That kind of hike is what seemed to have driven a lot of retailers into buying up blocks, or pads, of land to build their own big box outlets—away from the malls. Many that are now owned by pension funds interested in making enough $$ to keep up the $$$ in those very funds. In so doing they started pumping the rents and leases through the roof-----one up here lost almost 40% of the tenants in a few months after they pulled a 57% hike —shortly after the mall was sold to them
You’d think after one or two of those fiascos they’d figure out that you don’t increase revenue by driving away your customers. OTOH, these types of deals are probably done by fresh out of school MBA’s who didn’t know anything when they went into the MBA program and know even less as a result of becoming MBA’s.
I wouldn’t put a hobby store inside another store like that because yoru cost will be too high and liek someone said you will probably have to be open the hours they are.
However I would recomend a hobby store nearby a store like that or near a toy store. Any shopping center that has kid traffic through it so when the kidssee it they drag mom and dad to it. I wouldn’t recomend a mall as they charge to much rent. I have seen dozens of hobby stores fail in malls.
If someone were to go the hobby store route I would sell more than just train stuff. Have a wide sleection of hobby stuff and do a lot of business by internet too. I woud also find a way to sell some toys and or other main stream type of merchandise to attract the norms.
We have a Train store near by that is located in the back of a women dress store., you wanna talk about awkward! I’m not sure which party feels more uncomfortable the woman holding up something to herself to see how it looks that she may want to buy with a bunch of train geeks gawking as they pass by or the train guys bumping into the manikins wearing nothing but a pair of underwear.Can we say cheapskate who doesn’t want to pay rent but share space with his girlfriend?
My hobby shop of choice is almost an hours drive and is a stand alone old stone building run by a some old guys who were around when those stones used to build their store were brand spanking new and the ground still had that new dirt smell to it. Couldn’t find a better, nicer, more knowledgeable bunch of guys if you tried. It’s more then just a LHS as my wife calls it the Man’s retreat. No that women aren’t welcome there I’m sure they are but I just haven’t seen any. They have every possible train related thing you could possibly every dream of and if it’s out of stock they get it in for you by the next day or so.
I hate those big box stores and avoid them like the plague, you wanna talk about a freak show man, don’t know about where you live but we get some strange looking folks in the one’s around here. Could you imagine your in the hobby store in the big box store looking at the latest high dollar locomotive lets say form MTH or whom ever or some craftsmen kit from someone like Fine Scale Miniatures or just any railroad item in general you’ve really been wanting and some freaky looking kid with purple hair all spiked up with metal stuff stuck in his face wearing all black comes in and stands right nest to you gawking at your every move, or worse eyt the yuppie mom with three or four out of control screaming little delinquents are running rough shod up and down the isles screaming mommy mommy I want that train!, Nothing a good swift kick in the you know what won’t cure.
Meh—the one’s that get me are the 400lb+ geezer in the yellow spandex tights and the purple flowered ladies blouse. [banghead][(-D]
If one was to stick a LHS in something like a big box store–I could see it in a plaza—seperate. I’m just hoping a certain big box store chain we all know and “love” don’t be getting any ideas—[:-^]—else we’d be seeing some of the above[|(]