Pantechnicon
03-15-2009, 06:43 AM
The title of the thread is self-explanatory: How are your locally owned shops that specialize in collectible toys/comics/RPG & Wargames, or any combination thereof, faring in the current economic downturn? I'd like to hear about locally owned stores, not Borders, Gamestops, etc., and for that matter not necessarily video game stores unless that's secondary to some other merchandise like, say, comics.
Of the six or seven stores in Albuquerque I can think of off the top of my head, most of them are either in trouble or dead already, and these states have only come into being since the end of Christmas:
- Planet X: the newest one I can think of, sold sci-fi toys, original GI Joe, Transformers, etc. opened and closed within one year.
- Addicted To Comics and Games: Open since 1992. Comics, toys, videogames. The owner has been holding a 25% off everything sale for the last 3 weeks.
- Tall Tales Comics: Open at least as long as Addicted To Comics. Sells comics, toys, and everything you can think of related to Warhammer. I was just there today and everything is marked at 40% off. This actually puts some of their newer NIB stuff (like Iron Man movie figures) below what you'd pay for it at somewhere like Target.
- Xeno: Open since 2006. Sold collectible toys, all NIB, in a local mall. Recently moved out of the mall, more or less across the street, and shut their doors three months later.
- Chibi Metropolis: Open since 2006. Collectible toys, anime/manga. Operates in another mall across town from me. Last time I looked (Dec 2008) they were still open but had moved into smaller digs in the mall, which tells me they weren't making their rent in their old location. I wouldn't be surprised if they folded post-Christmas.
- Noble Collectibles: Open since 1995. Comics, video games, toys, sports cards. They have two stores, neither of which seem to be in trouble; no deep discounts or anything. However, one of these stores I know from semi-regular visits is quite a tomb inside. Inventory barely moved for the last six months. I also know that the owner of these two stores has a new, very successful business venture underway in selling bubble tea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_tea), so for all I know the Noble stores are operating at a loss and merely being kept afloat by the bubble tea profits.
- Astro Zombies: Open since 2001. Sells comics, action figures and Japanese import toys. No discernible problems yet.
That's my local rundown. Part of me rejoices at this because some of these stores price their wares in the highest echelons of Ebay-style wishful thinking, so a bit of an attitude adjustment is in order. On the other hand it worries me (as a late-30's geek who still likes a lot of these things) to see the long-term survival of these types of stores threatened by an economy where The Fun can no longer be afforded as such.
Getting sleepy...but feel free to add your own lists. Let's see if there's a trend afoot.
Of the six or seven stores in Albuquerque I can think of off the top of my head, most of them are either in trouble or dead already, and these states have only come into being since the end of Christmas:
- Planet X: the newest one I can think of, sold sci-fi toys, original GI Joe, Transformers, etc. opened and closed within one year.
- Addicted To Comics and Games: Open since 1992. Comics, toys, videogames. The owner has been holding a 25% off everything sale for the last 3 weeks.
- Tall Tales Comics: Open at least as long as Addicted To Comics. Sells comics, toys, and everything you can think of related to Warhammer. I was just there today and everything is marked at 40% off. This actually puts some of their newer NIB stuff (like Iron Man movie figures) below what you'd pay for it at somewhere like Target.
- Xeno: Open since 2006. Sold collectible toys, all NIB, in a local mall. Recently moved out of the mall, more or less across the street, and shut their doors three months later.
- Chibi Metropolis: Open since 2006. Collectible toys, anime/manga. Operates in another mall across town from me. Last time I looked (Dec 2008) they were still open but had moved into smaller digs in the mall, which tells me they weren't making their rent in their old location. I wouldn't be surprised if they folded post-Christmas.
- Noble Collectibles: Open since 1995. Comics, video games, toys, sports cards. They have two stores, neither of which seem to be in trouble; no deep discounts or anything. However, one of these stores I know from semi-regular visits is quite a tomb inside. Inventory barely moved for the last six months. I also know that the owner of these two stores has a new, very successful business venture underway in selling bubble tea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_tea), so for all I know the Noble stores are operating at a loss and merely being kept afloat by the bubble tea profits.
- Astro Zombies: Open since 2001. Sells comics, action figures and Japanese import toys. No discernible problems yet.
That's my local rundown. Part of me rejoices at this because some of these stores price their wares in the highest echelons of Ebay-style wishful thinking, so a bit of an attitude adjustment is in order. On the other hand it worries me (as a late-30's geek who still likes a lot of these things) to see the long-term survival of these types of stores threatened by an economy where The Fun can no longer be afforded as such.
Getting sleepy...but feel free to add your own lists. Let's see if there's a trend afoot.