Forum - View topicSmall anime/manga store in the States: a viable business?
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CGord
 Posts: 163 Location: Phoenix, AZ suburbs |
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Are there any retailers here? I would love to open up a small store in my community (Phoenix, AZ suburbs) that specializes in anime, manga, & related swag. However, I do not know if it's a real candidate for a profitable business, or any details of the biz (who retailers purchase from, etc). Any professional's thoughts welcomed, positive or negative!
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Nerv1
 Posts: 601 |
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Sorry, I don't know if there are retailers like you mentioned in Pheonix and it depends if a store like that is sucessful or not. If you are going to open a store, you have set it up where you know there are a lot of anime fans or kids (most likely next to a school). Your prices have to be reasonable or cheap to draw business. When I was in 8th grade,a man opened up an anime hobby shop that looked quite charming but he got no business whatsoever for his extremely high prices, a yugioh booster pack was sold for about $6 or $7 freaking dollars and a rather large gundam model for $500(what he considers a bargin). A more sucessful store a few blocks away sold the exact same gundam model for only $50!(Even this guy lost his business recently...) As you can guess, he lost his business. So if you want to be sucessful from opening a store like this, be sure to offer different items every once in a while or you'll lose your business like they both did. |
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CGord
Posts: 163 Location: Phoenix, AZ suburbs |
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There are. I was asking if there were any retailers on this forum. |
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Ignolopi
 Posts: 10 Location: In my own little world.... |
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I'm not a retailer, but a store opened up a few minutes away from where I live (SLC, UT). I think they opened last spring, and they're still going. I don't know how well they're doing, but every time I drop by (to just gaze at stuff...) there are always people there. It seems they're doing pretty well, being a small store. Just so you know. I think it's a great idea to open a store. I hope some people drop by who can tell you more useful things 
(I'd like to know who retailers purchase from....) |
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AirCooledMan_2006
 Posts: 594 Location: Delaware, U.S. |
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If there's a lot of anime fans in your area, go for it!
But you may want to diversify, so you've also got something to fall back on. If I were to open an anime shop, I'd also want to have a tattoo parlor and maybe a gun store as well, all in the same building. Any hunter/otaku would probably love that: Get a tat of their favorite anime character, along with some DVDs/manga and a gun.
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penguinsRsxy
Posts: 1 |
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I'm actually hoping to open an online anime shop so I came to the forums looking for some input too but since I saw your post I figured I'd post here rather then make a new thread since we are after pretty close to the same info. I realize there is a lot of competition in this field (online) and several already established sites that most people use and are loyal to. I'm hoping some of my idea's will help gather customers. But I am actually interested in what everyone is looking for out of a anime e-tailer?
Obviously Low-Prices, Wide Selection and that type of stuff but how important are things like rewarding frequent buyers with discounts, and special promotions? |
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Onizuka_For_President
 Posts: 27 |
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There was a 2 stores that only sold anime and manga in my area. They closed down in a couple of months. Their location was bad and there was not enough anime fans in their area fans to keep the business's around. Most people that are anime fans get there stuff online. Also for the guy that is opening a online shop the 2 you mention are the things I look for and a frequent buyer discounts are important for a lot of people including me.
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Abarenbo Shogun
 Posts: 1573 |
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The best suggestion i'd give...open up an Asian Variety Store of sorts. Especially near any sizeable concentration of Asian populations. Offer Ethic goods in addition to Anime and Manga items, to maintain a diverse mix, plus create foot traffic for non-anime fans.
One anime store near me not only has Anime and manga, but also selections of J-Pop and K-Pop CD's, Korean Dramas, scrolls, fans, and Altar stuff (Incense and the like) plus Hinamatsuri dolls. |
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strider175
Posts: 28 |
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I think the main thing with anime stores and sites is how much variety and how quickly they receive shipments. also picking out your distributors. biggest one is probably Diamond Comics, but i hear a lot of retailers complain that they favor comic book companies over the anime community. Then there's AAA Anime who focuses on just anime products and is distributing a lot of import toys locally at a cheaper price than purchasing from a wholesaler overseas. They also have a large variety of books and DVDs and other generally merchandise.
but with any business the harder you work the more it will pay off. don't expect that just because you stock something in a store or put it online that customers are just going to come flocking. companies like rightstuf, animenation and animecorner took years to build their customer base and you are competing with that. |
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Rakushun
 Posts: 116 Location: Hawaii |
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I'm not an anime retailer but I am involved in a small business, so I'll do the best I can.
My best advice is to offer something other popular stores don't have. These days, you're competing with big chain stores like Borders and a lot of online vendors. You generally can't beat them on price or brand recognition, but you can beat them in other ways. For instance, you can offer items that they don't have. The "Asian Variety store" is a good idea, especially if there is a shortage of Pocky. A lot of stores that sell anime and manga also sell comics or games or other collectibles. That might not be your cup of tea, but it's easier to sell. Most local hobby stores I know of are in big malls or popular streets, but there are two that are very isolated yet have been around for years. One is in a very cheap strip mall, but they have built up a strong core of gamers/customers by letting them play within the store as often as they like. The other hobby store is minutes away from several high schools and not far from a university. They have a great location, but they also build a large customer base by holding events, making special orders for items they don't have in stock, and being generally friendly to customers. |
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Abarenbo Shogun
Posts: 1573 |
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Also, invest every avaliable profit you can back into the store. One fatal thing i've seen with many small businesses is that they spend the profits before they establish themselves. I know of one small business that spent virtually all their profits buying up "Baller" type stuff. They had a pimped-out Excursion, the Hubby had a custom Chopper, and the Wife was driving a XLR.
6 months later, I found the Excursion and the XLR at a Forfeiture Auction run by the local bank. Seems the business had a good start, but the two had ran into trouble with creditors. They were more concerned with the image side rather than the practical side. |
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beelzebozo
 Posts: 308 Location: Aurora, Colorado |
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Since I've been running a shop for almost 5 year
 , I'll throw out my 2 yen:
Make sure you are not close to any other anime stores, unless you think you're REALLY good. Find a good location that decently traveled and easy to find. Offer variety. This store isn't based on soley on your preferences. If you like mecha shows and it's the shojo that sell, then stock more shojo. Our "killer app" is rentals. Specializing in anime gives us a clear advantage no matter how many Blockbusters are around. Advertise, advertise, advertise. Did I mention advertise? Go to all the local cons, not just the anime ones. Become a known face. Outreach to the clubs and the cons. Have frequent buying and rental programs, hold boxes, etc. You can't beat internet prices or Best Buy, so don't even try (though selling DVDs at SRP can also kill you). Instead, offer service and selection. Be flexible. I try to stick exclusively to Japanese animation and manga, but did jump on the fact we could also be the best Godzilla source in town. It is lots of work. You will have to put in long hours, for little reward. Take what you minimally expect to make and halve it. Take your expected expenses and double them. Alway make sure you have plenty of starting capital because it may take a while before you start making enough to pay for things out of hand Oh, and read every book on starting your own business that you can find. They will help you out no matter if you are opening a flower shop or an anime store. |
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