I need a little help tracking down information

[miacis3101]

Hello,

I am looking to open a small game store and am currently researching information for my business plan. I am having difficulty tracking down some information regarding customer statistics for this industry and would greatly appreciate any help in tracking it down. Thank you in advance.

[huggytree]

small game as in small animals to hunt

or small game as in kids games???

[miacis3101]

As in games, Geek games to be specific. Role playing games, collectible card games, board games...

[tmerrill]

have you tried the US Census Burea at www.census.gov (http://www.census.gov)?

[DeniseTaylor]

I think it might help you to do an analysis on what information you're looking for. Obviously, you'll need demographics, but what exactly. If your store will appeal to members of the community that are of X age, then demographics will help you with information. Neighborhood demographics will further assist because you'll want to be located in an area where your target market is abundant.

Next, if there are other businesses in your area similar to what you want to start, try visiting them and observe what you see. Perhaps you could become a customer and research how they deal with customers, etc. If the store is very busy, then perhaps you can make a go of it. If the store is not busy, they could be struggling.

However, in either case, you'd have to ask yourself "why," because you may or may not do the same thing. It all depends on your imagination and creativity. You can always build a better mousetrap. But if there is not enough support from the community, your job will be that much harder.

Good luck!

[miacis3101]

Thank you, I will check into that

[miacis3101]

I think one of the biggest things I have going for this type of business is that there is no real competition in the area. There are a couple of places that carry a very limited supply of the products I plan on specializing in so I see a large competitive edge there. One of the main parts of this type of business is events; card game competitions and such. All of this, combined with a total lack of anything for kids and adults to do in the area gives me hope for a decent business opportunity.

[rshughes]

Agree with tmerrill, use the 2010 census data to help you (after all, you paid for it). Find communities with young adults (specifically engineering students if you offer role-playing games) as well as the more senior/retired population for the card games. Maybe look for casinos in the area too, there may be a tie-in there. Or youth centers that are looking for new activities to offer.

[huggytree]

what exact info are you looking for?

you will never get exact info and assume most of your guess's/assumptions will be high by 50-100% or more

if your in a larger city im sure you'll do ok...if you live in a town of 1,000 you have no chance

arent most of the Geek's just going to buy over the internet? whats the advantage of buying from a physical store? i would think a physical store would have to charge 25% more than the internet because of it being a 'specialty' business

a specialty business is probably the most risky....most seem to last 6 months to a year........id think doing it over the internet would reduce costs and risk...your basement can be your warehouse..

[miacis3101]

what exact info are you looking for?

you will never get exact info and assume most of your guess's/assumptions will be high by 50-100% or more

if your in a larger city im sure you'll do ok...if you live in a town of 1,000 you have no chance

arent most of the Geek's just going to buy over the internet? whats the advantage of buying from a physical store? i would think a physical store would have to charge 25% more than the internet because of it being a 'specialty' business

a specialty business is probably the most risky....most seem to last 6 months to a year........id think doing it over the internet would reduce costs and risk...your basement can be your warehouse..



The advantage of having a brick and mortar shop that provides these specialty products is providing a forum for those people to get together and play the game and interact with one another. The major player in the TCG (Trading Card Game) industry is Wizards of the Coast and every time they release a new module for the still popular "Magic the Gathering" gaming stores across the nation have large tournaments. I think this type of venue, along with other games like Warhammer (A table top miniatures game), traditional pen and paper role playing games, and even board games could prove to be a fun and profitable business...if executed correctly. I'm not just jumping into something like this, I will need a lot of information before I attempt this and the US census data will be a good place to start.

[rebelnetworks]

try doing some google searches as well -

[SellRex]

There is a very tiny bit of info on D&D meetups at: Dungeons & Dragons Meetup Groups - Dungeons & Dragons Meetups (http://dnd.meetup.com/)

You might be able to drill down to some of the specific groups and glean some info for your business plan, such as facilities, frequency of gaming meetups, membership, array of games played. I noticed that several of the meetup groups/gaming stores have posted pictures. You might get some valuable info just inspecting the way that these meetups are organized. There is always the possibility of a few phone calls to the organizers. I'm sure that since you wouldn't be in direct competition with them that they would be willing to talk to you. D&D-types are about the most friendly people you'll ever meet.