Ideas about a business I'd like to have/run someday...

I've been thinking about businesses I'd like to start someday. The one that sounds most achievable to me (and probably the most fun) is to start a Record store.

However, what would make my record store different from the others in the New Orleans area?

1.) The location

There are at least 8 (maybe 9) record stores in New Orleans. However, they are ALL in New Orleans. There are NONE in the suburbs. Why not? That is where most of the population lives. Also, the business climate in Jefferson Parish (especially Metairie) is MUCH better than the actual city of New Orleans. This is due mostly to...

- Less taxes.
- Violent crime is virtually non-existent in Jefferson Parish, thanks to the JPSO.
- Less bureaucratic headaches with local government bodies.
- Much better real estate prices for commercial property.
- Better roads, traffic flow on the streets and parking situations.

Affluent neighborhoods like Algiers and Uptown New Orleans aside, the people living in Metairie (and the rest of the East Bank of Jefferson Parish) have a LOT more discretionary income than most residents in the actual city of New Orleans. So, it makes perfect sense for the store to be located close to them. Location is EVERYTHING in brick-and-mortar retail.

2.) We will specialize in Rock music, everything from the 1950's right up to today's hardest and heaviest Metal.

Want a copy of Led Zeppelin IV on vinyl? No problem. Want to special order the new A7X album on LP just to brag to your friends in school that you have something that might be rare? Okay. We're happy to help! :)

However, if you think you're going to get some Dubstep nightmare on a disc in my store, then you are sorely mistaken. Music is to be enjoyed, NOT butchered with some computer program and turned into something that sounds like a 1990's era dial-up modem dying a slow death and/or the sounds of Robot Porn. Records and CD's are not meant to contain a technologically-induced aural nightmare... unless it's a soundtrack to a horror movie or a special effects record.

In fact, don't ask about ANYTHING that isn't Rock'N'Roll.

3.) Most (if not all) the other record stores in town carry a lot of local music. However, it's all Jazz, Blues, Zydeco and Brass bands. Where's the Local Rock and Metal? The answer to that question is: My store!

There are bands that started out pressing a few thousand copies of their demo, supplying it to local record shops/radio stations and becoming a success. I want to be a part of that for some young up-and-coming band that goes on to be legendary.

For those who think that's a stretch since they don't know of any band that made it that way, I have one name for you: GODSMACK.

4.) It's not just about the music...

In addition to music, we will also carry Rock Music-related films/video collections on DVD & Blu-Ray and used video games that still work.

The DVD & Blu-Ray stuff will mostly be concert films, music video compilations and features made by groups big enough to make their own films. For example, KISS with 'Detroit Rock City' and 'Tommy' by The Who.

The used video games are just too good of a market to pass up, especially since pawn shops usually have terrible selections and GameStop won't take anything from previous console generations. As if getting a Mario game for one of the old cartridge-based Nintendo consoles won't sell... Dumbasses. If they want to create a market opportunity for me, I'll gladly take it from them.

That being said, I'm not taking last year's Madden game. No one wants to play last year's Madden game. I'm also not taking old computer games, either. A lot of old computer games require operating systems and drivers to work. While some can be run in an emulator of some kind (DOSBox, for example), many never will. Also, what am I going to do with a copy of Prince of Persia for Apple II on old 5.25" floppy disks? Almost no one has those kind of computers anymore. I don't even have one anymore!

I might sell a few musical instruments and supplies too (guitar strings, drumsticks, picks, et al.), if I can make money that way. Same goes for stereo equipment and accessories for them. (Needles for record players, Adaptors for 45 RPM singles, AV cables, iPods, et al.)

Also, unlike another local New Orleans-area record store called Mushroom Records, we will NOT be selling drug paraphernalia. I know a lot of music lovers are also stoners but, (at least) half of that rather small record store is dedicated to selling water pipes, glow-in-the-dark posters of Bob Marley and rolling papers. What is that place? A record store or a head shop? I couldn't tell. Unless you're a general retailer like Wal-Mart or Best Buy, there needs to be a clear purpose to your store's business. Like a good computer program, you should do ONE thing (or a small handful of things) and do it well. Otherwise, you may be over-extending yourself.

5.) GOOD customer service and the people that I'll hire as Employees...

I don't recall EVER getting the attention of the college kids working at the Mushroom. (The store is located near the uptown New Orleans campus of Tulane University and largely staffed by its students.) The sound system was also so damned loud that I couldn't hear myself think, let alone ask any questions of store employees or attempt to make special orders. That is no way to run a business.

Most independent music stores are operated/staffed with high school/college kids, stoners, struggling musicians and people that are socially marginalized for living alternative lifestyles. (i.e. Goth types.)

I'm not hiring stoners under any circumstance. I have certain standards that I expect my employees to meet. Being sober, helpful, capable of going to work and having their mental faculties in order are part of those standards. Stoners don't have those qualities. All the other stereotypical record store employees should have a chance of getting to work for me. Honorably discharged veterans (including my Army buddies) will also have a good chance of working in my store.

Just to clarify, when I say 'stoner' I mean people who's whole life revolves around hitting the bong. Not folks that like smoking a joint in their garage while playing guitar with their friends or lifting weights while listening to old Iron Maiden albums. Those people are perfectly employable. Junkies are not. After all, I want to provide GOOD customer service. Bad service helps no one but the competition.

6.) If you intend to trade something in, make sure it's playable...

I can't tell you how many times I went into the Mushroom, found a cool record and, upon pulling it out of the sleeve, discovered that it was too badly scratched to be played. And yet, they would be trying to sell it for $10. No dice. Unless I'm going to re-purpose the disc for some kind of art project, there's just no point in owning a record that can't be played.

That's why EVERY SINGLE ITEM being traded in will be tested before we buy it from the customer. If it's something we can't test (i.e. a game for a system that we don't have in stock at the moment) then, we won't buy it from the customer. This limits the chances of us adding something to the stock that may prove defective, not to mention over-stocking an item that may not sell for a long time, if ever. Just because you think your shoe box of old Atari cartridges are worth something does not mean that they actually are worth something...

Also, all system trade-ins need to come with ALL the cables and controllers that the manufacturer supplied. How can I be expected to test (let alone re-sell) something that has no AC power cord, audiovisual cables that connect it to a monitor or controllers?

7.) Speaking of trade-ins from customers...

Most stores that trade items like this (record stores, GameStop, et al.) offer the option of either cash or store credit, with store credit being higher. I'm not playing that game. All trades in my store will be for cash. It's a lot simpler. I'm not particularly interested in doing that rebate card/membership rewards thing, either.

8.) Payment methods

All purchases will be made with either cash or credit cards. No checks. As a business owner, I don't trust them. As a consumer, they are great for paying bills by mail. As a Landlord, I find them acceptable since I've checked my tenant's credit history before renting to them and I'm reasonably sure the check is good. Otherwise, I'm not interested in personal checks. Sorry.

9.) Store decorations

Most record stores I've seen are always decorating the walls and store-front windows with old album covers, band posters and colored vinyl. That sounds good to me, as long as the album covers come from albums that got scratched beyond playability. I have a few posters from various bands in storage too. (Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, MetallicA, et al.) Once they're framed, they'll go up on the walls that are NOT occupied with shelves for the store's goods.

10.) Store Hours

I'll keep it simple. 10AM - 6PM Tuesday through Saturday. If we're open on Sunday, it will be from 12 Noon to 5PM. The store will be closed to the public on Monday so I can stock/reorganize shelves, make (special) orders from distributors and do the accounting/payroll for the business.

11.) Price tags

Many record stores put the price tags right on the album cover with their used vinyl. The ones that sell old video games will sometimes put the price tag on the cartridge labels too. Not in my store. I don't like that as a customer and I will not do it as the store owner, either. It drives customers crazy trying to remove them without ruining labels and album covers. Besides, I can get plastic bags for the album covers and put the price tags on them instead.

Also, I'm having one of my employees go through all of the old records we get in the inventory and cleaning them before they get put on the shelves. I'm not talking about using expensive machines with vacuum cleaners and special liquids. I mean a good once-over with a lint-free cloth and ammonia-free glass cleaner. That's usually all you need.

12.) The store's name...

I'm drawing a blank here. I thought about 'Metairie Metal', 'Metairie Rock and Metal' or some variation on that theme. However, I can see that getting confused with one of the contractor supply houses in the area. Also, what if the business is NOT actually in Metairie? If anyone has seriously good suggestions, I'm willing to listen to them.

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I swear that the only reason I don't open a store like this as soon as I get home is a lack of cash... and I just don't know how to run a business. However, that will change. The Internet is a wonderful tool for learning such things. Also, I learn a lot about the operations of good record stores every week when I go to the local one here in Frederick, Maryland. They seem to do pretty damned good business too. I've long lost track of how much cash I've spent there since first discovering it in February.

- Lord Publius