Thinking of opening a shop

[Exhibitman]

Well, as I do a lot of commercial leasing work, I can say with some experience...DO NOT DO IT! You will have to sign your life away, financially speaking, when you sign a lease, get a loan to fund your build-out, etc. I've had multiple clients have to file for bankruptcy because they bit off more than they could chew when opening a business. Just remember this from Goodfellas (modified slightly to fit):

Now the guy's gotta come up with the rent-utilities-ISP-insurance money every month, no matter what.
Business bad? F*** you, pay me.
Oh, you had a fire? F*** you, pay me.
Place got hit by lightning, huh? F*** you, pay me.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Well, as I do a lot of commercial leasing work, I can say with some experience...DO NOT DO IT! You will have to sign your life away, financially speaking, when you sign a lease, get a loan to fund your build-out, etc. I've had multiple clients have to file for bankruptcy because they bit off more than they could chew when opening a business. Just remember this from Goodfellas (modified slightly to fit):

Now the guy's gotta come up with the rent-utilities-ISP-insurance money every month, no matter what.
Business bad? F*** you, pay me.
Oh, you had a fire? F*** you, pay me.
Place got hit by lightning, huh? F*** you, pay me.

There are no long-standing card shops in your area within a reasonable driving distance? Oh, say, like maybe Beverly Hills Baseball Cards? I've been there twice - once in 2001 and once again in 2002. They were there for many years before I ever visited and they're still in business today.

So question specifically for you. How can they do it and be very successful, but others can't? Do they have something that makes them special?