brick and mortar store for used LEGO

SprinkleOtter · June 2016

Checking in... Did you ever open your store @goingdeepe ?

Pitfall69 · June 2016

Looks like he went off the grid. Interesting.

Pitfall69 · June 2016

We own a business and are always actively looking for other locations, but the proposition of being committed to another location scares me. It is hard enough running one location; we just sunk another $2,000 into the shop for renovations and upgrades. The $2,000 is tax deductible, but you only get a small percentage of it back. To me, online retail is still the way to go when selling your wares.

MattsWhat · June 2016

^but buying online means I wouldn't get the ambience of pony, isn't that one of your main draws?

SprinkleOtter · June 2016

Pitfall69 said:

We own a business and are always actively looking for other locations, but the proposition of being committed to another location scares me. It is hard enough running one location; we just sunk another $2,000 into the shop for renovations and upgrades. The $2,000 is tax deductible, but you only get a small percentage of it back. To me, online retail is still the way to go when selling your wares.

Can I ask what kind of store?

bendybadger · June 2016

MattsWhat said:

^but buying online means I wouldn't get the ambience of pony, isn't that one of your main draws?

I like the smell of pony in the morning, it smells of victory

MattsWhat · June 2016

^for me it is toast, I like the smell of toast in the morning.

I think you might have been spending too much time with @Pitfall69

Pitfall69 · June 2016

SprinkleOtter said:

Pitfall69 said:

We own a business and are always actively looking for other locations, but the proposition of being committed to another location scares me. It is hard enough running one location; we just sunk another $2,000 into the shop for renovations and upgrades. The $2,000 is tax deductible, but you only get a small percentage of it back. To me, online retail is still the way to go when selling your wares.

Can I ask what kind of store?

A Barbershop/Salon.

SprinkleOtter · June 2016

Ah.

Didn't realize Gungans had hair. ;)

bandit778 · June 2016

@Pitfall69
The way your shop was decorated on the outside you should have said it's a fully armed and operational Barbershop / Salon

wagnerml2 · June 2016

I have actually considered this option. It isn't something that you can do for a living, but I would do it as a hobby. I had a sports card shop for 15 years and it broke even to made a small profit which was enough for me because it gave everyone a place to hang out, gave me a place to store, display and turn over my collection, established me as a "go-to" guy in the community for sports card collecting. Alos, it gave me an opportunity to buy collections and appraise things that most others wouldn't have access to. This was pre-ebay and pre-craigslist, so those outlets would cut into things today, but I could see a brick and mortar store being the same way for used Lego. If you incorporated birthday parties and other events, you could probably sustain your inventory just based on collections coming in the door.

MattsWhat · June 2016

Pitfall69 said:

To me, online retail is still the way to go when selling your wares.

How does this work for hair cuts then?

pharmjod · June 2016

wagnerml2 said:

I have actually considered this option. It isn't something that you can do for a living, but I would do it as a hobby. I had a sports card shop for 15 years and it broke even to made a small profit which was enough for me because it gave everyone a place to hang out, gave me a place to store, display and turn over my collection, established me as a "go-to" guy in the community for sports card collecting. Alos, it gave me an opportunity to buy collections and appraise things that most others wouldn't have access to. This was pre-ebay and pre-craigslist, so those outlets would cut into things today, but I could see a brick and mortar store being the same way for used Lego. If you incorporated birthday parties and other events, you could probably sustain your inventory just based on collections coming in the door.

My assessment of the business model was that it might break even or allow a modest living to be made. Not enough to replace my current income anyway. Even doing gangbusters in sales. The idea of a hangout type place was attractive to me, but my wife would not be happy with me if I did that =)

Pitfall69 · June 2016

bendybadger said:

MattsWhat said:

^but buying online means I wouldn't get the ambience of pony, isn't that one of your main draws?

I like the smell of pony in the morning, it smells of victory

Napalm and Pony is a great combination in the morning.

SprinkleOtter said:

Ah.

Didn't realize Gungans had hair. ;)

We do; just not where you would expect.

MattsWhat said:

Pitfall69 said:

To me, online retail is still the way to go when selling your wares.

How does this work for hair cuts then?

Most of what we sell are services, not retail items.

Pitfall69 · June 2016

bandit778 said:

@Pitfall69
The way your shop was decorated on the outside you should have said it's a fully armed and operational Barbershop / Salon

The shop changes from time to time ;)

bandit778 · June 2016

@Pitfall69
I preferred the Star Wars window, but I love the way you think having Mrs Lovett's as a barbershop. That's dark.

SumoLego · June 2016

MattsWhat said:

^for me it is toast, I like the smell of toast in the morning.

You may be having a stroke.

Pitfall69 · June 2016

pharmjod said:

wagnerml2 said:

I have actually considered this option. It isn't something that you can do for a living, but I would do it as a hobby. I had a sports card shop for 15 years and it broke even to made a small profit which was enough for me because it gave everyone a place to hang out, gave me a place to store, display and turn over my collection, established me as a "go-to" guy in the community for sports card collecting. Alos, it gave me an opportunity to buy collections and appraise things that most others wouldn't have access to. This was pre-ebay and pre-craigslist, so those outlets would cut into things today, but I could see a brick and mortar store being the same way for used Lego. If you incorporated birthday parties and other events, you could probably sustain your inventory just based on collections coming in the door.

My assessment of the business model was that it might break even or allow a modest living to be made. Not enough to replace my current income anyway. Even doing gangbusters in sales. The idea of a hangout type place was attractive to me, but my wife would not be happy with me if I did that =)

I can imagine a place like that. A Lego store much like the bar in "Cheers". TigerMoth would be Cliff ;) Who would be Norm??

SumoLego · June 2016

I feel like we had this conversation before. And I feel like I nominated myself to be Fraser Crane.

Anyway, I definitely think @Pitfall69 is our Sam Malone - the silly anchor that keeps us coming back.

Norm... not too sure about that...

pharmjod · June 2016

I'm just imagining the hilarity of only using Brickset screen names at such a hangout.

SprinkleOtter · June 2016

pharmjod said:

I'm just imagining the hilarity of only using Brickset screen names at such a hangout.

Imagine trying to find one of us in real life by asking strangers if they are such-and-such username.

"Hi, are you bumblepants?"
"Excuse me?!?"

"SumoLego?"
"Did you just call me fat?"

Eventually you would give up with usernames, and go with icons.
"Jar Jar guy?"

... Before getting punched in the face for asking if someone is "Jar Jar guy"

Bumblepants · June 2016

It would also just be really weird to find out no one looks like how you picture them in your head.

SprinkleOtter · June 2016

Bumblepants said:

It would also just be really weird to find out no one looks like how you picture them in your head.

... Are you telling me Ptifall isn't a gungan?

bandit778 · June 2016

@SprinkleOtter
He can't be, there is no way a Gungan would be seen in shorts in the middle of winter.

MattDawson · June 2016

< Would be recognised, alas.

brick and mortar store for used LEGO

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