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Dragon Snack Games - Buffalo kickstarter

Dragon Snack

By Dragon Snack,
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Dragon Snack Godlike

Dragon Snack

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Hey Reaper-peeps, remember me? I used to be a thing hereabouts (no really, look at my post count), but my posting dropped off significantly when I opened my own game store back in 2009 ("living the dream" doesn't tend to give you "free time")...

 

And speaking of that game store, I'm in the process of moving my store to Buffalo, NY. It's a much bigger area to do business in (200,000 people within 3 miles of my store, as opposed to 65,000 in the entire county for my current store) and has a few more competitors. Because of that, I'm hoping to make my new store the best it can be and to do so, I've started my own Kickstarter!

 

If you know anyone in the Buffalo, NY area that's into gaming, please let them know about my Kickstarter. Or, even better, if you remember my posts (and they didn't annoy you too much), back it yourself! I'll even take backers who just want to help out a local game store even if they'll never set foot in it themselves...

 

So, without further ado, submitted for your approval, the Dragon Snack Games - Buffalo Kickstarter...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/978735882/dragon-snack-games-buffalo-tabletop-hobby-game-sto

Edited by Darsc Zacal
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CashWiley Godlike

CashWiley

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I wouldn't be sad if you were able to muscle into the Syracuse market as an alternative to the current GW/M:tG/Heroclix place that has dominated there so long.

... Wouldn't that be about three hours *East*?

 

;)

 

It would! Well, that would be two hours east, but ideally a shop could open up next door to my house, which is in turn another hour to the east.
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Dragon Snack

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Utica (going by your "3 hours" reference) is an interesting market.  AFAIK, it's never supported a thriving store, but I'm not sure if that's because of poor attempts or the low median income of the area.  I've talked with one of the owners of a former store there and even he admitted they did many things wrong.

 

There are over 20,000 people in the 18-44 age group, that means there should be around 600 gamers.  However, having run a store for nearly 6 years, I've come to realize that "3% of the population is a gamer" stat that has been bandied about may not be realistic (the study that popularized this was from 1999, so it is dated, and online stores have likely taken their toll since).  A store is never going to cater to every local gamer anyway, it's just a matter of fact.

College gaming clubs have a huge influence on the surrounding community (not only are they customers themselves, many run conventions to help grow/solidify the gaming scene - provided they do it right) and Utica only has 2 relatively small colleges.  I'm not sure there is a "critical mass" of gamers at either college.

 

There is a store in Herkimer that is looking into expanding into Utica sometime in the next year, but he's very Magic-centric...

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scorpio616 Godlike

scorpio616

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Hey, you might want to have the new place inspected by a professionally before you buy it. You don't want any surprises you can avoid, like having to bring a building back up to codes that didn't even exist when the building was put together. That kind of BS is why large chains often just tear down buildings and rebuild on the lot.

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CashWiley

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I was mostly joking. The last hobby shop in my town (near Utica) was in the 80s, but we could get the old Polly S paints and Partha/Grenadier boxes and 1st ed AD&D!

 

It's a really tough region to start any business, I know several people who are running small businesses and trying to make a difference. There's actually something of a Renaissance in small business here, but there is a long-standing negativity. Both for supporting local business and maybe even worse, a tendency to go to Utica for everything.

 

I think things are getting a bit better as people become more aware of the importance of buying local and avoiding chains, but it's a very steep slope.

 

Add onto that how extremely niche the gaming market is and it's a scary proposition. I'm not much of a gamer, but I've considered opening a small shop just to cultivate a paint group. But I'm too selfish with my free time, I wouldn't want to spend every evening there :)

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Dragon Snack Godlike

Dragon Snack

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I've never had a chance to visit your store (I think it was closed the few times I went by) but I always loved that Mt. Morris had a game store. (I get to Geneseo on occasion.) I'll be sad to see it go. Best of luck in Buffalo!

Oddly enough, there were two small card shops in Mt Morris a few years before I opened, so there were some YGO and Magic customers built in.

 

There will still be another store here, but it's a sore subject.  I handed a "friend" my business (this location and customers, at a VERY low price) and he repaid me by stabbing me in the back and moving out of my location overnight without saying a word to me.  All so he could save $200/month (in business that's not a lot of money)...

 

Hey, you might want to have the new place inspected by a professionally before you buy it. You don't want any surprises you can avoid, like having to bring a building back up to codes that didn't even exist when the building was put together. That kind of BS is why large chains often just tear down buildings and rebuild on the lot.

I'm actually renting the new place, so bringing it up to code was the landlords responsibility.  Thankfully...

 

I was mostly joking. The last hobby shop in my town (near Utica) was in the 80s, but we could get the old Polly S paints and Partha/Grenadier boxes and 1st ed AD&D!

 

It's a really tough region to start any business, I know several people who are running small businesses and trying to make a difference. There's actually something of a Renaissance in small business here, but there is a long-standing negativity. Both for supporting local business and maybe even worse, a tendency to go to Utica for everything.

 

I think things are getting a bit better as people become more aware of the importance of buying local and avoiding chains, but it's a very steep slope.

 

Add onto that how extremely niche the gaming market is and it's a scary proposition. I'm not much of a gamer, but I've considered opening a small shop just to cultivate a paint group. But I'm too selfish with my free time, I wouldn't want to spend every evening there :)

I'm still surprised Utica or someplace around it doesn't have a game store.  There are a lot of smaller towns that do have them.

 

There has been a Renaissance for a lot of small towns in the past few years.  Some have cultivated it a little better than others.  I was the first to come back onto Main St here and survive (when they did the big "introductions" at our "Main Street Reopening" a few years ago I was the oldest of the new wave, then there was a span of 6 years to the next oldest business), but I know the negativity you talk of as well.  Sadly, it ranks up there in my decision to move (when the Mayor laughs in your face when you bring an issue up with him, the writing is on the wall)...

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scorpio616 Godlike

scorpio616

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My apologies if these page are redundant, but some of the notions seem critical, like getting Exclusivity and Co-tenancy clauses.

 

https://www.sba.gov/blogs/6-tips-negotiating-commercial-property-lease-without-getting-burned

 

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/money-guides/6-tips-for-renting-small-business-space-1.aspx

 

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-10-16/how-startups-negotiate-favorable-leases

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greyhaze Master

greyhaze

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I'm still surprised Utica or someplace around it doesn't have a game store. There are a lot of smaller towns that do have them.

I've been to the Utica area for some conventions like TripleCon (and another which eludes me at this time), there were gaming store attendees that were local.  I can't imagine they've all dried up.

 

reason for edit *bah! how do you drive this thing!*

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