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For Free: Your Own Arcade - Not Kidding
RayB:
Sounds less and less appealing Peale. Too risky. You and I both know arcades have gone downhill for years. Why would this one succeed?
Plus if the coffee shop is being replaced by a bar, you'll have people petitioning the city to restrict kids from your arcade (too close to alcohol) and there even might already be by-laws regarding age restrictions for kids. In my experience, the smaller the city, the more they seem to have silly by-laws against arcades (can't have them if they are near schools; or can't have them let kids under 16 in, etc, etc).
Then there's costs of insurance, alarm/security. You won't want to be the manager all the time, so figure in the cost of a manager/change person half the time at minimum wage or higher (higher the better, otherwise theft will be a high possibility). At $6 an hour, someone working 40 hours will cost you $980 a month.
I say forget it! The hobby you LOVE will become the job you HATE! ;-D
~Ray B.
iwillfearnoevil:
--- Quote from: Peale on February 03, 2005, 10:40:40 pm ---1) They have, however, taken 90% of the start-up costs and hard work out of their own pockets
--- End quote ---
i don't take this much as a value add to you. as these downtowns attempt to revitalize, the landlords are renovating all the buildings - even getting government money to help. if they find business willing to move in while renovating, they'll fix it up to their specifications anyways. so much of that, they'll have to do for any business. also there is so much free advertising from newspapers and local tv stations for new businesses, that costs nothing to them. i am sure they generally want downtown to suceed, but i'm sure a lot of property is owned and these businesses are just tools to get more businesses interested. not a bad idea on their part, but nothing a startup couldn't do. i'm sure they made phone calls to find an operator and to an internet service provider, but who can't?
lastly if they are looking to sell, they are figuring the $800 rent they receive from you will be more than the profit they will receive from the arcade. good luck crunching the numbers. perhaps the number of quarters to cover all the expenses plus a real good profit for you is obtainable.
JoyMonkey:
You'd probably be eligible for some kind of a loan from the Claremont Development Authority to give you a helping hand until business is booming.
Luxury:
Just an idea-
If the coffee shop isn't closing do to lack of business and turing into a bar - then sell coffee at the arcade. Go a bit more upscale with Coffeshop/Arcade. You then have 2 areas for profit, and one will hopefully balance the other out if one isn't performing as well as expected. Load the space up with cocktail machines if possible.
pointdablame:
--- Quote from: Luxury on February 04, 2005, 01:11:47 pm ---Just an idea-
If the coffee shop isn't closing do to lack of business and turing into a bar - then sell coffee at the arcade. Go a bit more upscale with Coffeshop/Arcade. You then have 2 areas for profit, and one will hopefully balance the other out if one isn't performing as well as expected. Load the space up with cocktail machines if possible.
--- End quote ---
Why would he load the place up with cocktail machines if they take more floor space than uprights? And you certainly don't want people with hot coffee using your cocktail machines as coffee tables.