Creating an LHS?

[Gummer12 134]

There is a void of a LHS in my town, closest one with any respectability is an hour away, but small and overpriced. Next best one is Perani's in Flint and/or Grand Rapids. Just curious what it'll take to start up a GREAT Hockey Shop. Any chance of getting a Franchise (ie Source for Sports)? Ideally I'd like to put it right here in my rink, but it's very limited in space, and it's a county owned facility. Any thoughts, comments, questions, DONATIONS would be greatly appreciated. I'm pretty much married to my job here at the rink, but should something arise and I feel I have to leave, this is a very viable option to persue, and still be around this great game.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Hey wex use the search feature. There have actually been some topics on this. Good info in them too

[Gummer12 134]

Thanks, I regularly use the search, but didn't think this topic would be in here. Guess I'm not the only one in a BFE Town.

[kovalchuk71 212]

lol, no you are not. :)

[RadioGaGa 162]

I would imagine the success of a LHS would be no different than any other retail undertaking.

You'd need a good location.

A strong understanding of your product/customer.

A staff that is equally as dedicated as you are.

Enough capitol to get through the "lean years" as you get yourself established and develop a client base.

Maybe you create a niche that doesn't exist...which I guess you're settings up for with few LHS in the area. Maybe be minimal in some respects (protective for example...) but be THE GUY for skates and sticks. Or vice-versa.

I'm just going from my experience dealing with retail from a advertising perspective...I've never worked (or owned) in a retail outlet.

[TBLfan 25]

Lots and lots of money. You need money for:

The actual building, lease or whatever.

Stick racks, counters, fixtures, machinery.

A/C, heating, internet, lighting, computer, printer for receipts, register.

Equipment... lots of equipment. Think you need a variety of sticks and gloves and protective gear and skates and you need them all in different sizes and curves. Goalie equipment, blockers, masks, catchers, pads, c/a, jocks, throat protection, more skates, etc...

Think about just sticks, how about we just limit it to one brand, easton. Ok you need a CNT stealth, lefty and righty and you need the popular curves, let's say 10 in total(which is a lot less than you'd want because you'll sell out fast because you'd have 1 or 2 of each curve). Ok, now you need to do the same thing with Easton SLs, STs, Synergy 350/300, shafts, blades... and grip and non-grip. And that's just to get a halfway decent selection we're talking a LOT of sticks and even when you manage to get that you're still going to hear a lot of complaints about not having what people want because with only 5 of each stick in left or right handed-ness you sell two and you have half your stock gone.

[prenny207 1]

There is a void of a LHS in my town, closest one with any respectability is an hour away, but small and overpriced. Next best one is Perani's in Flint and/or Grand Rapids. Just curious what it'll take to start up a GREAT Hockey Shop. Any chance of getting a Franchise (ie Source for Sports)? Ideally I'd like to put it right here in my rink, but it's very limited in space, and it's a county owned facility. Any thoughts, comments, questions, DONATIONS would be greatly appreciated. I'm pretty much married to my job here at the rink, but should something arise and I feel I have to leave, this is a very viable option to persue, and still be around this great game.

wexford county civic arena has accts with some manufacturers that would allow them to bring in all the product you are looking for, however, there simply is not the clientele to purchase enough of the equipment. and yes, i am familiar with Cadillac.

[Gummer12 134]

We have accounts yes, but COUNTY is the Key word in our facility. We Used to have a Decent pro shop, we got all our stuff through Perani's wholesale dpt...we could get anything for wholesale minus Easton.. but the County board/accounting put the hook to that, cuz they didn't understand all of the surplus inventory, esp over the Summer when the rink was Closed, and yes, we didn't sell that much, cuz all that was Ordered was what we could get the Cheapest, and was Crap. This was still back in the Wood days, and we had a lot of problems with Dry Rot, cuz the stick rack was right under a heat duct. No, Cadillac is not the IDEAL locale for a LHS, but if done right, it could flourish. How Familiar are you with The Wex? Might I know you?

[Chadd 916]

If you're starting a new shop in a small rink, don't bother ordering skates. They eat up a lot of cash and you don't need them to start. Focus on learning how to sharpen skates really well, it's crucial. Bring in an account like A&R to cover your accessories and a good brand of tape. Next look into bringing in some blades and shafts/ops and some protective. You may have to get them from a wholesale operation if you aren't going to spend enough for a "real" account.

The key is to be patient and not overspend. Any rep worth his weight knows that it's more important to have a small account that blossoms over time than to have one who orders beyond their means and then goes out of business.

[Gummer12 134]

That's Basically what happened. We had a Lot of skates, and a Lot of Very Little equip. Like Infant size. I think we ended up giving to the local organization 10-15 pair of TINY elbow pads, and a plethera of other youth EQ. It was done totally wrong. We still do Tape and Laces, and can do special orders, but we mostly stick to T-Blade Runners for orders, since we all have them and order them all the time anyway, Even though we, well, two of us, are very good sharpeners. It's a shame how many hacks there are out there that we have to fix.

[Chadd 916]

That's Basically what happened. We had a Lot of skates, and a Lot of Very Little equip. Like Infant size. I think we ended up giving to the local organization 10-15 pair of TINY elbow pads, and a plethera of other youth EQ. It was done totally wrong. We still do Tape and Laces, and can do special orders, but we mostly stick to T-Blade Runners for orders, since we all have them and order them all the time anyway, Even though we, well, two of us, are very good sharpeners. It's a shame how many hacks there are out there that we have to fix.

You have to cater to the players at the rink as well. You may like certain brands or models but you have to stock the flexes, curves and sizes that are going to actually sell. You also need a lot more low end stuff than high end. I always looked for products that were a good value or had a "story". If there's a story behind a product, you can sell the product based on that "story".

[Gummer12 134]

I totally agree, it's not what I Like, it's what They like...which is why I'm having a hard time convincing my boss to continue selling 1/4 lb hot dogs in the concession stand. He hates them, thinks they taste like sawdust, but it's not what HE thinks of them, he's not the one buying them. Same deal. But we closed up the shop before the OPS became super hot. I can't Imagine what admin would have said with the prices on those.

[sdcopp 1]

I totally agree, it's not what I Like, it's what They like...which is why I'm having a hard time convincing my boss to continue selling 1/4 lb hot dogs in the concession stand. He hates them, thinks they taste like sawdust, but it's not what HE thinks of them, he's not the one buying them. Same deal. But we closed up the shop before the OPS became super hot. I can't Imagine what admin would have said with the prices on those.

Don't you love the bosses like that? We have a PIAS owner here that has made some poor choices for what he stocks because of his personal likes and dislikes. He quit carrying the Bauer 2000 shin guard a few years back when they changed graphics because he didn't like the look, despite it being their best seller for a few years.

He may soon be closing one of his two shops due to slowing business, and the other stores in the area that he competes with are doing fine.