Opening a LHS

[scubafrogman 0]

I, too, would be interested in opening a LHS.   Professionally, I am a software developer.  I am also an avid ice hockey enthusiasts.   I would be more than happy to help anyone out (on the software/web end of things).   About all I could offer is my skills in programming ;-)

BTW: I live in the St. Louis area (Belleville, IL)

How about moving to Kansas City? :D STL has plenty of hockey. We here in KC need a quality hockey store. Only ave one store and they have a small selection and little competition.

Anyone in KC want to open a store???

Is that the one on shawnee mission parkway at the George Brett Sports Complex (Ice Sports?)? Got interested in hockey when I started college @ UMKC. Yeah- that place really sucks. Only had 3 or 4 kinds of skates and just VERY basic hockey gear.

Nope, I was talking about Nill Bros. at 119th and Metcalf. I don't even think IceSports has a pro shop anymore. Pepsi Ice Midwest has a small shop in it but it is all standard manuf. prices. Never any good sales.

Do you still play in KC? Or are you in AZ now?

[Drewhunz 3]

Nope, I was talking about Nill Bros. at 119th and Metcalf. I don't even think IceSports has a pro shop anymore. Pepsi Ice Midwest has a small shop in it but it is all standard manuf. prices. Never any good sales.

Do you still play in KC? Or are you in AZ now?

No, I moved back to Texas to attend SMU for the spring '05- spring '06 sessions. Working on transferring to ASU for the fall '06 session to begin post- grad work. Kansas City kicked my ass with so little to do but drink and drive up to Nebraska to watch some Husker games.

On a side note, my old apartment was on 110th and Metcalf. Didn't even know Nill Bros. sold hockey equipment, I was always pissed their paintball section sucked so bad. Always wound up getting ripped off at Irish Brigade @ 95th& State Line. Nice guy but usually a 10-20% markup above anywhere close.

[top 0]

This is for all the LHS owners and what not, but what is the most or best selling product or product's in your store. Anything would help, i just want to get a head up on what to look into, and what to stay away from?!

[Chadd 916]

This is for all the LHS owners and what not, but what is the most or best selling product or product's in your store. Anything would help, i just want to get a head up on what to look into, and what to stay away from?!

Volume sales:

Tape, sharpenings

sticks and blades usually result in the best combination of profit and volume. Stay away from skates at first, you'll lose your ass if you make any mistakes. Buy what you can sell, not what you like or can get a deal on.

[top 0]

So in other words, try getting your hands on things that you don't usually give deals on, and minimize the expensive stock or stuff that you know people will want a discount on in the store. Is there anything else other than skates then can send your shop down into the shits?

[Chadd 916]

So in other words, try getting your hands on things that you don't usually give deals on, and minimize the expensive stock or stuff that you know people will want a discount on in the store. Is there anything else other than skates then can send your shop down into the shits?

Lots of things can put you out of business but the number one thing is to have too much tied up in inventory that you can't sell. Unless you have millions of dollars in financial backing, be careful not to overextend yourself. You want to sell the product and order more, not sit on it and hope to sell it.

Make sure you are making a decent profit on the things you do sell, giving everyone and their brother a big discount will come back to bite you in the ass.

[epstud74 24]

So in other words, try getting your hands on things that you don't usually give deals on, and minimize the expensive stock or stuff that you know people will want a discount on in the store. Is there anything else other than skates then can send your shop down into the shits?

Lots of things can put you out of business but the number one thing is to have too much tied up in inventory that you can't sell. Unless you have millions of dollars in financial backing, be careful not to overextend yourself. You want to sell the product and order more, not sit on it and hope to sell it.

Make sure you are making a decent profit on the things you do sell, giving everyone and their brother a big discount will come back to bite you in the ass.

Location, location, service and more service..Also, if you do not have it, you cannot sell it. Do you have access to any one with excellent skate sharpening skills? Maybe local college/HS kids who play in local hockey leagues? It is helpful to have someone that knows what they're talking about in the shop and also an interest in equipment and maintenance.

[kovalchuk71 212]

I would suspect stocking many expensive OPS's.

[Chadd 916]

I would suspect stocking many expensive OPS's.

That's a double edge sword. You need to have quality gear in order to be respected by customers but you shouldn't have so many that you can't sell them all.

[top 0]

true, and the customer's respect is what your looking for at all times, so basically these kind of sales can be a hit or miss thing?

[Chadd 916]

true, and the customer's respect is what your looking for at all times, so basically these kind of sales can be a hit or miss thing?

You have to seem like a legitimate shop in their eyes. That means you have to score some recognizable names and/or product.

You should have some market research indicating the number of players in the area. From that you can begin to estimate the amount of equipment that is sold annually. Then you need to figure out what percentage of those sales you can reasonably expect to steal from the other shops or websites. That, combined with you financial backing, should give you some idea as to how much product you can afford to buy. It's basic business 101.

[top 0]

I'm just trying to a heads up on how things work, because i wanna go into the business hockey industry. And finding out or knowing all these things kinda helps clarify things.

[Sven 1]

Im actually about to open an own hockeystore, but i dont know if its too dangerous.

First of all, we are two guys (mid 20s) and we would team up to open a hockeystore here in germany.

I just finished University and i dont have any experience with opening or having a store. Tho i am a nice and friendly guy, so working with customers wont be a problem.

In this area, there is no big competition, just one hockeyshop which has a pretty average (low-mid) inventory, so that would be the one to beat. The only advantage his store has is the location. Its located inside our arena so people can run into it get tape/sticks/whatever if its urgent..

Also, this shop is just open when the season is on (Sept-April), so if we would be around all year, we could gain some edge. This shop does not sharpen skates, so i wont be that bad when my shop does not offer sharpenings as well.

So, if you got hints or something like that, hit me up.

Edit:

Chadd, this email up there does not work.

[TBLfan 25]

have you considered trying to buy his shop? I think that if you could it would be less risky as well as easier and in the long run more profitable.

[Sven 1]

He wont sell, even tho i never asked. And actually, i want to open my own empire if i consider going into the biz ;)

[TBLfan 25]

well best of luck buddy. It will be tough but if you plan it right and work hard it ahould work out. Best of all it will be a shop with someone that is knowledgeable about equipment!

[Sven 1]

Thanks dude, i appreciate it a lot! I dont know if i ever will take the step being a self-employed person with an own shop, because its risky.

Anyways, if i would do it, soonest mid/late 2008 so there is enough time to work and re-think stuff out.

[CBJ 0]

It is a risky business, and because of that, I believe you truely need to have a passion for it (hockey equipment and hockey in general) in order to have a realistic shot at success.

I've been looking into / researching opening a store myself for the past couple years. If you'd like my thoughts on how to go about opening a store and succeeding just send me a pm. My thoughts are far to long to bore everyone else on this thread :lol:

best of luck!

[Sven 1]

I believe you truely need to have a passion for it (hockey equipment and hockey in general) in order to have a realistic shot at success.

Thats my cup of tea! By the way, PM sent.

[skooled 0]

Sven, your first problem to overcome is the fear of failure. This will put you on the back foot from the start. You will need to sit yourself down and put together a mission statement and a business plan. Work out what you will do to set you apart from any other store you would be competing against. You also would you be doing yourself a favour if you got a hold of a brand, not yet in Germany, and marketed, and distributed to other stores. This way you have a fallback in the early stages of the new business.

Also, make sure that going into business with your friend is the right decision. It can make or break a friendship. If you need any help, let me know

[Project824 0]

He wont sell, even tho i never asked. And actually, i want to open my own empire if i consider going into the biz ;)

Best of luck to you, and it's a huge risk, but doubtful that any startup hockey shop will ever become an empire. If you want to get rich, sell something else, hockey gear doesn't have the volume or the margin necessary to be more than "comfortable". As others have said, you really need to love it to stay involved.