Friendly Local Game Store: A Five-Year Path to a Middle-Class Income

by Gary L. Ray

Build the Store Your Community Deserves.

Tabletop gaming is on the rise. If you love games like Catan,, Magic: The Gathering, or Dungeons & Dragons; like the sound of being your own boss; and are willing to dive deep into what it takes to build a successful business, then this is a book for you.

In Friendly Local Game Store, you’ll learn what you need to know to build a store that doesn’t just sell games, but creates a community where games are beloved:

* A detailed look at your store’s startup costs, and why starting off undercapitalized is worse than not starting at all.

* An exploration of your store’s unique value proposition, and why Amazon will eat your lunch if you don’t have one.

* A sober examination of why you should think twice about hybrid stores with cafés, coffee shops, or bars.

* Inventory management 101: your open-to-buy budget, turn rate fundamentals, sales per square foot, and more.

* Running in-store events, hiring and managing employees, and navigating social media.

* But most importantly, how your game store can provide you with a reliable, middle-class income.

Among this down-to-earth advice, Gary Ray shares the stories of his years running Black Diamond Games. From the moment he realized he was going to leave his IT job, to the third-year move necessary for the store to keep growing, to the time he forced his lender to renegotiate his mortgage. Even if you don’t want to open a game store, you’ll appreciate these stories about what it takes.

Do you believe in the power of the friendly local game store? This is the book for you!

Foreword by Travis Severance (Millennium Games, Rochester, NY).

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

1: Bistro Math

2: Running the Numbers

3: Motivation

4: Unique Value Proposition

5: Financing Your Dream

6: Marketing Your Game Store

7: Events

8: Selling Online

9: Purchasing and Inventory Management

10: Management

Narrative Chapters

In the Beginning

The First Year, When Everything Changed

Camaraderie, Freedom, Mastery, and Your Soul

Loneliness and Alienation

The Turning Point

The Bending Over

Courtesy as Flirtation

The Expansion Kickstarter Part I: The Plan

The Expansion Kickstarter Part II: Backstop

The Expansion Kickstarter Part III: If You (Can) Build It…

The Doctor Who Effect

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

187 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2018

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for those interested in the niche business of running a gaming store. It also introduces a number of core small business principles for those without a business background. A brisk read with a lot of helpful detail and practical advice.

[Chris Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast read. Good stories and on topic. Being from the region the store is located added an element to the overall advice and story.

[Neal Cronkite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someday I’d like to open a game store. It’s a been a dream for a while now, but never anything more than that. Gary’s book added a necessary dose of realism to that dream. Maybe I’ll open my store, most likely not. All the same, this book was eye opening and a worthwhile journey through what the day-to-day operations of a small game store look like.

[Ira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Must Read for Every Aspiring Retailer (Gamer or Otherwise)

This was an impressively tight little book, walking through opening a game/hobby retail shop from ideation through business plan through evolutionary stages. More importantly, the author provided real world financial numbers and built out both his projections and recommendations for start-up and models for on-going, all while using understandable "bistro math" (i.e., back of the cocktail napkin).

Intermingled between the brass tacks analysis (written cleanly and thoughtfully) were chapters on the Author's own personal ups and downs and real world experiences. All of these chapters were focused, tight and stayed away from the trite.

Perhaps the most important thing the book did for me -- personally -- is it scratched a phantom itch. Boardgaming is currently my one hobby/passion and I heard about this book on a gaming podcast (shout out to the Heavy Cardboard herd). I've had random thoughts about "wouldn't it be great to run a game store, maybe in retirement." The Author all but broke the fourth wall, slapped me across the face multiple time and made me realize it would be absolutely stupid to do that because what I really want to do is volunteer (maybe) from time-to-time. But reading this book both helped me see behind the curtain AND allowed me to go through the mental exercise of crunching numbers.

Great book for any retail aspirant.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever thought about running your own game store, or are just curious about the economics of running one, then you need this book.

There are lots of places you can get advice on how to start your own business, but this book does more than just give you abstract theory. It gives you actual numbers, and concrete advice on evaluating them (with the caveat that ultimately you're making an educated guess when it comes to predicting future sales).

My father was a small business owner, and while I learned a decent amount about general management from him, I learned more about the financial side of running a small business from this book than I ever knew before. Also, the management advice is pretty solid too.

This book will be the most help to someone just getting started, but I suspect that most existing game store owners could also learn a thing or two from reading this book.

[Cat Tobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very often, books of this type are vague and waffly. Gary's book is clear, concise, and 100% gold for anyone looking to get involved in the games industry on a professional basis - full of hard truths and realistic, well-explained facts about the basics of setting up and working in a games store. Absolutely recommended for anyone in the games industry.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and informative.
Biggest take away- I never want to own my own business.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful information for anyone wanting to open their own store. It isn't a fun read by any stretch of the imagination, but it will help ready one for the numerous pitfalls this industry contains.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful, sobering look at the realities of small speciality retail ownership.

[Ippokratis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique view of a person who crossed the line and turned his hobby into his job. If this is what you would like (or wish) to do, this is the book to land your emotions to the ground...

[Courtney Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

very specific, very helpful, and well-written too!