Friendly Local Game Store: a Five-Year Path to a Middle-Class Income

Tabletop gaming is on the rise. If you love games like Catan, Magic: The Gathering, or Dungeons & Dragons; like the sound of being your own boss; and are willing to dive deep into what it takes to build a successful business, then this is a book for you.

In Friendly Local Game Store, you’ll learn what you need to know to build a store that doesn’t just sell games, but creates a community where games are beloved:

• A detailed look at your store’s startup costs, and why starting off undercapitalised is worse than not starting at all.


• An exploration of your store’s unique value proposition, and why Amazon will eat your lunch if you don’t have one.


• A sober examination of why you should think twice about hybrid stores with cafés, coffee shops, or bars.


• Inventory management 101: your open-to-buy budget, turn rate fundamentals, sales per square foot, and more.


• Running in-store events, hiring and managing employees, and navigating social media.


• But most importantly, how your game store can provide you with a reliable, middle-class income.

Among this down-to-earth advice, Gary Ray shares the stories of his years running Black Diamond Games. From the moment he realised he was going to leave his IT job, to the third-year move necessary for the store to keep growing, to the time he forced his lender to renegotiate his mortgage. Even if you don’t want to open a game store, you’ll appreciate these stories about what it takes.