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Spit-balling
Starting an Indie-styled Record Store? Is this a great idea, or is it doomed for failure?
Tower/Virgin are fine for the basics but do you think charging premium prices might offset the lower volume enough to post a profit? What do you business majors think it'd cost to start such a place? I don't quite have the dough to actually do this presently, but I could probably hold off buying food for a year or two if I thought this would work.
The only indie-type stores here (and Minneapolis too, really) are the small hole-in-the-wall joints that usually just have beat-up used singles and limited selections. I've never seen a full sized store that sells music of the DiS/Pitchfork variety.
I remember as a kid driving 2 hrs to San Diego for a store called the Blue Meanie cos they were almost as crazy for Bowie as I was/am. I spent about $100 a day every day for the last two weeks going into Tower waiting for the Arcade Fire record to come in. (I swear the manager knew that, had the AF record and was fleecing me! ;-) .) Are there enough silly music fans like us cos I'd surely love to berate Jennifer Lopez fans the way Jack Black does in High Fidelity. ;-) I'd like to post signs in the store that read, Losers Stealing CDs Should Try Rehab Instead. *dreamy gaze* and VU posters on the walls!!!
Tower/Virgin are fine for the basics but do you think charging premium prices might offset the lower volume enough to post a profit? What do you business majors think it'd cost to start such a place? I don't quite have the dough to actually do this presently, but I could probably hold off buying food for a year or two if I thought this would work.
The only indie-type stores here (and Minneapolis too, really) are the small hole-in-the-wall joints that usually just have beat-up used singles and limited selections. I've never seen a full sized store that sells music of the DiS/Pitchfork variety.
I remember as a kid driving 2 hrs to San Diego for a store called the Blue Meanie cos they were almost as crazy for Bowie as I was/am. I spent about $100 a day every day for the last two weeks going into Tower waiting for the Arcade Fire record to come in. (I swear the manager knew that, had the AF record and was fleecing me! ;-) .) Are there enough silly music fans like us cos I'd surely love to berate Jennifer Lopez fans the way Jack Black does in High Fidelity. ;-) I'd like to post signs in the store that read, Losers Stealing CDs Should Try Rehab Instead. *dreamy gaze* and VU posters on the walls!!!
Re: Spit-balling
People will pay a premium if you are answering a real need for more obscure music and the personal service to get in what they want. Having a better atmosphere than the multiple retailers will encourage your new customers to be loyal to you.
When you're looking at costs, take into account stock holding, fixtures, services, rent etc, be pessimistic when forecasting your sales and profit so you don't overstretch yourself.
Read some start up company books and call some people to find out the real costs, maybe go to a similar style store and question the owner there. Sounds like a fun project tho, I'd love to do it.