How much is it to start a comic store?
Me and my friends just were wondering how much it is to start and run a comic book store.
I wish I could give you a number, but there are to many variables to consider.
Rent:
You will have to lease a place. how much square footage will you need? In california you are looking at $1-4 per square foot depending on location. You will need first, last and a security deposit.
Inventory:
You can start with your collection, but think about how much that really is. Most collectors do not have the volume that a store needs. we tend to collect one per issue, and not duplicate in graphic novels. Stores need alternate sources of revenue other than comics. You can purchase collections to make up your back issue bins, but you will still need graphic novels, toys etc. What else will you be carrying to interest collectors: (here is a pic to get you thinking)
http://www.thecomicbookshop.com/main.htm
fixtures:
you will need comic racks and glass cases, a cash register and a security subscription. (overnight monitoring, lotsa break ins) wall racks and comic book supplies to make your collection sellable.
Initial comic order:
how many of each current comic will you be carrying? Diamond has minimum monthly order requirements. Im pretty sure you can sell the minimum of New Avengers, but how will you decide on the order for loners or nightwing? remember each mistake is close to 2 buckswholesale of unsold merch.
It certainly is a tough business, but some do succeed. If you are serious be ready to put in long hours.
probably alot. You gotta rent a place, become a dealer, advertise, you would need alot of start up dough. i see some of them open and close all the time, you gotta do some stuff to keep people coming in and spending money other than the weekly comics. Good luck to you
References :
It depends upon a lot of factors. Are you going to rent a storefront or buy a building? How much work will the place require before it is ready to open? How big is the place and how much inventory will you have to invest in? How many employees will you need? How much insurance will you get to start? How much advertising and promotion will you do? Can you get friends or family to help you out?
I have spent the past few months building a business plan for a comic book shop in Brooklyn. Depending on various factors (most significantly the size and location of the storefront and the ammount of work it needed), I came to figures starting around $30,000 for a small shop needing almost no cleanup and rebuilding and a staff of two (including me). The bigger the shop, the higher the rent, the more fixing up the place needed, and the higher the startup costs were. I got estimates of scores of thousands of dollars just for the fixing up of the place (floors, walls, electricity, plumbing, etc).
I have read of folks who started a comic book shop on something like $30,000 on a credit card and said never again. Another person said it would cost about $80,000. It will also take a good chunk of your time, like, all of it.
http://www.captainzorikh.com
References :
http://www.sequart.com/columns/index.php?col=19&column=1216
http://www.tomheroes.com/Comics/Stories/comic_store_stories.htm
I wish I could give you a number, but there are to many variables to consider.
Rent:
You will have to lease a place. how much square footage will you need? In california you are looking at $1-4 per square foot depending on location. You will need first, last and a security deposit.
Inventory:
You can start with your collection, but think about how much that really is. Most collectors do not have the volume that a store needs. we tend to collect one per issue, and not duplicate in graphic novels. Stores need alternate sources of revenue other than comics. You can purchase collections to make up your back issue bins, but you will still need graphic novels, toys etc. What else will you be carrying to interest collectors: (here is a pic to get you thinking)
http://www.thecomicbookshop.com/main.htm
fixtures:
you will need comic racks and glass cases, a cash register and a security subscription. (overnight monitoring, lotsa break ins) wall racks and comic book supplies to make your collection sellable.
Initial comic order:
how many of each current comic will you be carrying? Diamond has minimum monthly order requirements. Im pretty sure you can sell the minimum of New Avengers, but how will you decide on the order for loners or nightwing? remember each mistake is close to 2 buckswholesale of unsold merch.
It certainly is a tough business, but some do succeed. If you are serious be ready to put in long hours.
References :