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So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

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Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#41

Post by wayanon »

mamborambo wrote: post #17

So much truth in this article. We closed down our hobby business, a dance studio, after 10 years of trying to make it work, and finally come to the realisation that we can do much more without the anchor weighing us down. The truth is a passion startup often defies rational analysis, almost like why people have children, it simply fills the part of them that fears regret.

Can you explain that last bit please about having children? Is it that some people are motivated to have kids to block out the opportunity to fail in their own projects?

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#42

Post by keiferski »

roel_v wrote: post #39
keiferski wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most smaller art galleries get 5 visitors a day, tops. That industry revolves around openings, events, and networking, not people walking in off the street.

Then why bother at all opening during the day? Surely not for the $5 in profit?

Because the idea is to have your own art gallery and not simply to make money...?

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#43

Post by wayanon »

roel_v wrote: post #39
keiferski wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most smaller art galleries get 5 visitors a day, tops. That industry revolves around openings, events, and networking, not people walking in off the street.

Then why bother at all opening during the day? Surely not for the $5 in profit?

Some galleries are only open at weekends or Fri-Sat or by appointment. They need to have opening hours to show the world they’re a gallery and their artists also want to feel they are having an actual exhibition.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#44

Post by gambiting »

dragonwriter wrote: post #18
endomatrix wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a friend who runs a brewery. They distribute a ridiculous amount of their product into stores around the world and have won many awards, yet they make very little margin from all that. He told me they make an overwhelming amount of money off of the tasting room attached to their physical brewery because the beer itself is effectively water in terms of cost so they make profit by not having to pay any middle me…

> It would be more accurate to ask: “How the F can anyone make any money when Starbucks is on every other street corner and has the advantages of scale they have.” Source and roast your own beans, don't overroast the beans, charge a premium over Starbucks for not producing crap coffee from overroasted beans. Starbucks does some impressive work with the candy flavors it adds to distract from their coffee, but...

I never had any issue with the way Starbucks coffee tastes - it's just coffee. I definitely don't pick my coffee shops based on the coffee taste - it's only a matter of distance/price, nothing else.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#45

Post by praptak »

chrisseaton wrote: post #7
jaggederest wrote: post #2

The economics of hobby businesses, like bookstores and coffee shops and art galleries, are almost always such that you can either feed it the equivalent of a full time salary, or work there every hour it's open yourself, because the kind of business is one that other people want to do for free as a hobby. This means that, unless you want to be a slave to your own business, you'd better have $50k a year minimum passiv…

So how do coffee shops like Starbucks mange to support 20 working part time plus a corporate headquarters and make a profit, from the same small store you would operate as a hobby?

Huge effects of scale and then even Starbucks sometimes has to close a shop.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#46

Post by praptak »

wayanon wrote: post #41
mamborambo wrote: post #17

So much truth in this article. We closed down our hobby business, a dance studio, after 10 years of trying to make it work, and finally come to the realisation that we can do much more without the anchor weighing us down. The truth is a passion startup often defies rational analysis, almost like why people have children, it simply fills the part of them that fears regret.

Can you explain that last bit please about having children? Is it that some people are motivated to have kids to block out the opportunity to fail in their own projects?

It's not about personal projects. It's just the fear that you will regret not having children when you reach the age when it's no longer possible. It's a shitty kind of motivation btw.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#47

Post by Marazan »

gambiting wrote: post #44
dragonwriter wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It would be more accurate to ask: “How the F can anyone make any money when Starbucks is on every other street corner and has the advantages of scale they have.” Source and roast your own beans, don't overroast the beans, charge a premium over Starbucks for not producing crap coffee from overroasted beans. Starbucks does some impressive work with the candy flavors it adds to distract from their coffee, but...

I never had any issue with the way Starbucks coffee tastes - it's just coffee. I definitely don't pick my coffee shops based on the coffee taste - it's only a matter of distance/price, nothing else.

That's fine everything is personal taste.

...

Starbucks coffee tastes like crap to me and the reason is they chose crappy quality beans and then over roast them.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#48

Post by FooHentai »

l0b0 wrote: post #4

A recent experience from a hackerspace showed me how incredibly thankless people can be. After working really insanely hard to build an inclusive space with loads of features, every little hobby revolutionary in the community just shits all over the work and proclaims the people actually getting stuff done should just stop and leave it to them. Even if I had the time, money and expertise I would never do something li…

>These days you can't even ban assholes without everyone making like you're the one with a problem.

That's been true since always. Speaking as someone that was in that position within a few online communities back in ~98 or so.

Strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#49

Post by probably_wrong »

roel_v wrote: post #35
jaggederest wrote: post #2

The economics of hobby businesses, like bookstores and coffee shops and art galleries, are almost always such that you can either feed it the equivalent of a full time salary, or work there every hour it's open yourself, because the kind of business is one that other people want to do for free as a hobby. This means that, unless you want to be a slave to your own business, you'd better have $50k a year minimum passiv…

* like bookstores and coffee shops and art galleries* Also, martial arts schools.

I taught martial arts for a couple years fully knowing I'd lose money in the process. How did I know that? Because my sensei had told us that he didn't make any money either. Neither does his sensei.

I think at this point is almost a rite of passage - if you want to teach you do it because you like it, not because you expect to profit from it.

Of course, the economics of your area also apply.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#50

Post by valvar »

gambiting wrote: post #44
dragonwriter wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It would be more accurate to ask: “How the F can anyone make any money when Starbucks is on every other street corner and has the advantages of scale they have.” Source and roast your own beans, don't overroast the beans, charge a premium over Starbucks for not producing crap coffee from overroasted beans. Starbucks does some impressive work with the candy flavors it adds to distract from their coffee, but...

I never had any issue with the way Starbucks coffee tastes - it's just coffee. I definitely don't pick my coffee shops based on the coffee taste - it's only a matter of distance/price, nothing else.

Well, then you're not part of the segment that's targeted by specialist coffee shops.
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