Hobbyists Shouldn’t Open Board Game Stores
One of my earlier posts mentioned the decline of the FLGS, where non-geeks fear to tread.
This short but punchy article sheds a lot of light on what the FLGS can to to help itself survive in these days of digital downloads, AAA video games, and reduced discretionary spending: act like an actual store that really wants to attract new customers, rather than as an offsite man-cave and clubhouse that the store owner set up because his wife/mother didn’t like his gamer pals and wanted All That Crap Out Of The Basement.
We’ve all seen this class of game store, and I expect they were the first to be culled from the herd in the great FLGS die-off. But hey – if you own a game store read this article, then take a long and unflinchingly honest look around you. Anything you can improve? Do it. I’m saying this with love, because the hobby needs the FLGS and I want you – all of you – to thrive and prosper. External forces are making your life hard enough as a FLGS owner, so try not to make things harder for yourself.
Thank you for picking this up 🙂
Thanks for writing it. As someone involved in creating hobby games, I know we need the FLGS and anything we can do to help them stay alive – including telling harsh truths – is a good thing for the hobby.