I Took the Risk of Starting MY OWN Warhammer Store

I Took the Risk of Starting MY OWN Warhammer Store. I'll talk you through my experience with opening a Friendly local gaming store, and seeing if it really is living "The Dream". 2 years ago, I started my own business.. now we stock Warhammer 40k, Magic the Gathering, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, D&D, Vallejo, Citadel and more! Do I regret this decision and has it always been easy? Stay tuned!

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Do you enjoy the content? If so, do check out the links below. Your support is greatly appreciated and means a lot. 😀

PATREON - Access to Discord and Patreon only videos

MY STORE - Miniatures, Scenics and CCG's (EU)

ELEMENT GAMES - Everything hobby (UK)

Amazon shop - All your essentials

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#Broadswordwargaming #Broadsword #flgs

[BroadswordWargaming]

Is there anything else you would like to know about opening your own hobby shop, ask away? Also, if you want to help support our family run business, check out www.broadswordwargaming.com :) THANKS! :)

[vagabondprime]

A friend of mine opened his own game shop 10 years ago. He's had good years, he's had bad years, but the last three years have been amazing because his community finally found him, and it's been amazing. I'm hoping the same for you! Congratulations!

[Arrowhead]

I opened my own shop exactly like yours back in 2009 when I was 29. I managed to keep it for 10 years and closed in 2019, so I understand very well the struggles, the joy and all the feelings you expressed in this video. Those years were the best of my life, I saw children growing up and becoming young adults. I gave all I could to the small community where I live, and people still recognizes me and remember the good days they spent in my shop. Unfortunately I couldn't survive all the expenses and taxes that we have here in Italy so my dream ended. When I think of my time working in my beautiful shop I still shred a tear, I did that just today while trying to arrange all the stocks of products I still have in my house..and then it happened to see this video in my youtube home. So guys enjoy every day of your ride while it lasts, because I really felt happy to go to work every day and it's something I never experienced before and after that. Hopefully in your case it will be for many years until you will retire :) Good luck from Italy <3

[ChibsterofNurgy]

"Have you ever dreamed of opening up your own hobby shop?"
No

After watching the video: FUCK NO. This is the kind of stress that would kill me. You both have more strength than me

[BarokaiRein]

My parents own a pet store (not a hobby store) and seeing the difficulties that have come with it since being a kid I honestly could never see myself running a store of any kind. It doesn't help that the government in my country does everything in their power to make the life of an entrepreneur harder and harder every single year.

Running a miniature gaming store means having to deal with GWs complete incompetence when it comes to actually having enough supply for demand would just be yet another cause of stress. I don't envy anyone who runs these stores.

[cherdidi]

I'll forever be grateful you took that risk and fostered such a great local store and hobby peeps. Thanks to you and Ciara l've found a community here, which made a new town feel like home.❤

I also really appreciate that you came into this video with true authenticity in your thoughts and feelings, I'm sure that resonates with so many.

[Dasike]

I work in another irish hobby retail store and have done for 12 years and you've hit everything exactly how it really is on the head. It can be incredibly frustrating on the bad days and absolutely fulfilling on the best. I wish you both nothing but good luck and good times.

[joltuk]

Great video! Even though I'm not local I'm always grateful to the people out there who put their time and effort into running the stores that make our hobby great!

[Nusphigore]

I have my own hobby shop and I agree wholehartedly with this.
It has a lot of lows but also really nice highs. It takes time, a huge amount of patience and stress management.
Things you wouldn't normally associate with a hobby store, but that's life

[joakimandersson]

Unsolicited advice from a psychologist who's also tried running several of my own businesses: almost everything you're telling us in this video is like a "Bullet Point List of Burnout Red Flags". Take care of yourself, the amount of stress and workload you're putting yourself under with what I gathered basically amounts to working 300% without having your basic needs met is very unhealthy, dangerous and worrying. I know you didn't ask for this advice, but feel free to reach out if you want a professional perspective on these things.

[pinggwen]

I visited your shop in 2020 when browsing around the city when I saw your sign I decided to go in as I had been looking at minis for a while I picked up my first mini and now I enjoy this hobby so much I wish you all the best in your business ❤Love from Dublin

[mindflayer]

In a world dominated by online hobby stores and big box stores that don't really carry what gamers need, the local brick and mortar hobby shop is so important. It takes guts to enter the market (or grave stupidity!) and I applaud you for taking the risk to feed the community. I sincerely wish you the best of luck and success.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GAMING SHOP!

[Hokum_Paints]

Honestly, great video. Making a hobby a job can cut both ways and I think you see that in this video. It can be great, as the saying goes, "Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life." Except the times the Work spoils what you enjoy doing... Wishing you Ciara all the best with the shop!

[mcswainy]

As a father of two young children in my late 30s, this resonates. Put me in an emergency, I can be cool as cucumber, make me talk bout how I feel trying to support my family and I'm a mess.
You're a hero. Be kind to yourself. I wish you all the luck!

[stevexboxfriends]

Good luck to you. Anyone who takes a risk and helps keep the high street thriving deserves all the credit in the world.

[WhitefoxSpace]

As a freelancer, I never felt like I could relate as much as around 7:30 - that whole monologue is my internal voice every single hour of every single day of every week of every month of every year.

[dudeoftherock]

Got to visit in October last year, wonderful little shop and Ciara and Oliver were super nice!

[bryanwalsh]

Hugely appreciate your having done so Olly - great service and every delivery is always on time from my experience. Here's to your continued success, and exciting times ahead for all things 10th edition!

[Keilnoth]

4:54 OMG that Hero Quest box! Still the best figurine boardgame ever!

[manleycreative]

I hear your pain. I have been unemployed for a while due to social anxiety and other issues. I realized that if not for family circumstances as a safety net, I would be a homeless bum. Even the bad days you speak of sound like heaven, comparatively. I still want to open my own hobby store. I remember the hobby store in my hometown back in 1986 (yes, a full year before WH40K was even a thing). The guy who ran it had to shut down after four years. He probably felt horrible and sour about the endeavor due to limited clientele (in a major college town!) but if I ever see him again I want him to know how much he changed my life. I would have never known about miniatures or Games Workshop at all if not for that store having been there just as I went into high school and needed a coping solution for my life. I don't know what else I could have done during those years but be depressed and bored. That store was a Godsend. That and a new store in my hometown (and their stated message of being a haven for kids with bad home lives) has made me realize it's about changing people's lives.