I know of a comic book store that also runs an anime movie rental service and appearantly does okay with it. I find that a lot of comic book readers are also engaged in anime. It might be a good field to enter into. Action figures are a good idea as well.
I don't think video games would be a good idea...there's a lot of ties to that sort of business and it' s not easy to work with unless you already have some ties to it. (connections)
Oh yeah. Manga is basically Japanese comic books so I think the two go hand in hand. It's really hard to find a comic book store that carries a good selection of manga as well.
Hm. I'll have to check it out, I know that English translations are available online, but are they actually available as the manga itself, something other than translated scans? maybe its a dumb question. lol.
Well the manga and stuff are great ideas, but overall I'd say once you make sure sure you have a killer selection you'll attraction costumers. The limited amount of titles they sell on the island are usually scattered so I end up having to drive all over the place for what i want. Having everything in a convenient location will def help.
Sorry, but I've never exactly seen much benefit in a bookstore/restaurant other than having a place to eat while you read the book without paying.
Customer service. I'm sure you already know this but your attitude towards your costumers will help. Befriend them, encourage them to stop by and bring their friends. Even have cards to hand out to new customers. I can't tell you how many times a smiling face has encouraged me to make purchases.
Be versatile. Make other types of books availible. Manga is good, but also novels, like some fantasy titles, might make good additions.
Seriously like Psyquis said, just put a lil spearmint to get rid of rats. Its a known fact rats hate all X-titles so I start by putting some spearmint around there
You definitely have helped, my next question was actually going to be towards selection. Obviously I have to have DC and Marvel stuff. I don't know much about other companies except Dark Horse. Any other names I should be aware of? (i'm still new to the comic world myself, the comic book shop I should say is kinda my husband's idea as well).
and also, employees. People constantly try to convince me to hire people over 21 saying they are "more responsible" am I the only one thinking that's bull crap? I'd rather hire anyone able to do the job, no matter the age, so long as they can do the job well.
Vertigo has a huge fan-base as well as Image. There was Valiant from back in the day and they had a fan base going for a while but now the only thing you see from them is those Turok shooting games. I'm a bit rusty on the rest but you'd be suprised what all people would buy so keep your options open and don't turn your back on any titles just because it's unfamiliar.
I agree with not putting an age restriction on hiring. Heck, if you know a responsible 16 year-old then hire her/him. My wife was more responsible than I am when she was 15 so don't close your doors on anyone younger for that reason but just the same I'm going to shoot out some stereotypes for you...
1.) Guys are usually less responsible than girls. Again these are stereotypes but seriously they do help.
2.) College students will call in at a moment's notice. They fake sick often because they want to do somethinig other than work.
3.) Women are hard to work with. Most girls like drama and will cause drama just to have something to talk about.
4.) Women can be incredibly competitive. Men are competitive physically. We like to play sports and video games. You can tell when a guy is being competitive. Women conive and use off-handed methods for their enemies. They can be very evil.
5.) Most men fake they don't know how to do something so we won't have to. It's true.
6.) Most ninjas wear black. It's not true. Don't you believe it.
7.) Psyquis is actually a girl's name. That's a lie from the pit of hell.
8.) Women are natural multi-taskers.
9.) Men are good for single tasks and long term projects
10.) Everybody from Indiana are inbreeders and generally bad people.
Again these are just stereotypes. I mean no offense to anyone. However, it might be helpful.
Also take a little time to research Personality Profilers. They can come in real handy. You can get a Sanguine/Melancholy personality profile test for free online if you look it up but if you want a really good personality profile test then I recommend the DISC personality profile, but that is a little expensive.
well, i'm heading out, I'm moving out tomorrow and won't be on for a while, but seriously guys, keep leaving comments in this thread on anything you think should be in a comic book store, tips, anything. I'll find a way to check back from time to time.
Alright, I realize this is an old and dead thread of mine, but I'm still considering this, might go back to school just to get my business degree so i can open this up.
Someone gave me the idea of, instead of a restaraunt, doing a Starbucks in there. I'm living in another town now, and it's fairly small, near the border of indiana, but someone said we needed a starbucks, etc, and I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea.
But I need something other than just comics, there's a comics store here already but it's never open, it might be shut down, from lack of business. I need some fresh ideas.
Collectors Action Figures! Sell the latest and if possible rare action figures. There are times I skip the comics and go straight for the next A.F that will adorn my desk.
As for the "celebrities" go, it dont have to be real famous. My local comic book shop sometimes brings some guy from Babylon 5 and the place usually gets packed. Celebrities from old/cult shows might make an appearance cheap since a lot of them are has beens.
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"A lie, Mr. Mulder, is most convincingly hidden between two truths." Deep Throat.
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I say NO. Because my aunt is opening a coffe shop and she wanted to have all thse like diffrent foods and all this other stuff and her advisor person said to just keep it simple and stick to the core stuff that your shop advertises (In your case comics and maybe manga) he said you dont want to get to complicated or else you'll end up having to much stuff and you wont be able to maintain it all.
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Games I'm waiting for in the Wii VC: Mario RPG, Paper Mario, TMNT: Turtles in Time, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dream Land 3
What my favorite shop does and gets a lot of loyal customers. He makes a bin for each good customer(name and number) and in there is comic titles you pick. This way we know each month is kept up to date with comics.
KMC Community Forums
May 20th, 2006 02:30 AM
