Open a Brick and Mortar Game Store
My name is Jason, and I own a small online company that sells board games and other hobby items. We are called Apt to Game, and you can see our website here: http://www.apttogame.com
The board game industry is, in my opinion, the best industry anyone could be in. We sell fun in a box. Our mission is to make this fun as affordable as possible. We offer some of the most competitive prices in the country, and we would like to continue offering that same level of affordability in a physical retail location.
We have chosen a location in Edmonton, Alberta, near 57th Avenue and 104th Street. The amount of traffic that passes by this location is very high and it is close to public transit making it a highly visible location.
Having a retail location offers a number of benefits - the most important to us being the ability to interact with our amazing customers in person. Gamers are the friendliest, most generous, most understanding group of people I have ever met, and I am happier every day that I decided to enter this industry.
In our new store, we plan to have a great selection of board games, comics, miniatures and collectibles. Trading card games, Collectible card games, Living card games, and everything between. We will also have a gaming area where you can come in and play and socialize for free. You can also buy a VIP membership which offers fringe benefits like a free drink per day when you come and play and the occassional free booster pack of Magic, Pokemon or other trading cards.
Why the urgency? There are some important changes coming regarding the distribution of board games in Canada which has accelerated our timeline for opening a retail location. Publishers are becoming increasingly strict about who sells their products and for what price. Many are enforcing a strict policy against selling their products from an online-only venue, forcing retailers to have a public-facing, physical retail location.
Moving from the online world into the physical one is a big step and there are a great deal of costs involved. Security deposit for the lease, utilities, equipment and fixtures, insurance... It all requires up front expenditures and deposits
The total costs involved for the small location we have decided on are $18,050. We have been able to raise $7,500 on our own, and now we are reaching out for the rest. We don't expect anything for nothing, so we've offered reward levels that you may choose if you decide to offer your assistance.
I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped out this far, and to all of my customers who have helped us get to this point. Every one of you has been amazing, and I look forward to seeing many of you in my store in the near future!
