So, I'm in the middle of writing upa Business Plan to use in order to get Grants and Gov't loans to open up a business. I think as I progress I'll use this thread to post questions on things related to opening said shop. I really want to carry original artwork from anime, as well as cels and the like. I have plenty of contacts to get things I need, but I'd like to hear opinions, wether be good or bad, on opening an anime shop.
So, if you've tried this before I'd really love to hear from you as well as possibly contact you in the future for help and opinions. Otherwise, you the consumer, are VERY important to my business!
So, to start, what items would you like to see me carry? I'd like to offer commission work from artists too. What do you think of that idea?
I know there's more to ask, but I'm in a foul mood right now -_-! If I think of more later...I'll be sure to post =)!
Thanks in advance for all of your opinions and input! As I progress I'll be asking more questions!
Ja!
On Opening An Anime Shop...
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Zetsuai
- Kishin - Fierce God
- Posts: 358
- Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2005 11:53 am
- Location: Berlin / Germany
- Contact:
I opened a little Zetsuai-Merchandise Online-Shop a week ago on my homepage (the english version is not completly translated yet) ... but I don't have any Business Plan or something like that ... it is more or less only selling privat things ... but nevertheless I could maybe help you in some questions ... (^_^) ...
http://www.zetsu.de/Shop/index.php?sp=en
http://www.zetsu.de/Shop/index.php?sp=en
First off, good luck to you in your endeavor, Ms. Poe! I really do hope all your planning and efforts pay off in the long run. With that said, I would like to offer some insights from my perspective. I won't say I'm being realistic, because my nature leans towards pessimistic. Still.
Have you worked in a retail store before? Not at a customer service desk, but an actual store - running registers, manual labor, stocking, dealing with the customers, et cetera. Now granted, it may not be the world's most difficult job - but it can be one of the most frustrating, stressful, mediocre jobs on the face of the planet. Anyone can do it, but emotionally not everyone can handle it.
I have over eight years experience working in retail myself. Never went to college, don't have any useable skills, and sadly, regrettably, it is all I know how to do. I have worked as management in both national chain stores as well as the single, small-business shops. And I tell you right now, unless you are a born people-lover with a vastless open mind, limitless patience, are laid-back with no bad temper to speak of, it will suck! I myself have been reduced to tears countless times by both customers and bosses, and have had at least two break-downs that I can recall. I've watched fellow employees fall apart, including a manager who LOVED her job of five years and loved talking to everyone who came into our store - she emotionally melted during what would be her last Christmas there.
So if you have not worked in a retail store before, do so first! Get a feel for the atmosphere, taste the reality of it and see if you find it agreeable. See how you react to the staff, the customers, the higher-ups. It is not just about selling a product!
Secondly, my advice after you've been immersed in the actual running of someone else's store for at least 6 months and feel you can tackle your own place, take business classes (if you haven't already during your school years). Learn marketing, learn accounting, take a refresher math course if you need to, and even try those "self-help" courses that offer to improve your verbal skills (speaking in public) and how to handle confrontations. This will be your store, you will be the voice that promotes it, and you will be the one to give it a future. And as they say, knowledge is power. Don't set yourself up for any surprises.
You said you are writing a business plan, so you know the importance of having a well-thought out path to follow, to know you cannot just wing-it, but have direction, purpose and drive. Bravo!
I would like to warn you, however, that don't put too much hope in grants and loans. Banks cover their own arses and grants are so damn picky, you have to have a proven technique, experience and a product or service that has potential before anyone will give you a dime! I know someone who did all that, and her grant was only $2,000. You're lucky if that will even pay one month's rent on your store!
My advice is be sure YOU are in a good place financially before opening a store. Make sure you can cover your own living expenses and the business. You should be prepared to pay for all of the store's expenses from your own pocket for at least three months (I'd say six) before the store starts paying for itself.
Another thing that I learned from the owner of the small-business gift shop I managed, be frugal! Be a coupon-clipper! Be on the look-out for good deals and cheaper services! You may have good contacts for suppliers, but make sure they are offering you the best prices on the market. Also remember that in retail, you do not make a profit unless you mark items up by two or three times! You have to learn to be a good haggler, and be ready to fight for what you want at the price you want! To do that, also, you must KNOW YOUR PRODUCT! Know the market, know what the competitors are selling it for.
Love of what your offering, knowledge and ambition helps, but please remember it's a business. It should make money in order to be considered a success. Depending on where you live, this may be extremely difficult. I would like to state that where I live, NONE of the stores I worked in were well-off! Two of the chain stores I worked in (CVS and K*B Toys) and one mid-level tri-state area chain (clothing) all CLOSED due to lack of sales and bankruptcy; the small-business STRUGGLED so horribly that if the owner's wife hadn't been their family's actual source of income, it would've closed years ago. In my eight years here, I've noticed first-hand and spoken to many owners the business declining.
Another thing to take into consideration is your customers, the people you want to attract. Will they buy your items? Is there a need for another anime store where you live? Will you have better prices, better selection, better quality to make customers want to come to YOU, instead of going somewhere else??
This may sound harsh on my part, but I do NOT mean this as an insult to anyone anywhere, but in my experiencing watching the anime market for the last six years I've noticed one thing about anime people: they do not buy. They are penny-pinchers (most because they are teenagers) and they like their mp3 sharing and downloadable episodes; they'd rather get their items for free online or for cheap off eBay rather than spend the high prices of items imported from Japan. You should know from just trying to sell items on eBay for what you bought them at. Hardly ever happens, doesn't it?
Online marketers have also made anime stores difficult to operate in the flesh, if you will. Let's face it, the internet doesn't need another anime reseller, and many people I know these days get their stuff dirt-cheap staright from Yahoo Japan. I myself am included in that. Often times I've noted a Japanese product in a store and thought to myself: "Humph, I can get that cheaper on eBay!" And it's true.
This is why you need to know not only your customers, but the customers in YOUR AREA. Are there any? Do you know how to find them? Do you know where to advertise to appeal to people further away to drive to your store instead of searching the internet or driving elsewhere (like say Philadelphia or NYC).
Take into consideration YOURSELF! Please, please be aware that customers are the most ignornat, self-centered and nasty group of people in the world! The longer you're in the business, the more will pop out of the woodworks. Please honestly evaluate your personality, how you handle disagreeable people, confrontations and rules. The age-old adage that "the customer is always right" should ring true even now, however you have to know how to "schmooze" and "finagle" people to stay within the boundaries of your own policies. Do not break your rules for one person, because they'll always expect you to bend for them, and plus it's not fair to other people. You have to be slick, yet honest, and you should have impeccable manners! You CANNOT yell, get fiery or kick people out just because you do not like their opinions or attitude. And believe me, you will get attitude. You will get threatened, you will get yelled at, you will get whiners, you will get parents who take anger on their kids out on you, you will get items thrown in your face! You will get snotty kids and uppity teenagers who will scoff and make spiteful comments behind your back. You will get crazies, old people who just want conversation, and your own personal weirdo-stalkers. And YOU will have to rise above all the abrasive personalities, to be honest, fair, firm and pleasant. You must smile in the face of an angry customer and say humbly, nicely: "I'm sorry. Have a nice day." And act like you mean it. Even if you do, they'll still sniff indignantly in your face and storm out with a three-year-old comment of how they'll never shop there again or how they'll call the Better Business Bureua on you. Customers hate to hear the word "no" in any fashion.
Can you tolerate that without breaking down? It happens daily, at least. You will have nice people come into your store, you may even make friends, but you should have the attitude where these nice people make the nasty people disappear completely from your thoughts. I never could, which is why I HATE my life and have broken down.
Another thing you have to know honestly about yourself is: are you a leader? Can you work with all kinds of people? I suppose this only applies if you plan on hiring staff, and unless you want to give up your entire personal life for this store, you probably should. Especially during the holidays when business picks up and you need help just getting by. Plus it's always a good idea to have two people on staff to disuade stealing. If you plan on using family or friends, you should still put them on a payroll because paying under the table is illegal and greatly frowned upon.
A quote I read recently that applies to being a boss, to me:
"So instead of talking about dominance, let's talk about guiding excellence. Of these two personality types... which one is more likely to be taken seriously as a leader: the bigmouth who seizes every opportunity to stamp aout, yelling, and at whose appearance all conversation dries up? The one who snaps. 'That's what I pay you for!' whenever you have a problem, but won't make the slightest effort to tackledifficulties himself? The one who puts you under enormous psychological pressure, making you feel useless at everything you do?
"Or the one whose calm character, excellent powers of persuasion, professional competence and friendly aura motivate you, so that you would go through fire for him? The one who lets you get more than just a word in edgewise at brainstorming sessions, and who is always prepared to listen to your ideas and opinions?"
Actually, you do well to take this into heart for employees and customers alike. Being assertive and strict doesn't mean you have to be close-minded and snarky. And you can't run away from confrontation.
Actually, the former describes my boss at that small, single business; woman was a bitch and made my life Hell for four years before I finally said screw it and quit! The latter describes me, which is why everyone who worked under me did things when I asked them to, gave me their best, and was open and friendly with me. For others, these same kids would aimlessly wander around the front of the store, doing nothing except bitch about the job. You have to know how to motivate others, and how to morph yourself to fit the current situation when dealing with others.
Welll, I think this has gotten really long and you've probably given up on reading it! If you're still reading, thank you! And I hope this helps, without disheartening you too much. I don't know your experience, your location or your situation at all, but I just would like you to understand the emotional stress involved. For me, it can be too much. But if you're not detoured, but rather smile and accept the challenge, you may have a future as a store owner yet!
Good luck to you!
~ Heather
Have you worked in a retail store before? Not at a customer service desk, but an actual store - running registers, manual labor, stocking, dealing with the customers, et cetera. Now granted, it may not be the world's most difficult job - but it can be one of the most frustrating, stressful, mediocre jobs on the face of the planet. Anyone can do it, but emotionally not everyone can handle it.
I have over eight years experience working in retail myself. Never went to college, don't have any useable skills, and sadly, regrettably, it is all I know how to do. I have worked as management in both national chain stores as well as the single, small-business shops. And I tell you right now, unless you are a born people-lover with a vastless open mind, limitless patience, are laid-back with no bad temper to speak of, it will suck! I myself have been reduced to tears countless times by both customers and bosses, and have had at least two break-downs that I can recall. I've watched fellow employees fall apart, including a manager who LOVED her job of five years and loved talking to everyone who came into our store - she emotionally melted during what would be her last Christmas there.
So if you have not worked in a retail store before, do so first! Get a feel for the atmosphere, taste the reality of it and see if you find it agreeable. See how you react to the staff, the customers, the higher-ups. It is not just about selling a product!
Secondly, my advice after you've been immersed in the actual running of someone else's store for at least 6 months and feel you can tackle your own place, take business classes (if you haven't already during your school years). Learn marketing, learn accounting, take a refresher math course if you need to, and even try those "self-help" courses that offer to improve your verbal skills (speaking in public) and how to handle confrontations. This will be your store, you will be the voice that promotes it, and you will be the one to give it a future. And as they say, knowledge is power. Don't set yourself up for any surprises.
You said you are writing a business plan, so you know the importance of having a well-thought out path to follow, to know you cannot just wing-it, but have direction, purpose and drive. Bravo!
I would like to warn you, however, that don't put too much hope in grants and loans. Banks cover their own arses and grants are so damn picky, you have to have a proven technique, experience and a product or service that has potential before anyone will give you a dime! I know someone who did all that, and her grant was only $2,000. You're lucky if that will even pay one month's rent on your store!
My advice is be sure YOU are in a good place financially before opening a store. Make sure you can cover your own living expenses and the business. You should be prepared to pay for all of the store's expenses from your own pocket for at least three months (I'd say six) before the store starts paying for itself.
Another thing that I learned from the owner of the small-business gift shop I managed, be frugal! Be a coupon-clipper! Be on the look-out for good deals and cheaper services! You may have good contacts for suppliers, but make sure they are offering you the best prices on the market. Also remember that in retail, you do not make a profit unless you mark items up by two or three times! You have to learn to be a good haggler, and be ready to fight for what you want at the price you want! To do that, also, you must KNOW YOUR PRODUCT! Know the market, know what the competitors are selling it for.
Love of what your offering, knowledge and ambition helps, but please remember it's a business. It should make money in order to be considered a success. Depending on where you live, this may be extremely difficult. I would like to state that where I live, NONE of the stores I worked in were well-off! Two of the chain stores I worked in (CVS and K*B Toys) and one mid-level tri-state area chain (clothing) all CLOSED due to lack of sales and bankruptcy; the small-business STRUGGLED so horribly that if the owner's wife hadn't been their family's actual source of income, it would've closed years ago. In my eight years here, I've noticed first-hand and spoken to many owners the business declining.
Another thing to take into consideration is your customers, the people you want to attract. Will they buy your items? Is there a need for another anime store where you live? Will you have better prices, better selection, better quality to make customers want to come to YOU, instead of going somewhere else??
This may sound harsh on my part, but I do NOT mean this as an insult to anyone anywhere, but in my experiencing watching the anime market for the last six years I've noticed one thing about anime people: they do not buy. They are penny-pinchers (most because they are teenagers) and they like their mp3 sharing and downloadable episodes; they'd rather get their items for free online or for cheap off eBay rather than spend the high prices of items imported from Japan. You should know from just trying to sell items on eBay for what you bought them at. Hardly ever happens, doesn't it?
Online marketers have also made anime stores difficult to operate in the flesh, if you will. Let's face it, the internet doesn't need another anime reseller, and many people I know these days get their stuff dirt-cheap staright from Yahoo Japan. I myself am included in that. Often times I've noted a Japanese product in a store and thought to myself: "Humph, I can get that cheaper on eBay!" And it's true.
This is why you need to know not only your customers, but the customers in YOUR AREA. Are there any? Do you know how to find them? Do you know where to advertise to appeal to people further away to drive to your store instead of searching the internet or driving elsewhere (like say Philadelphia or NYC).
Take into consideration YOURSELF! Please, please be aware that customers are the most ignornat, self-centered and nasty group of people in the world! The longer you're in the business, the more will pop out of the woodworks. Please honestly evaluate your personality, how you handle disagreeable people, confrontations and rules. The age-old adage that "the customer is always right" should ring true even now, however you have to know how to "schmooze" and "finagle" people to stay within the boundaries of your own policies. Do not break your rules for one person, because they'll always expect you to bend for them, and plus it's not fair to other people. You have to be slick, yet honest, and you should have impeccable manners! You CANNOT yell, get fiery or kick people out just because you do not like their opinions or attitude. And believe me, you will get attitude. You will get threatened, you will get yelled at, you will get whiners, you will get parents who take anger on their kids out on you, you will get items thrown in your face! You will get snotty kids and uppity teenagers who will scoff and make spiteful comments behind your back. You will get crazies, old people who just want conversation, and your own personal weirdo-stalkers. And YOU will have to rise above all the abrasive personalities, to be honest, fair, firm and pleasant. You must smile in the face of an angry customer and say humbly, nicely: "I'm sorry. Have a nice day." And act like you mean it. Even if you do, they'll still sniff indignantly in your face and storm out with a three-year-old comment of how they'll never shop there again or how they'll call the Better Business Bureua on you. Customers hate to hear the word "no" in any fashion.
Can you tolerate that without breaking down? It happens daily, at least. You will have nice people come into your store, you may even make friends, but you should have the attitude where these nice people make the nasty people disappear completely from your thoughts. I never could, which is why I HATE my life and have broken down.
Another thing you have to know honestly about yourself is: are you a leader? Can you work with all kinds of people? I suppose this only applies if you plan on hiring staff, and unless you want to give up your entire personal life for this store, you probably should. Especially during the holidays when business picks up and you need help just getting by. Plus it's always a good idea to have two people on staff to disuade stealing. If you plan on using family or friends, you should still put them on a payroll because paying under the table is illegal and greatly frowned upon.
A quote I read recently that applies to being a boss, to me:
"So instead of talking about dominance, let's talk about guiding excellence. Of these two personality types... which one is more likely to be taken seriously as a leader: the bigmouth who seizes every opportunity to stamp aout, yelling, and at whose appearance all conversation dries up? The one who snaps. 'That's what I pay you for!' whenever you have a problem, but won't make the slightest effort to tackledifficulties himself? The one who puts you under enormous psychological pressure, making you feel useless at everything you do?
"Or the one whose calm character, excellent powers of persuasion, professional competence and friendly aura motivate you, so that you would go through fire for him? The one who lets you get more than just a word in edgewise at brainstorming sessions, and who is always prepared to listen to your ideas and opinions?"
Actually, you do well to take this into heart for employees and customers alike. Being assertive and strict doesn't mean you have to be close-minded and snarky. And you can't run away from confrontation.
Actually, the former describes my boss at that small, single business; woman was a bitch and made my life Hell for four years before I finally said screw it and quit! The latter describes me, which is why everyone who worked under me did things when I asked them to, gave me their best, and was open and friendly with me. For others, these same kids would aimlessly wander around the front of the store, doing nothing except bitch about the job. You have to know how to motivate others, and how to morph yourself to fit the current situation when dealing with others.
Welll, I think this has gotten really long and you've probably given up on reading it! If you're still reading, thank you! And I hope this helps, without disheartening you too much. I don't know your experience, your location or your situation at all, but I just would like you to understand the emotional stress involved. For me, it can be too much. But if you're not detoured, but rather smile and accept the challenge, you may have a future as a store owner yet!
Good luck to you!
~ Heather
Re: On Opening An Anime Shop...
Sorry, I meant to comment on your direct questions here. Selling cels will probably be hard in a physical store, with everyday joe customers and window browsers. Let's face it, most have notoriously high price tags, and "normal folk" will look at this and faint! Having extremely high priced items might detour a lot of people from your store, too. People like a bargain. Also, I have found that some people, even a lot of anime fans, don't honestly know what a cel is.Ms. Poe wrote:I really want to carry original artwork from anime, as well as cels and the like...
So, to start, what items would you like to see me carry? I'd like to offer commission work from artists too. What do you think of that idea?
What do you mean by "original artwork from anime"? You mean like fanart pieces? If so, remember the copyright laws (like all the heated threads have stated against fancels) and abide by them. Ask a lawyer, because I'm really not sure what would be kosher. I read even some conventions were starting to put strict regulations against fanart in Artist Alleys.
Also about the commission work, do you mean sell already commissioned pieces that you pick, or offer artist's services to be commissioned? I'm not sure how well this would fly in a store. The first may not be appealing to others, if you sell artwork that you personally liked to commission. Not always what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Everyone has varied tastes. As for the latter, it might be interesting to set aside a section or room of your store as a gallery and offer artist contact info. But again, make sure you abide by copyright laws. Believe me, you will get people who like to stir up trouble, and that's the last thing you need...
Again, hope this helps! Thank you!
~ Heather
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Baakay
- Himajin - Get A Life
- Posts: 5106
- Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2004 6:06 pm
- Location: In the Dungeon of Anime
- Contact:
Darnit, Heather!keeper wrote:Take into consideration YOURSELF! Please, please be aware that customers are the most ignornat, self-centered and nasty group of people in the world! ... You CANNOT yell, get fiery or kick people out just because you do not like their opinions or attitude. And believe me, you will get attitude.
Just when I was thinking that higher ed HAD to be the most obnoxious place on Planet Earth for all the backstabbing and stupid politics that goes on, you've reminded me of the joys of retail.
(Before I was a 'liberrian', I sold cheap shoes to people with smelly feet). And I do not possess that unflappable persona that's really needed. Nope. Not me. (Kay = 
)Seriously, I told hubster the other night "maybe I can retire from the University when I'm 50 and go work at Borders." He replied "yes, but then you'd have to deal with snotty customers." At the time, I was horribly clever and said "but at least they'd be snotty to me in normal-person language, not Oxford English Dictionary language!"
But of course everything you've said above is true. It's VERY good advice. It doesn't mean that starting an anime store is a bad idea, just that every aspect of it needs to be thought through carefully. -- and I hope, Ms. Poe, that if this is what you truly want to do that you're exceptionally successful with it!! I've seen small businesses where just such careful and resilient people have had interesting and fulfilling careers running their own stores, but they knew their business, their customers and themselves inside and out. It was hard, hard work.
IMO, you rate an honorary MBA for that post. There, now you too can be President!
(oh, did I say that?)
O yeah. I've worked retail for about 7 years. registers, customer service, sales, managerial...You name it. I was also in the food business at 13 for 3 years. Dunno how legal it was...But I did it ^^;!
I have a very strong personality, and have excellent people skills. I've always been the top sales-person at every job I've worked. I've also owned my own business for years. Nothing to special, but selling anime cels and other goods for almost 10 years now counts toward something, right?
I've taken every business class imaginable, and have always had A's in public speaking & debate classes. I've had customers come into the store I'm at now several times a week just to see me.
If I have enough $$$$$$ I'll open a physical shop here. There is a HUGE market for an anime shop where I live. There's one about 20 minutes from me, but in a part of town where it won't make any money unless crazies like myself would drive up there from where I live in KS. Curt has his shop 2 hours from me and it's the same deal. He makes all his $$$ on the net or at conventions, which I plan on doing as well.
Not only grants, but loans will help me as well. I also have people who would be interested in making an investment in me to open said shop.
I always keep an open mine, and know I want to own my own business. I hate the way the places I've worked at are run, and I will strive to make business better. I will offer many services that most anime shops don't offer already =)! Those are still in planning stages though
!
As far as original art, I'd get original pieces from artists from manga and anime, etc. I'd also like to offer a commission service from artists in my area, and well as known artists in our community. That's also in the planning stage. I'd really like every piece I sell made to order.
I plan on speaking to lawyers as well as the government in my area about copyright laws. I've got that covered =).
Well, I'd write more but have to go to my job, for now!
All in all, there's a definite need around here for a shop. But, in all reality, I might have to start online, but if I hav enough to open a shop here, I feel I'd be more successful. So, we'll see =)!
Thanx for the comments so far! I'll get back to a few of you soon!
I have a very strong personality, and have excellent people skills. I've always been the top sales-person at every job I've worked. I've also owned my own business for years. Nothing to special, but selling anime cels and other goods for almost 10 years now counts toward something, right?
I've taken every business class imaginable, and have always had A's in public speaking & debate classes. I've had customers come into the store I'm at now several times a week just to see me.
If I have enough $$$$$$ I'll open a physical shop here. There is a HUGE market for an anime shop where I live. There's one about 20 minutes from me, but in a part of town where it won't make any money unless crazies like myself would drive up there from where I live in KS. Curt has his shop 2 hours from me and it's the same deal. He makes all his $$$ on the net or at conventions, which I plan on doing as well.
Not only grants, but loans will help me as well. I also have people who would be interested in making an investment in me to open said shop.
I always keep an open mine, and know I want to own my own business. I hate the way the places I've worked at are run, and I will strive to make business better. I will offer many services that most anime shops don't offer already =)! Those are still in planning stages though
!As far as original art, I'd get original pieces from artists from manga and anime, etc. I'd also like to offer a commission service from artists in my area, and well as known artists in our community. That's also in the planning stage. I'd really like every piece I sell made to order.
I plan on speaking to lawyers as well as the government in my area about copyright laws. I've got that covered =).
Well, I'd write more but have to go to my job, for now
!All in all, there's a definite need around here for a shop. But, in all reality, I might have to start online, but if I hav enough to open a shop here, I feel I'd be more successful. So, we'll see =)!
Thanx for the comments so far! I'll get back to a few of you soon!
Spoken like a true ex-retailer! *grin*Baakay wrote:...you've reminded me of the joys of retail.
I share your sarcasm for the business (and your wit is brilliant, by the way!!). If it's not right for you, damn is it a horrible experience!
But then, I do admit I let it all get to me. I have a horrid temper, can be a harsh perfectionist, and have never been a people-person (although shyness gave way to resentment as I got older). That's why I suggest folks honestly evaluate themselves.But I, too, hope Ms. Poe is successful at it!!
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glorff
- Himajin - Get A Life
- Posts: 3465
- Joined: Sat Aug 03, 2002 1:00 pm
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Make sure that you have lots of excuses to come back. Excuses are low dollar items that are expendable and easily replacable. Candy, drinks, maybe used DVDs or videos, etc. The big item sales will be erratic, so you need to find enough small items that will sell along the way to help keep the lights on. Depending on location you could even consider selling monthly transit system passes, since the buyer profile fits.
If you can get them coming in regularly and spending something, eventually they will find a big ticket item that they have too have
GOOD LUCK
If you can get them coming in regularly and spending something, eventually they will find a big ticket item that they have too have
GOOD LUCK
Dave
It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.
It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.
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Krafty
- Custodian of Records
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- Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2004 12:59 pm
- Location: England
- Contact:
First up, thanks for that informative and detailed post, Heather. It was very interesting and relevent.
It sounds like a positive plan, Poe. In order to get more people into anime/animation we need more stores that sell this type of thing to make people aware of it in the first place.
I think that a physical store would be difficult to run because there are so many factfactorsolved. I don't claim to know about retail but I can imagine all the intricacies and elements involved.
While you build up your stock and a name for yourself, I think it would be wise to begin with a mail-order buisnbusinesst which cuts down on some of the larger bills and customer problems you might have to deal with.
Such a business is also superb because your customer base is worldwide- it just means that there's a lot more correspondance & paperwork in keeping track of people's orders and questions.
Speaking for myself, I love to buy from mail-order companies because I can't buy a lot of stuff I want in an 80mile radius of where I live. If I could find what I wanted, the costs would be twice as expensive compared to online stores because of the overheads that physical stores have to account for.
When it comes to typical anime enthusiasts, what Heather said is totally correct- most are teens with little money to spend. Perhaps where you live, there are enough people who would buy the more expensive items, I just know that in the UK, a shop of that kind could never survive unless it stocked a much vaster range of goods.
You may have to think about branching out and selling a lot of American/Disney products too.
If you don't have another comic shop too close by, you should sell the US-published manga. Have a word with a couple of comic shop owners and see what they have to say about manga sales and what is REALLY selling in their stores.
A comic shop owner I know said that sales of manga have been picking up a lot recently and the manga section has grown 5-fold over the last decade. That's an area to move into if you can.
Glorff's point about offering cheaper goods is spot on. If it's affordable anime-related collectables you're looking to sell as well, try pencil boards and gashapon toys. They may be cheap but they don't take up too much room either so you can show of the larger items well.
Selling the monthly manga and other magazines is the perfect way to get repaet custom as repeat will be back for their latest installments/standing-orders. I know that when I collect my comics I always browse the shelves to see what else is there and I end up buying more ^__^
Keep us informed on how it all goes, Poe. Best of luck!
It sounds like a positive plan, Poe. In order to get more people into anime/animation we need more stores that sell this type of thing to make people aware of it in the first place.
I think that a physical store would be difficult to run because there are so many factfactorsolved. I don't claim to know about retail but I can imagine all the intricacies and elements involved.
While you build up your stock and a name for yourself, I think it would be wise to begin with a mail-order buisnbusinesst which cuts down on some of the larger bills and customer problems you might have to deal with.
Such a business is also superb because your customer base is worldwide- it just means that there's a lot more correspondance & paperwork in keeping track of people's orders and questions.
Speaking for myself, I love to buy from mail-order companies because I can't buy a lot of stuff I want in an 80mile radius of where I live. If I could find what I wanted, the costs would be twice as expensive compared to online stores because of the overheads that physical stores have to account for.
When it comes to typical anime enthusiasts, what Heather said is totally correct- most are teens with little money to spend. Perhaps where you live, there are enough people who would buy the more expensive items, I just know that in the UK, a shop of that kind could never survive unless it stocked a much vaster range of goods.
You may have to think about branching out and selling a lot of American/Disney products too.
If you don't have another comic shop too close by, you should sell the US-published manga. Have a word with a couple of comic shop owners and see what they have to say about manga sales and what is REALLY selling in their stores.
A comic shop owner I know said that sales of manga have been picking up a lot recently and the manga section has grown 5-fold over the last decade. That's an area to move into if you can.
Glorff's point about offering cheaper goods is spot on. If it's affordable anime-related collectables you're looking to sell as well, try pencil boards and gashapon toys. They may be cheap but they don't take up too much room either so you can show of the larger items well.
Selling the monthly manga and other magazines is the perfect way to get repaet custom as repeat will be back for their latest installments/standing-orders. I know that when I collect my comics I always browse the shelves to see what else is there and I end up buying more ^__^
Keep us informed on how it all goes, Poe. Best of luck!
Out of the gloom a voice said unto me;
"Smile and be happy, things could be worse".
So I smiled and was happy
and behold;
things did get worse...
"Smile and be happy, things could be worse".
So I smiled and was happy
and behold;
things did get worse...