Thanks for the input Fooble. I just wanted to quickly comment on a few of your points before I started my day.
In regards to being competitive with other stores, and perhaps I'm being naive or idealistic, I think that as a community group in the Warragul community, the club has some minimal obligation to support local businesses. I know that value for money (especially when it comes to expensive wargaming products) is at the very front of our minds, but having the convenience of a local stockist that provides a discount to club members (no matter how big or small that discount is) is a great opportunity for a local community group. Maybe I'm a dinosaur in this respect, but shopping in a local store and being able to see and touch the range of products before I purchase them still holds some charm for me. We also need to remember that Toy Kingdom is first and foremost a toy store, and so not able to compete on price and range (at least not in the early stages of setting up) with some of the dedicated gaming stores you mentioned. This might not be the cheapest or the biggest range, but it is definitely the most local; and for a business owner in a rural area to offer a discount on products she is not familiar with to a local community group is a very generous offer...one I think it would be foolish not to encourage and take advantage of - even if it means as gamers we need to sacrifice the extra couple of dollars on our purchases that we might save elsewhere. Even if its just one or two purchases out of your monthly purchasing budget, it all contributes to getting this really up and running (10+ members buying one or two box sets a month - or however often - is a good influx of customers for a small part of the store/stock range).
As far as stocking products from other ranges, I do agree with you. However, again this manager is unfamiliar with wargaming and in the business sense, it would be very foolish (and very risky) to start out stocking a whole bunch of miniatures from different ranges without having any concrete sales data on how they would sell. The decision to stock GW was made by someone no longer involved with the business, so for the moment GW it is. I would think that if she saw enough interest from local wargamers and at a later date we provided her with details for other companies, then if there was enough interest and money to be made (as you say, that is the goal of all business) then she would probably be more than willing to expand her wargaming range.
When it comes to a LOT of floorspace, no-one does it better than Realm of Legends in Croydon. So I understand where you are coming from. However, Nola has said there may be enough room for a Fantasy table and a 40K table at this stage. This is one of the areas where the club joins the party and hosts tournaments, etc. When last I ran a gaming club, we had a few events outside of our regular meetings - most notably during the Medusa V 40K worldwide campaign way back in the day. At this event, I invited our local stockist to come set up a stall on one of the days - they did better sales in that one afternoon (in regards to GW) than they did in any other two weeks combined. Again from a business perspective, a lot of business owners want stock that will move on its own. Organising additional events is time-consuming in an industry where time is at a premium. I'm sure that with enough interest and custom that new releases could be celebrated in store in some way, though again it is something that would need some negotiation and ideas when the time came. The club hosts tournaments, for a store that is not dedicated to wargaming, it would be much more practical to get involved with those club events and perhaps run specials in conjunction with them, than it is to run its own events.
In regards to stocking new releases, that is kind of how they end up with all that excess stock that nobody buys. GW push for so many units of this and that, and when its new people get excited and might buy one or two, leaving the others to dust up on the shelves as the next big release comes out. I think the best way, and I might be wrong here, to stock would be for game systems and armies that are actually played to bulk out the range, with one or two of the new release items as they are released. Let's face it, if nobody in the area plays Tau, then why have a Tau range - even if they are new and fantastic. Basically, the way she stocks is ultimately up to her, we can just provide her with some suggestions to make it easier. Stocking any product you're not sure of is a big risk, but if we want a local stockist willing to communicate and work with the club for the betterment of both, we need to do as much as we're able to reduce that risk in the early stages (at least!). This means buying stock available, talking with staff to demonstrate interest, utilising ordering facilities when available, and being a presence in the store whenever you have time to spare. Who knows, if it gets big enough she may need to put on a wargaming person to work there (I'm very happy in my current job but if there are unemployed club members or those looking for a change from their current work...) - this has happened in a couple of stockists I've known previously when the demand was there.
I totally agree about the army books and expansions. Every stockist I've seen that has done well carries a range of books. And as you say, they're a good seller. This can also be expanded to cover things like RP books for other systems and so on - again, once the interest is established and maintained.
In regards to the display cabinet and painting competitions, this again is something that the club can run with Toy Kingdom providing a venue for display to the public, and the prize (purchased with the entry fee for the competition as you suggested - and maybe from time to time a little extra injected from the store, again requiring negotiation). Its very easy to run a painting competition. To begin, I would suggest that all entries are dropped off and paid for at the club meeting, then taken en masse down for display. For a business not dedicated to wargaming, having staggered drop off, collection, and payment is too much additional work. Club members can vote on the day, as well as having a voting box or something on top of the display or at the counter (again would need to be negotiated). This would get the club free advertising, as well as set up that cycle of winnings and spending that you mentioned. I think its a great idea!
Terrain and boards could certainly be charged for, and would perhaps be a nice little earner, however if people pay for time and a game goes over this could become a hassle for staff. Again this is something to be negotiated with Nola, and she has said that such a set up would not be possible for a couple of months. My idea here is that she'd like to see if its worth the outlay on terrain, space, boards, miniatures, etc. by gauging the sales and interest demonstrated. Knowing that club members would be willing to help out with that is fantastic - and perhaps the club paying or assisting with the purchase and construction of gaming areas would also go a long way to fostering the important, almost symbiotic, relationship between business and club. Maybe club members (with a membership card) get free play on the tables? Or something like that...
And lastly, a website for setting up matches? We have one right here! No need to reinvent the wheel, this way people find their way to our little corner of the web and can do matchmaking right here - as well as check out all the other conversation threads and maybe get enough interest to stop by at a club meeting, not just the boards in store.
I hope I havent gone on too much, I do have a tendency to do that as anyone who has read any of my posts probably knows by now. I think this has the potential to be a winning opportunity for all involved - it might not be perfect in all respects, but it is better than nothing at all: and I think it deserves as much support as possible. Even if members just poke their head into the store over the next couple of weeks to check out their range and make a comment about how great it is to have a stockist again...it all helps I think.
Please, everyone, feel free to pick apart my ideas or agree with them (yay!) or just comment and offer ideas as they come to you. I hope something I've written here, or others have, rings someone's screaming bell
