such math. Each point has a weight.
In Magic, certain cards are said to be “strictly better” than other cards. That is, two cards might have identical text and casting cost but one creature has a greater toughness than the other. The two cards can be directly compared, and one of them is objectively superior to the other.
It’s impossible for one retail location to be strictly better than another, because the locations are different in every case. You can’t make an objective decision; it must have some measure of subjectivity.
My Plans
Site selection is part of the service I provide as part of a business plan. If you want to get started on your own plan, fill out the contact form at https://www.lloydwrites.com/
Wizards of the Coast knows that players tend to fall into three play styles, and it designs cards and sets to cater to these players. They call these players Timmy, Johnny, and Spike. Timmy—or Tammy in the feminine–likes to smack down big cards that have a significant impact on the battlefield. Johnny (or Jenny) likes card synergy and hidden combos. Spike doesn’t have favorite colors or deck styles; Spike plays to win. Any new set has cards that make Timmy think, Johnny squeal, and Spike nod sagely. You can read a slightly more expansive description https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Player_type
Customers aren’t perfectly trinary, of course. Humans are complex creatures, and these pigeonholes with which we sometimes identify them are useful constructs, but they aren’t prohibitive categories. For example, I’m mostly Johnny. I’ll build stupid decks with ridiculous rare and obscure cards just because they interact well with each other. I’m not much Spike. Sure, I like to win, but the real treasure is the friends I make along the way.
Who Are Your Customers?
I propose three profiles. Let me explain who I’ve seen in the store and their behaviors that identify them. After identifying these customers, we discuss ways to give them what they want.
Norm/Norma—the Fixture
Personality
Norm is the quintessential regular, a familiar face in the store who is as much a part of the environment as the cash wrap around which he revolves. Most commonly, Norm is in their late 30s to 50s. Norm enjoys acting as an unofficial ambassador for the business. All the other Norms and the Taylors know Norm. Your crew likely meets them the day they start.
Norm is almost certainly a white male.
Frequency
Norm is your rarest customer profile, but they are frequently at the top of your mind because of their omnipresence.
Behavior
Visits: Norm is in the store frequently, often multiple times a week. They may visit to browse, chat with staff and other customers, or pick up a small item. Even if they don’t make a purchase every time, their steady presence is a constant. You notice when Norm isn’t there.
Purchases: Norm’s purchases range from infrequent to moderate. They might buy a new board game, replenish gaming supplies like dice or card sleeves, or pick up a new RPG sourcebook. Norm prefers to spend their money on a variety of items rather than investing heavily in one game. Despite this occasional spending, Norm’s value isn’t in the cash he puts in the till.
Engagement: Norm is deeply involved in the store’s community. They participate in regular game nights, attend events, and may even help organize or run them. Norm is the type of customer who makes everyone feel welcome and is always up for a game or a chat.
Knowledge: Norm has a broad knowledge of the store’s layout, product lines, and gaming in general. They might not be an expert in any one area, but they know enough to help new customers find what they’re looking for or recommend a good game. Norm might also have been a Norm to the game stores that came before yours. Norm might know a great deal about the history of the local community and know their counterparts at other stores.
Value to Store
Community Anchor: Norm is the backbone of the store’s community. Their regular visits and friendly demeanor help create a welcoming atmosphere, making other customers feel comfortable and engaged.
Internal Social Network: Norm’s value lies more in strengthening the store’s internal community rather than expanding it. They are not as likely to bring in new customers, but they deepen the connections within the existing customer base, making the store feel like a second home for many regulars. Norm help you retain customers.
Consistent Revenue: While Norm’s individual purchases might not be large, their frequent visits add up over time. Their steady spending contributes to the store’s overall revenue, and their loyalty ensures they keep coming back. Norm’s conversion rate is the lowest in the store.
Visiting Pattern
Frequency: Norm is at the store more than anyone else–including most staff. Their visits are frequent and regular, driven more by habit and the comfort they find in the store environment than by specific events or releases.
Timing: Norm’s visits depend on their personal schedule. They visit whenever they have free time—after work, during lunch breaks, or on weekends. Norm is likely to be in the store during off-peak hours as well as during busier times.
Consistency: Norm doesn’t need a special reason to visit; being at the store is part of their routine. Whether they’re browsing, chatting, or playing games, they’re there for the community and the atmosphere.
Taylor – The Enthusiast
Personality
Taylor is a passionate and dedicated gamer, often in their late 20s to early 40s, with a stable disposable income that allows them to invest heavily in their favorite hobbies. They are deeply involved in one to four select (usually related) games. Taylor’s knowledge of their chosen games is extensive, and they often participate in or even organize events within the gaming community.
Taylor is most likely male and probably white.
Frequency
A store has many Taylors, and you might know them all by name, face, and game. If I had to assign a number, I’d say no more than 20% of your customer count is a Taylor.
Behavior
Visits: Taylor visits the store with purpose, though not as frequently as Norm. When they do visit, it’s often to make significant purchases—new game releases, high-end accessories, or to pre-order upcoming products.
Purchases: Taylor is heavily invested in a few specific games, such as Warhammer, Magic: The Gathering, or Dungeons & Dragons. Their purchases are focused and often include top-tier items like collector’s editions, custom miniatures, or premium gaming supplies.
Engagement: Taylor is an active participant in the gaming community, frequently attending or hosting events like tournaments, campaign nights, or hobby workshops. They are knowledgeable and enjoy discussing strategies, game lore, and upcoming releases with both staff and fellow gamers. Taylor is involved with your social media.
Commitment: Taylor’s commitment to their chosen games is evident in the time and money they spend on mastering rules, painting miniatures, or building and refining decks. They are brand-loyal and tend to stick with specific game lines over time.
Value to Store
High-Value Transactions: Taylor’s visits often result in large purchases, making them a key contributor to store revenue. They appreciate quality and are willing to invest in the best products available. Taylor buys expensive Limited Editions and exclusive items.
Community Leadership: Taylor’s involvement in the gaming community makes them a natural leader or influencer. Their opinions and recommendations carry weight, often guiding other customers’ purchases.
Consistent Revenue Stream: Taylor’s brand loyalty means they return for each new release, expansion, or exclusive item related to their favorite games, ensuring a steady flow of high-value sales.
Visiting Patterns
Frequency: Taylor visits the store with purpose, usually several times a month. Taylor plans around specific events, new releases, or when they need to make a significant purchase.
Timing: Taylor is most likely to visit around key times: during special events, tournaments, or new product launches. They might stop by on release day for their favorite games, or during scheduled game nights or hobby workshops. Taylor’s visits are strategic and tied to their interests.
Engagement: While Taylor might not be in the store as often as Norm, when they do visit, they’re fully engaged. They’re there to participate, purchase, or interact with others who share their passion.
Chris – The Explorer
Personality
Chris is curious and eager to learn but isn’t deeply entrenched in the gaming world yet. They are often younger, having grown up in the 2000s, and are likely drawn to the social aspects of gaming. Chris might have been introduced to tabletop games through friends, family, or popular culture (like Critical Role or Stranger Things).
Frequency
Chris is the most abundant profile. Chris might be male or female and is most likely to be from a broader racial spectrum than Norm. The product line affects the gender mix (Magic players are most likely male), and your store’s environment and culture play a huge factor in how broad their diversity is.
Behavior
Visits: Chris visits the store occasionally, often with friends or family. Their visits might be sparked by curiosity, a social outing, or the desire to find something fun to do on the weekend.
Purchases: Chris buys entry-level or mainstream games—popular board games, party games, or beginner-friendly RPGs. Chris is open to trying new things and may purchase based on recommendations, eye-catching packaging, or what’s trending.
Engagement: Chris is likely to attend game demos, beginner events, or social gaming nights. They appreciate guidance from staff and might ask questions about how games are played or what’s popular.
Discovery: Chris is still discovering their preferences, so they might experiment with different genres and types of games, from cooperative board games to introductory card games.
Value to Store
Growth Potential: Chris represents the potential for long-term customer growth. As they become more familiar with the hobby, they could evolve into more frequent visitors like Norm or enthusiasts like Taylor.
Diverse Appeal: Chris helps diversify the store’s customer base by bringing in new players, including those interested in family games, social games, or casual gaming experiences.
Impulse Purchases: Chris might make more spontaneous purchases, especially when intrigued by something new or recommended by a trusted staff member.
Visiting Patterns
Frequency: Chris is a less frequent visitor, coming in at most once a week for a regular activity (like Friday Night Magic. Chris is likely unaware of special events, and their presence for your anniversary celebration, for example, is incidental.
Timing: Chris tends to visit during peak times, like weekends, Friday nights, or during special events. Chris is the most likely customer to visit as part of a group.
Exploration: Chris uses these visits to explore the hobby, whether that means trying out a new game, attending a demo, or just soaking in the store’s atmosphere. They’re more likely to show up when they expect to see other people, as the social aspect is a key part of their experience.
It’s not really a customer profile, but I’d also like to talk about what I call Muggles. These people don’t consider themselves gamers. They come into the store out of curiosity while they’re in the shopping center or driving by, or because they’re with a friend. They might include people from the shopping center who walk in to buy a soft drink from your cooler.
Muggles buy impulsively—impulse is what drove them to the store. Selling to Muggles is a function of your merchandise and sales craft. They might buy your gaming-adjacent products, like puzzles or toys, often as a gift.
If you make a good impression on Muggles, they recommend the store to the people in their life to whom “that stuff” is relevant—their nephew who plays D&D, their neighbor who paints Warhammer models, or their father-in-law who plays chess. Likewise, they might return for Christmas for more gifts.
Invite Muggles to events. Talk them into playing a demo game. Your goal is to turn them into Chris. If they decline, make sure they leave happy, so they introduce their social network to you.
How Do You Use This Information?
Psychographic profiles are useful for every aspect of your business, from merchandise selection to event planning to signage. Knowing how your customers interact with your store allows you to give them what they want, increasing spending, increasing customer retention, and increasing the value of their word-of-mouth advertising.
Signage
If you only had Norms in your store, you wouldn’t need signage. They know where stuff is, usually better than an employee who has only been there for a few months. If you only catered to Taylors, you still wouldn’t need signage. They recognize the product line by its trade dress and can spot it from a long way away. You have department signage for Chris.
Knowing who needs your department signage allows you to design the signs properly. Use full names instead of initials or code. You don’t write “cardboard crack” on that department sign. Norm would think it’s funny. Taylor would get the joke but might be offended. Chris won’t get the joke and would be less likely to start playing that game. Instead, your department sign for that category advertises Magic: the Gathering, and you include the Magic logo so that Chris can learn to recognize it.
Merchandising
Likewise, when you merchandise a shelf, you merchandise primarily for Chris. Norm spots any difference in inventory immediately, even if something is in the wrong place, so it’s not for him. Taylor pre-ordered the new release; they might not even know where it goes on the shelf because they don’t check. So that leaves Chris. Your shelf displays the core products in the order in which customers need them specifically so that Chris can easily determine what to buy next.
With Dungeons & Dragons, for example, that means the core box set first, Players Handbook second, Monster Manual third, Dungeon Masters Guide next. If there’s room on the same shelf, the newest release goes there.
Product Selection
Norm likes a broad selection to match their knowledge of the industry. Norm really, really wants you to stock Amber Diceless Roleplaying, even though it’s been out of print for years, and Norm already has a copy at home. Product diversity is important to Norm; the more you carry, the prouder Norm is of the store. A “Community Favorites” section that recommends old staples and current hotness makes Normal feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Taylor is most likely to buy limited or deluxe editions of standard items. These products tend to have exclusive content that Taylor considers essential. A “New Release” display visible from the front door tells them about new products they might have forgotten about. Taylor also has extensive accessory needs: Taylor needs to regularly replace paints and hobby supplies, always wants more dice and dice bags, or requires sleeves of different colors for different decks.
Chris needs help getting started. Chris is most interested in games with a minimal buy-in or that are easy to learn. For large product lines, Chris needs a clear purchasing path. For example, I have a sign that identifies “What you need to play D&D.” On the checklist are a) friends, b) the Players Handbook, c) a set of dice, and d) a place to play. The sign is next to the Players Handbook and shows Chris exactly where to find each of these things.
Conclusion
These profiles have many more uses, and I reserve the right to return to the topic in a future article. Undoubtedly, you’re already thinking of ways to improve your marketing to different market segments based on their buying and shopping habits rather than which game they play, which is the usual type of segmentation we see in the industry. Feel free to discuss it more at https://www.facebook.com/groups/openinggamestore
As I’m developing my new book, Opening a Tabletop Game Store, I’ve realized there’s a strong need for a companion piece: Buying a Tabletop Game Store. In it, I share the strategies that helped me grow my company’s sales by over 2,500%.
One of the most exciting methods I describe is how to acquire new stores with little to no cash upfront. Imagine expanding your business footprint—whether you aim to own 5, 10, or even 100 stores—without draining your financial resources.
Here’s where I come in: I’m looking to partner with ambitious retailers who are ready to scale up. My role is to arrange the purchases and guide you through the growth process. As your company expands and thrives, I earn based on your increased sales volume. This means you don’t pay me unless you see results, eliminating any financial risk on your end.
Here’s what the process looks like:
The Process
First, we assess your company’s preparedness for growth
Next, we shore up areas in which you’re not yet there
Then, I’ll identify and assess suitable candidates
Afterward, we will establish a maximum purchase price
Finally, I’ll reach out on your behalf and begin negotiations
If, like most retailers, you’re at the first step, check out this article here. It’ll provide some background reading before we talk.
Many retailers worry about the challenges of managing multiple locations. However, with the right systems in place—such as a solid training program and consistent operational procedures—expanding can actually reduce your workload by building a stronger team across your stores.
Affordable Growth
My earnings come from your growth, so you don’t pay me unless your company increases sales volume. Because of that structure, you face no financial risk from my services. You agree to my payment plan and share records to show that I can see that you’re accurately reporting growth. Get started by filling out the form: https://www.lloydwrites.com/contact/
I often hear new to moderately-experienced retailers asking how to make money with RPGs. It’s a question out of my experience. I came into the hobby from D&D, as a player and as a freelancer, and so when I entered into game retail I must have already had a good understanding of how the process worked. At one point I did a year-to-date sales check and noticed that my three main categories: miniatures, role-playing, and collectible cards—were all sitting at exactly 28.1% each of my sales. I was selling just as much D&D as Magic.
This question often comes from retailers whose background lies primarily in collectible card games. They created a store based around running events and selling singles, and they’re unfamiliar with the rest of the industry. That’s a fine start, but it’s tough running a business based on a small number of products. One poorly-received release could choke cash flow. In an effort to diversify for more stable cash flow and to increase overall sales volume, consider RPGs.
Groundwork
Before you buy your first book, assess what you have and where you need to be. The groundwork you lay down includes staffing, product knowledge, image, merchandise, and a plan.
If you’ve never carried or played D&D, this process is more difficult. Familiarity with the products always helps. YouTube can get you started, but you should play at least one session. As with all category expansions, it helps tremendously if you have someone on staff who knows the game. Being able to field questions from customers helps you sell to them, and that familiarity helps in creating a community.
As always, make your store exceptional. Especially if you charge for attendance, the environment has to be clean. Everything has to work—the bathrooms, the lights, the heating or air conditioning. Ideally the store has a consistent design theme and look. You have signage in place.
Having good communication flow with your customers is critical also. Find out where they congregate, whether that’s Facebook, Discord, Instagram, or whatever. Build your online presence through organic methods (never by buying lists or Likes). You have to be able to inform them of planned events and hear what they have to say about what products they want from you next. If you don’t have that communication, start building it. Collect contact information as people express interest in this new product category.
General Practices
The overall strategy is simple: reinvest capital into more merchandise. Encourage and promote game play. Monetize everything.
Reinvest Capital
Reinvesting capital into more merchandise is critical. When you sell a Players Handbook, buy a replacement Players Handbook and buy Volo’s Guide to Everything, for example. When you sell your first Monster Manual, replace it and buy Curse of Strahd. If you start with a larger investment, you’ll reach that stage sooner.
Prioritize turn rates with your investment. A rulebook that costs $27 and nets $150/year is a better investment than a $27 purchase that nets $100/year. If you have a limited budget for restocks, always restock the item that sells more often. Your POS should be able to provide you with an average time between sales. If not, you can calculate it manually or export your data and solve it with Excel. I talk in detail about turn rates here.
Encourage Game Play
Focus on teaching people how to play. I recommend running Lost Mine of Phandelver–the adventure that comes with the starter box—it’s designed to be a tutorial session, and the shared experience with other players creates a bond with that community. Even those players who decide not to continue immediately have a touchstone experience on which to build. Next year, they might be talking to new friends and somebody will mention that they’ve played it. That familiarity and recognition increases the chance that they seek the game out again or are amenable to play with a different group.
Create an event for your game and share it to social media, your website, and place signs in the store. If it’s your first time, spend some money to promote it. Start at least two weeks ahead of time. Charge a fee for this game; people feel more committed to showing up if they’ve paid for an event. I charge $20.
I run Lost Mine over a 4-week period—which makes the $20 buy-in a good value. Characters level after week 1 and level again to level 3 for the finale. Once they complete the adventure, they get a cool certificate and a coupon for a free set of dice when they buy the Players Handbook.
Other events make people think about D&D, get people interested in D&D, and otherwise encourage play. You might
Host a character creation tutorial
Have a character backstory contest
Host a PVP league
Sponsor a character painting contest
Encourage DMs to create and run themed adventures around any given holiday.
Monetize Everything
Charge for the use of your tables. If you come from a background in collectible card games, you’re familiar with charging for events. Consider each D&D game an event.
I’ve seen multiple methods of handling this buy-in to lessen resistance from the community. The best option I’ve seen is to charge $5/player for the session. The DM gets that amount on a gift card or otherwise as store credit. It’s not a big buy-in, and it guarantees a certain spending minimum. It’s an analog for the prize pool in your Magic games—you take in a certain amount of entry fees, and you give out a certain value in prizes.
When you run a painting clinic, charge a fee. Give players something tangible for their fee in addition to the time you spend with them if you like, like a miniature or even an entire paint kit if the buy-in justifies it (and it should).
Apprentice
Start with stocking one copy each of the three core books (Players Handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide, Monster Manual) and the Starter Set. Display these titles face out. Replace them as you sell them. When you start to miss sales due to not having one in stock, order 2 copies of that title.
Order a few sets of Chessex 7-die sets. Order 5-7 colors from each of 3 different price points. When you restock, buy different dice. At this stage, avoid yellow and orange dice.
Order a Chessex 1” square Battlemat and a Chessex 1” square Megamat.
Create an account with Uline and order velvet pouches in 3” x 4” size and 5” x 7” size, 5-8 colors of each. Sell them as dice bags for $2.99 and $3.99. The smaller ones cost $.21 each, for a 93% gross profit. The larger ones are “only” 89% gross profit.
This basic buy-in is about $300.
If you have more capital to invest, order more D&D titles. Search YouTube videos for “Best 5e D&D books” or ask retailers for their best-selling titles on the Facebook page Opening a Tabletop Game Store—these will change when the new rules start coming out.
Your immediate goal at this stage is to expand your product selection to include as many Dungeons & Dragons books as you can stock. Display as many as possible face out.
Immediately start soliciting pre-orders for the next release through those communication networks you’ve created. The more accurately you predict sales, the better your cash flow.
Journeyman
Once you have all the D&D titles, check your POS records to see where your stockouts lie. Double up (or more) on the titles for which you run out of stock.
Next, improve your accessory selection. Add more dice, plushes, miniatures, etc. Steve Jackson Games has some excellent dice bags that display well. Check out their site at sjgames.com.
Add miniatures. Order a selection of character miniatures from WizKids. Get a representative selection of races and classes. By now you know which classes and races people play. People don’t play gnomes and halflings as often as the other races. They play humans, elves, and dwarves. People play paladins and wizards. Monks are rare. Prioritize your miniatures purchases with an eye toward expanding into the full line as soon as cash flow allows.
Offer a paint line if you aren’t already. Unlike with miniatures games, not every D&D player paints models for use. However, giving them the option encourages players to start painting. Add basic hobby supplies: primer, sealer, hobby knives, paint brushes, glue, etc.
Add the Chessex Mondomat and the D&D Tiles sets.
Splash core rulebooks from other games. The least-selling D&D title sells more copies than the best-selling products for most other games. Pathfinder is an exception. It still sells significantly slower than D&D, though.
Likewise, experiment with some third-party 5th edition material. Ask your customers what they’d like to see or what they’re playing. Stock those core rulebooks and experiment.
Start offering painting workshops. You or one of your crew schedules a 3 hour painting event. Charge a fee and provide something for the event.
Master
You carry every D&D book. You have a lot of dice.
What’s next?
At this point, looking to expand volume and profits. Go to www.hddice.com/ and order hundreds of dice sets at a time. Order cheap dice. Buy nice dice. Get premium dice. You might have to package them yourself, but that’s a good thing. Order custom clamshells from visipak.com. Print your own labels with your store logo on it and brand your dice with exotic names.
I call mine “First Edition Dice” (for the regular old opaque dice), “Almost Cheating” and “Killer GM”. You could call yours “Old School”, “Elementally Evil”, “GM Restricted”, “TPK” or some other exotic names. Branded things sell better than descriptive names. They’re also something you can trademark.
Order Crown Royal dice bags from the secondary market. I buy mine from eBay for $1 and sell them for $7.99. Have somebody make leather and chainmail dice bags (I don’t have a source for these—I’ve lost contact with both). Both sell well. This unique and expansive range of accessory products will make customers shop at your store even if another store nearby matches your RPG title selection.
I love props for games. I order a set of three chests billed as “pirate chests” from Amazon and sell them individually for $15, $20 and $25, netting 68% margin for each full set sold. They conveniently sell pretty evenly, too, so I’m never stuck with 5 copies of one size I can’t sell.
Players love metal coin props. You can order a bucket of “pirate gold”, bundle them up in your Uline bags in 20s or 50s and sell them for 75% or more margins.
Stock terrain accessories like WizKids’ 4D Tiles. Provide more options. Support these with a tabletop display and events that make use of the terrain. One such method is to “stock” a killer dungeon and allow groups to bring their PCs to try to beat the dungeon.
Carry every miniature. I stock the entire range of Reaper’s Bones plastics, Bones Black, and their paints. I stock every WizKids miniature. Reaper also has bundles of minis and accessories that sell well, from painting cases to carrying cases to learn-to-paint kits.
If you aren’t doing it already, add secondary market products—that is, used games. Display modules and smaller sourcebooks in magazine-size bags with boards from BCW; you’ll protect the product and have a place to stick a price tag without damaging the goods. Some of these high-end collector products sell for hundreds of dollars, earning their shelf space and providing you with an ever-changing display to keep shoppers coming back to see what’s new.
Selling used RPGs is much less common than it used to be in game stores. Now the store that carries them has a distinct competitive advantage over other stores.
If you have not added tables friendlier to role-playing, consider adding some. If you are using the Melltorp tables from Ikea for your card games (which I recommend), switch out your buffet tables for these superior fixtures. Your D&D players can push two together for a perfect gaming table.
Conclusions
It seems simple. Order what sells fastest. Encourage people to play games. Profit.
It is simple. It’s not always easy. Running uphill is simple. It’s not always easy.
The missing ingredient is excitement. I love D&D. I’ve been playing it since 1980, and I started teaching new players right away, so selling it is easier for me than it is for somebody less familiar with the hobby, but you undoubtedly have people with that passion in your market. Hire them.
Fostering strong relationships with local businesses can significantly enhance your store’s visibility, community engagement, and overall success. By collaborating with neighboring businesses, you not only reach new customers but also create unique experiences that attract and retain loyal patrons.
First, Some Groundwork
I’m a firm believer in identifying your service area, ideally before you even open. Start by drawing a 5-mile radius circle around your store on a map. Increase this circle in a low-density area and shrink it a little in a high-density area. Then look for geographic features that form natural borders, like rivers, mountains, and highways. If your circle is near those features, draw the borders of your area to fit.
That area yields the richest results from any marketing or advertising you do. Don’t ignore the rest of the world, but focus your efforts in that blob on the map.
Do that anyway, even if you don’t pursue the advice in this article.
If you do use the content in this article, concentrate your cooperative efforts in this service area first. Start with the businesses that are close to you and have the most overlap with your own customers’ interests. Focus next on high-traffic routes to your store, especially on right-hand businesses on the drive home from work.
Don’t Go in Cold
Once you identify a good candidate for interaction, create a relationship. Check google for their slow time of the day and go visit. Go into their store and buy something. Interact with the owner or manager. Introduce yourself.
Then leave.
Give the business a positive review on Google, Facebook, or Yelp.
Talk to them again soon afterward. They’ll remember you, your engagement, and your review. Talk shop a minute if possible. Ask if they’d like to work together. Propose a specific event that provides benefit to both sides. During this conversation, propose exactly what it is you expect and what you offer on your side. Remember that the best relationships provide benefits to all participants. Here are some examples to provide some inspiration.
Shopping Center Co-Ops
It’s not common, but some shopping centers have an advertising co-op. You advertise the shopping center itself and feature the stores in the shopping center. Everybody pitches in for the advertising, either a fixed amount or a proportional amount based on square footage. If your shopping center doesn’t do this, talk to the other storefronts to see if they’d be interested.
Likewise, you could apply a similar proposal to nearby game stores. Ask everyone to pitch in on a big-ticket advertising opportunity, like billboards. You might advertise a simple message like Friday Night Magic, for example, and show the logos of up to four stores on the ad.
Local Game Manufacturers
Any local designers should be in your shop as often as possible already because they want to promote their games to existing game buyers. However, if you’re not already hosting them, invite them in to promote their games.After all, nobody is a more effective champion for a game than its creator.
Better yet, if the local designer is well-known, offer to host a “celebrity game” where customers can play with the designer. You can auction off seats in a Dutch auction and donate the funds to a charity of the designer’s choice.
Restaurants/Cafes/Coffee Shops
Offer to host a game night at the restaurant. Suggest social deduction games like Werewolf. Give away gift cards for prizes (provided by either you or the host).
Schools/Colleges
Ask if the school has a gaming club; if not, offer to provide the club with some starter materials if they have a teacher willing to act as the sponsor. If they are, offer to host events or provide prizes for events they run.
Pat Fuge at Gnome Games in Wisconsin has taken school relationships about 100 steps beyond this exchange. He has mapped out a game for every standard taught in schools at every grade level. Little ones learning single-digit addition? He has a game (or probably 20 for that one). The French Revolution? There’s a game for that. The periodic table? Pat knows what to bring.
Pat sets up game sessions with enough copies for every student to play and provides staff trained to teach the game. The school checks off a standard, and 20-30 new kids learn about Gnome Games.
If you want to learn more, drop Pat a line. He hosts a course where he teaches his method to retailers from all over the country. His store is https://gnomegames.com/
Social Media Creators
One of my crew was a big fan of Mann Shorts, a YouTube channel by a local creative team. He arranged a meet & greet with the team and its fans. They set up a table in the game room, and they offered a discount on merch with a $5 or more purchase from the store. It was a great sales day, and the foot traffic created the busiest Monday we ever had. The Mann Shorts guys loved the chance to meet their fans and they seemed very pleased with their interaction with the store. To see the kind of content they create, check out their channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbOO4-QoJKEMNusydXSVMaQ
Arcades/Video Game Stores
Jen Oven at Oddwillow’s Game Haven in Mukwonago WI trades prizes with a local arcade. Each side provides gift cards or prizes for the other shop’s tournaments. Jen’s store is https://www.oddwillows.com/ if you want to reach out to her for more—she excels at this type of marketing.
Anything Around
Jen at Oddwillow’s also corralled local businesses into doing a “shop hop.” Customers get a stamp card from any participating store and get a stamp from each store when they enter. Once it’s filled out, they can submit it for a drawing for free prizes from each location.
Jen credits both examples of local collaboration for bringing in new customers.
Measuring Success
With this type of cooperative promotion, don’t expect to measure success based on one-time sales. Instead, look for long-term community growth. A single Games Workshop customer spends about $3,000 during his or her lifetime in the hobby. Magic players spend almost the same amount. It doesn’t take many new customers to show significant growth with these figures.
If you are thinking about buying the Game Retailer Guide, you might be concerned about the publication date. The industry has changed since that book’s release over ten years ago.
Phone Books
What’s a phone book? Don’t worry about it. Just understand that it’s no longer a main source of new customers.
TV Ads
Formerly an advertising staple, don’t make it a core part of your initial plan. You can still explore it on your own.
Other Advertising Media
Technology has presented new opportunities, especially regarding the cost-effectiveness of advertising. It used to be that advertising in many places had a pretty big buy-in. Now you can spend a couple of dollars at a time if necessary.
The Numbers Have Changed
The percentages are still largely the same, but you won’t find a suite to rent for $1,700 a month. Keep that in mind as you go through the book and laugh longingly at how low the costs are. The good news is that every category of sales has increased, so the expected revenue numbers are higher, too.
Malls
Indoor malls are still around, but in some cases only by inertia. They probably aren’t a factor in your thinking.
LANs
I’m not even mentioning LANs in the new book.
Manufacturer Tools
Already in decline when I wrote the GRG, manufacturers provide retailers with very little in the way of sales tools. You might get a dangler here and there. Several companies offer merchandising displays, but they tend to be a one-time deal; if you miss it, it’s gone. Co-op advertising money is entirely gone, as far as I know. Even demo volunteers are not a big factor in the environment anymore.
Rent Negotiation
Continued consolidation of commercial properties into remotely-owned corporations has reduced the ability to negotiate rent. Many of these companies have non-negotiable terms, and the local property manager’s job is expected to maintain the property, not to haggle over rent.
Game Distribution
Distribution continues to offer less and less and stock fewer copies of what they carry. More manufacturers are going direct to stores. I had to switch my Reaper restocks directly to Reaper because they never bothered to restock my primary distributor. Other companies—especially those that launched on Kickstarter—are going directly to consumers and bypassing game distribution entirely.
Buying Used
I made second-hand merchandise a big part of my business model. FLGS sold used RPGs, used miniatures, used board games, used Legos, and even GW bits. Customers used to bring in carloads of these things for sale. Now customers have easy options for selling directly to each other, and they expect more for their goods. It’s harder to stock a large selection of used goods. You can still do it, but it takes more work, and you need a more curated section than the hundreds of RPG titles I used to be able to carry.
Conclusion
Disregard these components, and the remaining content still provides a great value. The key instructions on estimating startup costs, planning for a capital reserve, and using events to drive sales are all still valid. The processes for finding the numbers you need still work, even while the numbers themselves change.
