New store ideas

[MuggyWuggy]

A back area for smokers would be a great idea. No one likes to run back to the car for a quick pipe hit.

If you can invest in older series of boosters fot collectors to geek (and gamble) on.

Also possibly have local artist do promotions with you (most card art is sent back and forth digitally); so you can have an artist signing day etc.

Yes you may want to mainly make it Magic based but don't forget about people who aren't interested in Magic, huge market like everyone said. Hire experts in different fields, having them work shifts that correlate wih their expertise. Have a guy who is obsessed with D&D host a game as a DM to keep the activity rolling for other markets you're not familiar with

See what you can legally sell snack wise, you don't want customers to step out for a soda if you can sell them a can on the spot.

Oh you sell cans of soda etc? Get a recycling bin. That's a nickel back on every soda. Sell it for a buck and watch the kids spend all they money on soda and magic.

Boom. Profit.

[Plains Walker]

A cool thing my lgs does is grab bags fifteen random cards with the potentential of of pulling random prizes from the shop is booster box, deck boxes, leaves ect. Plus its an easy way to get rid of those rares and uncommons people don't normally buy.

[Barzini]

I'm a smoker in California and we are supposed to stand far away from the door when we smoke.  I also let it air out before going back into any building, and an occasional breath mint doesn't hurt anyone.

As far as a smoker's area, a sign and / or a cigarette butt receptacle far enough away from the door would be ideal.  Maybe free breath mints for the regulars?  Also, the smell of the smoke gets on your clothes, so taking off a jacket and placing them in an area would go a long way.

[MtgRebel]

Thank you all for your help me ideas I sent in my application to wizards to become a retailer I will let you know when or if I get accepted

Maybe send a card or too for those of you that helped <3

[FlickerYourOwnIdentity]

Ok, get a big enough space, so that people won't feel cramped, but don't get to much space, it would be a waste of money at an early time in the business. 
Make sure the shop has a flow to it, if your selling things like play mats, and all the deck boxes, put them together, just have a few designs that are popular among the players.  The flow should go, less expensive packs in the front, booster boxes in the back, but not so far back it's troublesome to navigate your way there.
Make sure to put mythics and rares that are in standard in a glass case where check out is.  That way it's easy for someone to find the card and easy to tell you what they want.  Put some high value cards in there so people stare at the collection.  It's like an eye candy method, it helps pull the customer in.
Organize cards that don't go into the glass case, into separate binders.  Make easy to follow catagorys.  First the color separation, then the rarity seperation, then if your able, the set separation.
Have knowledge about what you sell, recommend cards for certain decks, and be sure you have the lowest price among the competition, but not so low that you barely make a profit.  If someone is at the all-time lowest price, that all you can do is match, make up for it with friendliness among the staff.  If the customers appreciate it (and they will) they'll come back. 
Be sure FNM's have people coming to them.  If you just have a few people coming, then guess what, they might not like the limited access among other players.  Invite friends that don't there to come play often, but alternate randomly so it's a tossup of who comes when, plus it will lift that feeling of limited access.  If it gets crowded, find a way to make it seem more spacious specifically and only for FNM nights. 
Keep the place clean!  Health inspectors will come eventually, and an overnight all out clean will not help, plus it drives customers away.  I walked into a shop that had amazing prices, but there was mold growing on the packs, so guess what I ordered them to clean, or lose their business.  They cleaned their asses off, but ocasionnally I'll walk by there to see if they got their together, and I see mold on the packs everytime!  I come back the next day and the mold gone!
Which brings me to laziness, if a worker shows up late threaten to take away their job!  If they do it frequently, fire their ass!  Don't tolerate laziness. 
If you see someone and it looks like it's their first time in the shop, ask them to take a survey about the shop service, acsessability, and overall prices.  If you get a low rating for them fix the problems, because the customer is always right!

[Silent1236]

Thank you all for your help me ideas I sent in my application to wizards to become a retailer I will let you know when or if I get accepted

Maybe send a card or too for those of you that helped <3

Good luck!

[FlickerYourOwnIdentity]

Thank you all for your help me ideas I sent in my application to wizards to become a retailer I will let you know when or if I get accepted

Maybe send a card or too for those of you that helped <3

Good luck man!

[Ghetto Pass]

Look at a business called Card Kingdom in Seattle, they are a perfect example of what a LGS could grow to be.

[Stoneco1d869]

You might want to check with people at the LGS shops and see what they like/dislike. The food/snack ideas are good and you might want to target parents when you advertise. If you can provide a safe environment that might get more kids with disposable incomes(parents).

You might try setting the price of your boosters lower than other stores. That will get people in the doors. Then if you can win them over with the charm of the shop they are likely to stay!

Might try running events on other nights and set up entries/prizes accordingly. For example: lets say one day of the week is EDH. You could charge an entry fee but gear the prizes towards EDH related staples. Maybe even lower prices on target boosters that day only like Zendikar. This would draw people in not only to play, but allow them opportunity to get packs/cards that are normally out or reach.

[Stoneco1d869]

I'm lucky i guess.. My shop is run by two guys who know a lot about every product in their shop. Both of them play magic and have for a long time and even tho there are just two guys running it the customer base really helps them out especially when it's just one owner or the other on a given day.

That's sounds great, maybe I'm just unlucky 😕

Another thing I don't like us how unapproachable the employees are. They usually stare at their laptops, and don't acknowledge you as you walk in. It feels like you're bothering them when you ask to make a purchase or a trade (which, by the way, one of the employees can't do trades or buys, not even sure why they're there).

As for good ideas though, my buddy has a great lgs. He says that they have couches and a couple game systems for customers to relax and play. It's a place to play magic, hang out, and get some gaming in too. It really draws in the customers. Heck, with that, you could also host some small gaming tournaments as well. It might be a bit expensive if you're just starting off, but I'd at least consider it for when you have the funds. It's apparently brought in a lot of customers, and even better, perhaps; loyal customers.

Are you referring to Alter?

[Keyeto]

Are you referring to Alter?

No, I was referring to Underhill's Games in the falls. Come to think of it, Alter is a bit closer. I haven't had too much trouble at Alter, but I've been to UG more, so I kinda ranted about them lol.

[Stoneco1d869]

Are you referring to Alter?

No, I was referring to Underhill's Games in the falls. Come to think of it, Alter is a bit closer. I haven't had too much trouble at Alter, but I've been to UG more, so I kinda ranted about them lol.

Lol...well the guys do the same stuff sometimes, though I will say they are knowledgable. I have been in a few times with my cousin and it usually takes them 5-10 minutes to get up and actually help you!

[Keyeto]

Are you referring to Alter?

No, I was referring to Underhill's Games in the falls. Come to think of it, Alter is a bit closer. I haven't had too much trouble at Alter, but I've been to UG more, so I kinda ranted about them lol.

Lol...well the guys do the same stuff sometimes, though I will say they are knowledgable. I have been in a few times with my cousin and it usually takes them 5-10 minutes to get up and actually help you!

Maybe it's just our area lol. We just can't seem to catch a break, can we?