So my wife and I have it planned out. In April of 2015 I am opening up a Comic-Book and Gaming shop. After much soul-search and deliberation, I have determined the only job I could ever really be truly happy doing is owning my own store. The town I live in pretty good sized and there are plenty of fellow geeks in the local area - and the closest stores are over a half-hour away. The reason I'm waiting until April 2015 is two-fold. First, we will have pretty much all of our debts paid off (meaning we'll be able to live off of my wife's income until the store starts to turn a profit), and I will be off of probation in January of 2015 - which means I won't be required to work for someone else. So I'm putting together a business plan and doing research. As it turns out, my town has economic incentives for new businesses (as in, up to two years of rent and utilities free).
What I'm wanting to know is this: what do you love about your local store, and what do you hate. What products do you think are absolutely necessary, and what do you think is superfluous? What I am planning on carrying are: Marvel and DC comics (mostly the main titles unless I have someone request other titles), a small selection of Manga, HERO games products, Pathfinder and DnD 4e books (I don't have to like 4e to sell it), Magic the Gathering (both boosters & decks, and singles), Pokemon and Yugioh (booster and decks only, maybe singles for Yugioh if its still popular enough), Miniatures (primarily HeroClix and Reaper, although I'm open to sugguestions), dice, and Game Mastery products. Maybe Gaming Paper. Maybe.
One of the services I am planning on offering is Loyalty Points Rewards and Hidden Treasure. Loyalty Points Rewards is a system I can track through a spreadsheet. Customers provide me with their names and DOB to keep track of their accounts. Data will be backed up on flashdrive and on the cloud. Loyalty points can be redeemed for a $0.25 discount off of customer's next purchase. Loyalty points are earned for every $10 spent in my shop. There will be monthly promotions where customers can redeem multiple Loyalty Points for Comic-Books, Booster Packs, or Miniatures. Hidden Treasure: any product over $20 in value (namely gaming books) will have a card on the inside with a picture of a treasure chest and a number written on it. Those numbers will match a hidden sheet with a list of rewards (extra Loyalty Points, free boosters, etc). Promotions: For certain events (Free Comic Book Day, Halloween, movie release nights) I will have a promotion that anyone who makes a purchase while in costume gets double loyalty points. Also, anyone who makes a purchase on their birthday (or the business day before or after if it happens on a day I'm closed) gets double loyalty points. Any thoughts?