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Magic Clown New user Kissimmee, FL 14 Posts |
A lot of good advice has been given to you here and I can't say if it's a good idea to open a shop in your area or not, only you can answer that question.
I'm not trying to be a smart butt, but as many have said already, it's all about location. I own and operate a magic shop, both online and a brick & mortar store and as it's been said, it is a lot of hard work. If you want to be successful, just follow your heart. Four years ago I always talked of owning my own magic shop. My wife finally said "why don't you just do it?". So I did. I opened a small store in South Carolina and it took off like a rocket. After we moved to Florida I reopened my shop and it's even doing better down here. Now I'm not trying to say that your going to have the same success, but don't let the internet stop you from opening your store. You may not always have the cheapest prices compared to the net, but for reasons already stated, you can still compete with the online stores. I hope this has helped you in some way. If you have any questions, please PM me. I'll do my best to help you in any way I can.
Donald Carpenter
Fuzzy the Magic Clown Professional Magic Clown www.magicandsmiles.com Show Them the Magic and Watch Them Smile |
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JJDrew Loyal user Arizona 221 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-01-22 22:50, MagicTopher wrote: This is just a thought, but where are those four shops getting their supplies? If they have to import a lot of their stock from other countries, their prices are going to be very high to cover the added shipping. Have you considered the manufacturing end of the business? I don't know what the situation is in Australia, but its generally difficult to find really good quality magic supplies in any one country. Throw in the fact that there's an ocean between you and all the other countries and, well you get the idea. If you could supply good magic props and materials, those four shops could be your customers, and you could talk to them about it before you ever began investing money in the idea. They could lower prices since it would be local manufacture, which would increase the number of customers who could afford their products, which would increase their profits, which would increase the size and number of the items they could order from you, etc, etc. Finally, magicians all over the world would use your items (if you decided to sell internationally), rather then just magicians in your neighborhood. Or you could take the opposite route and have your products be the most coveted and most difficult to obtain items on the market. The possibilities are endless. Just some food for thought. |
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Chris H Inner circle Melbourne, Australia 1364 Posts |
Hey guys!
Some great advice given in this thread. Wow! The Magic Store is still a small thought in the back of my head, but so far I've got...$3 saved. Woo hoo! Take care everyone, and thanks for all your advice. -- Topher |
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Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Hello --Topher,
There are some here who do know from their own experience. Ask Paul Chosse, Marc DeSousa... or anyone who's worked at Tannen's or Magic Inc. or Hank Lee's. This is the wrong place to look for stuff you can learn in a basic course on marketing or business administration. While magicians tend to be clever and intuitive and savvy in some areas... we tend to be blind and defensive about MANY other areas. Please seek appropriate council. Your education may offer some insight and inroads to unexpected markets. May your business bring you pleasure, -Jon
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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7th_Son Elite user Australia 437 Posts |
If it was so easy and profitable, everyone would be doing it.
"Here's to our wives and girlfriends...may they never meet!" - Groucho Marx
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
There are several reasons why magic shops don't make it. One is that it is work, not just work, but WORK.
Another is a lack of proper capitalization. If you don't have enough funds to pay your rent and utilities for at least two years, you will have problems. Yet another is location. If you find a really cheap location, but nobody can get to it, you will have zero walk-in business. You will have to make do with internet sales. Another is service. If you can't offer something that the internet dealers cannot offer, then you won't make up the difference. What is the solution? Well, it's work and service, primarily. Plan to spend long hours and work a lot. Plan to offer lessons and help. And most of all, plan to all but give up your performing career until you get the shop running well. If you are willing to overcome all these obstacles, then you will have a chance in the magic shop business. Good luck.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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fantom New user 97 Posts |
A shop recently opened within driving distance for me (before that I had to rely on online stores and my local club) but I have found that I prefer to go to the shop as 1. I can see the quality of the goods I'm buying firsthand. 2. I get valuable tips on performance. 3. The very existance of the shop helps to promote an interest in magic in my area.
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Rafa Regular user Costa Rica 102 Posts |
Magic shops are business. If you want to open a flower shop, a magic shop or a shoe shop, you don´t do it because you feel to, not if you do things professionally. You need to make your research, meassure factors that will be involved, make projections, etc. I´m in business myself, online business, and I see people go out of business every day, many times because they thought it was the best of ideas and they made the research asking themselves. As you can see, the research showed that the 100% of the polled population said it was a good idea, so it was imposible to fail.
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Niko Special user England 599 Posts |
Go roudn your local community and show off your magic tricks. Find out if people are interested in magic and maybe that will help for some research of how the shop might do.
-Nik
When you do something right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.
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bishthemagish Inner circle 6013 Posts |
The best places for a magic shop to make a profit are locations that have the people. Or the shopping trafic. I have been involved with my Fathers old shop for over 15 years and I speak with a little experience.
Places where ther people are when they go on vacation are all good places to open the store. Then you have to get magicians that work for you to stop entertaining and learn how to pitch and sell. The old magic shop for magicians is becoming a thing of the past. Without the tourist people and the crowds it is hard to make a living or a profit. The web is one of the reasons. A person nowdays can sell magic to a worldwide market through the web and mail order and not even need a store to reach customers. I am using the web right not to advertise and sell my new DVD on card magic and I have not had a connection to a magic shop since my fathers shop closed. Many people have asked me if I would open a store someday as my father once did. I might but I also most likely won't... Why? It is hard to make a profit! And I spent about 15 years behind a magic counter. If you are really interested in opening a magic shop I would suggest that you go and work for one! Learn as much as you can about the business of the shop... Because in order to be succesful you MUST MOVE PRODUCT! I hope this helps, Glenn Bishop http://www.mrhypnotist.org
Glenn Bishop Cardician
Producer of the DVD Punch Deal Pro Publisher of Glenn Bishop's Ace Cutting And Block Transfer Triumphs |
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squando Elite user 444 Posts |
Jay Marshall, the former owner of Magic, Inc. in Chicago once told me that he made it because of his successful investments in the Stock Market in the 50's/60's. I did not get to explore this tidbit with him, but I concluded that even with a big city full of magicians and tourists he had struggles in the magic biz. An he owned the shop in the pre- web days mainly.
Frank
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TheWhiteye New user Chicago 29 Posts |
I worked for many years at a magic shop, and even with an online business; they hadda pinch every penny to maintain a profit. It's always been a dream of mine to open a shop, but I think it would have to be a venue/shop, to be truly successful
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Trekdad Elite user Telford, PA 445 Posts |
It's got to be a struggle. As an earlier poster said, you've got to move product.
That said, products with a "niche" demographic, like (imho) magic and astronomy goods, can be profitably moved in brick and mortar operations, but they've got to give the enthusiasts an added value. Even with the advent of DVD bundling with the trick, it's helpful to me and my kids to talk with a knowledgable owner and to meet and learn with other performers. Maybe I'm the odd one, but that's a big reason why I patronize my local specialty bike shop, telescope business and my "local" magic shop. And I spend a lot of money in all of them; I just don't know how profitable my business is to the owners, but they all seem to be doing ok and enjoying it. And I know I'm paying higher on average, but I'm not after JUST the "widget", gimmick, or text. There's a magic shop I've found around Philadelphia (in historic Bristol, actually) -- Magic Sojourn. I think the owner is a member here as well. I don't know how profitable the business is, but it's grown over the years. I make the 20+ mile trip there, because I can meet other performers (pro and am), and John is extremely talented and is always ready to demo the tricks and help you build a routine. The prices are competitive overall, and he sells quality stuff, although the prices are higher for some of the novelty stuff. He's also got a lot of new inventory, updated each week. I'll probably get the new Change Cap from him when it's introduced later in Jan. If there's a market for THAT type of customer orientation in Australia where the original poster lives, it would seem one could compete with the internet businesses. Bill
Barnhardt: You have tested this theory?
Klaatu: I find it works well enough to get me from one planet to the next. The Day the Earth Stood Still |
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magicsojourn New user Bristol, PA 24 Posts |
Thanks Bill(Trekdad) for the post. I have been in business for 4 years, 1 1/2 yrs. at a kiosk in a mall and the other 2 1/2 yrs. at my brick & mortar shop. I started with 50 items and now have 1500. There is not a great profit margin in magic tricks for the shop owner, so he or she needs to: 1) Know basic sales techniques (Keep It Simple Stupid) the Kiss Principle. By being the best manipulator in the world is not going to sell product but being personable and getting to know the clientell is most important. 2) Know your merchandise, what magic is recommended and what is not and keep current. 3) Sell at a fair & reasonable price. 4) Treat everyone with respect and courtesy.
Profit is made in the back end of the shop. By having a shop your more likely to get bookings because when a person is looking for a magician who do they see first? They see you and can size you up in a matter of minutes. A few demo's done right is the difference between getting booked and not. My last point is treat all of your customers as though your livlihood dependes on them, because it does. Your customer can spot a phooney a mile away. Your repeat customer base is what keeps you in business but always look for ways to generate new customers. If you think your customer base is pro magicians think again, you will starve. Look for professionals in the feilds of medicine, law, public speakers, salespeople, musicians, police, fireman and just about anyone whom deals with the public on a daily basis. Which brings me back to the sales process, know the people you are dealing with and give them suggestions for what they are to use the magic for, business or personnal. Sincerely, John B.
John Bodner
Genesis 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For to you, and to your seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. |
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Angio333 Regular user 130 Posts |
I think it could be profitable if you added a few things, such as:
Rent/Sell costumes Sell gag items Sell Stage Make Up Offer magic lessons at an affordable price Maybe put a coffee shop in there and have magic/comedy/juggling/etc shows Offer the best customer around. Make sure that you show newbies how to do the tricks they buy, and always answer their questions without talking down to them...no matter how stupid the question is. Hope that helps.
- C
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scottthegreat New user 96 Posts |
One just opened in my area. There are 2 owners. One has a full time job as a school teacher. The other is a professional magician. The owners told me there just about making the rent. I seen a lot of shops come and go. I hope they make it. Its great theres a magic shop in my area. There starting a ecommerce website. o they can sell on line. He give lessons. Which I take. Also he sells a lot of used boosks and DVDs. Maybe they will profit after they get the website going. Time will tell
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magicsojourn New user Bristol, PA 24 Posts |
When you sell costumes & novelties you are now a costume & novelty shop not a magic shop.
John Bodner
Genesis 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For to you, and to your seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. |
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m0nk1982 New user 3 Posts |
I was ad when a local magic shop closed its doors in a neighbouring city that I use to go to ... it was cool going in and seeing everything and chatting with other fellow magicians. But with the Internet it allows me to see the various tricks and demos online... and to be honest as much as I love hanging out at the store..I rather be hanging out with my audience performing.
here is an idea...why not make the shop into a club kinda... basically each member pays a monthly due...which could potentially cover the cost of the rent or soemthing...I dunno |
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cameroncando Regular user 136 Posts |
I wanted to be an engineer until I took my first class on it
much like you wanted to be a film student until your first class. If I were you I would take a job at a shop for a few weeks before you bite off more then you want to chew. you might discover (without risking any money) that you don't want a shop after all and in the meantime you are sure to learn a few do’s and don’ts and get some ideas of what you would like to do different. just a thought. |
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Banester Special user 669 Posts |
I have never quite understood why people keep saying the brick and mortar places are closing because of the internet?!? I do not have a magic store, but I do own/run a business and everything I sell you could buy from a thousand places online. For one, are your products priced competively? Also, how many magic shops also sell online, if you don't you should be. You have items on your shelves that you can sell online, you don't need a huge warehouse or one at all. Think about how Copperfield got started, he hanged out at Tannen's learning from pretty much anyone who came in and from the people who worked there.
I hope you do open up that magic shop and I wish you the Best. Question for some of the other people who responded about the internet. Why do you need to offer something that the internet doesn't offer? The interent is basically advertising the products, there is nothing more that I hate is when I walk into a shop and they DON'T have that item that has been the buzz on the interent. And who wouldn't pay a little bit more to get the item now?
The art of a magician is to create wonder.
If we live with a sense of wonder, our lives become filled with joy -Doug Henning- |
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