Wrestling stores?

[Guest The Armchair Booker]

I know this isn't really material for the "WWF" section, but there is no section for this type of thing (plus this is the only place where I can get a lot of replies).

 

Anywhoo, does anybody know of any wrestling stores.  I'm talking memorbilia, movies, shirts, used things, magazines, and the like (maybe other kinds of wrestling stores if you know of them).

 

Is there one or was there one at one time in your area?  Are they successful?  What do they deal in mainly?  Just give me some general info.

 

Thanks in advance

[Guest The Armchair Booker]

I'm replying this to move it up the list.

 

I'm assuming people haven't heard of any kind of wrestling stores.

 

Just in case I'm not right, have even people in the big centers (eg. Calgary, Toronto, New York, Chicago) not heard of any type of wrestling store, dealing in videos, memoribilia etc.

 

If not, just tell me you haven't so I can get an idea of where there HASN'T been a store.  (I'm assuming if Calgary doesn't have one, much of Canada hasn't seen one before, for example)

 

Thanks

[Guest Caliban]

There's a little store called Videodrome where I live (in the UK) that apart from trading in videos (not just wrestling vids) also has WWF mugs, T-shirts, postcards, CDs, and games, like the Lethal Ladder Match. I wouldn't buy any of those, but they are pretty funny to look at.

[Guest AM The Kid]

No, Calgary doesn't have one or else I'd be there 24/7

[Guest JMTapes]

None of my business, but post bumping isn't allowed. -JM

 

www.jmtapes.com

[Guest Mik at Cornell]

During the Austin boom we had a wrestling store in the mall. Mostly just T-shirts and vids but it did pretty good business. As I'm sure you can imagine it went out of business years ago.

[Guest Jericholic82]

I WISH!  I didn't even know one existed.  If I could open a store that would be it.  But today it probably wouldnt do well.  Yknow the wrestling boom is over when you dont see t shirts in EVERY store.  I dont even think Kmart sells them anymore.  but if you walk into a suncoast or sam goody, theres a section with TONS of tapes and dvds

[Guest swan]

RF Video use to have some kind of stores but I know whatever they had in the Chicago area is long gone. We have a Nascar related store at the mall that carries wrestling stuff(along w/ rodeo). Guess they saying us here fans are just a bunch of backwoods hicks.

[Guest FakeRazor]

The only wrestling stores I've seen are those little cart things in malls that have T-Shirts and action figures and crap like that.  Now that you mention it though, a store devoted completely to wrestling would fucking rule.

[Guest]

Yeah, as long as it wasn't official WWF or anything. Because then we'd likely not be able to get old stuff or non-WWF stuff.

[Guest Mik at Cornell]

Actually I think there is a wrestling store. Just check out the ads in WOW magazine. We ordered a WCW replica title belt from one of them just to mess around with. I think they had a ton of wrestling stuff, masks, etc. I'm sure that qualifies as a wrestling store.

[Guest]

Well, if you live in New York, there's the Ultimate, Card, Comic, and Wrestling Universe in Queens. Don't let the name fool ya, it's all wrestling: tape rentals, belts, memoribilla, and action figures, magazines, and shirts. Just some advice.

[Guest]

Actually, The Armchair Booker and myself taked about this topic a few weeks ago. Personally, I think its a great idea and there is a market for it. Unfortunately, in an area with such a small population like St. John's, Newfoundland, I'm not sure if it would really take off here. But its definately something to look into in the future, hey Armchair?

 

 

 

[Guest The Armchair Booker]

Well Bif...Everchad I think it's a kickass idea and I have long "fantisized" (for a lack of a better term) about it.

 

I think the reason these little tshirt and video stores fizzle out is because they are trying to capitalize on the boom and they don't actually cater to the long-term customer, the hardcore fan.

 

If a store is to succeed it has to carry the figures and the tshirts, and the new movies, for the marks and the new fans.  And this would attract people to the store.

 

But to help long term business you would need to cater to the old school fans.

 

Heres a couple of ideas:

 

Video Rental-

Divided into three sections:New Releases, Old PPV, and old Commerical tapes.  Each cost less and less.

The key to the store would be getting your hand on EVERY old WWF PPV and possibly WCW PPV.  THis would make people leave their regular video store to come to your store.

Also, every movie that wrestlers were in (Thunder in Paradise, Highlander etc.)  For new releases (eg. Scorpion King) you would have a massive display.

 

Magazines and Books-

You would sell all the new stuff with big displays.  To attract new people to go out of their way to buy, say, a PWI at your store.  You would give them a free old movie rental.  This way they'll think of goin' to your store.

Also, you could sell second hand wrestling books and magazines (RAW WWF and PWI being the three main used magazines).  Old programs too.

 

Indy section-

Have indies give you their videos (local indys) and rent them out for dirt cheap, say two bucks.  There are a lot of hardcore fans who don't go to indies and this would be a good way for them to promote themselves; a hardcore fan is likely just to pick it up to see what it's like for 2 bucks.  Also, strike a deal to sell tix for them with a bit of a discount if you buy them through your store (say a dollar off a 6$ ticket)

 

Arcade game-

Royal Rumble (if you remember that) preferably.  this is just an atmosphere maker, something different to have in your store, maybe have tournaments now and then if it becomes popular.

 

Figures-

You could have new figures plus all the old ones including mid 80's, thumb wrestlers (remember those!!!) and the like.

You could trade, buy or sell (same with everything else in the store really.

 

Clothes section-

You would have all the old stuff to attract the current fans.  And then you would have a used section where you could pick up, say, a Hacksaw shirt.  "Wear it for a laugh or for the memories" could be a little catchline.

 

Cards-

buy trade and sell old cards.  Also sell packs of new ones if they're offered.

 

Video games-

Rent all the old classics like NES and Sega Genesis.  Rental for a system would be dirt cheap, say 5 bucks, so people would be motivated to rent old ones.  Obviously you would have plenty of the new ones.

 

Music-

buy, sell and trade old tapes and CDs and sell new ones.

 

Bargain Bin-

just random stuff, mostly used.  A buck a pop maybe.  Just stuff that people would think is useless but old fans would like to have.  For example, stickers from Hostess chips (Canada) from the 80s.  Arm bands, just any little thing.

 

 

The most important thing would be atmosphere.  It would be a neat store.  There would be a display every month of a certain wrestler's best matches on tape (eg. Shawn Michael's best matches-there would be 20 different ppvs or so on the display).  Also, employees would have their little sections with 3 of their favourites every week.  THen there would be a diamond in the rough selection (say "Smack 'em Whack 'em) that would encourgage people to buy the old one.  Also, maybe a store newsetter (Raw smackdown reports, indy report, ppv previews and reviews, classic review of the week, wrestler of the week, quotes of the week etc.) and sell it for dirt cheap, maybe one dollar and have ads in it for your store.

 

Anywhooo, those are A LOT of ideas to maintain a wrestling store so that it doesn't go directly under.  You see these little comic books stores last, so why not a wrestling store?

[Guest Austin3164life]

All of these ideas sound solid.  You think Vince might try to make "WWF Shopzone" a store in all malls across the country?  I don't think it would be too bad.  You'd have your vintage WWF tapes, all the shirts, toys, and video games.  I'd definitely open up a chain if I were Vince.....

[Guest]

Actually, there is a WWF Amusement Park sorta deal opening up this Summer, "WWF Niagara Falls". Where there will be numerous WWF exhibits and a major amusement park ride called "The Piledriver". Also on the grounds, will be a "WWF Shopzone" opening, where fans can buy offical WWF items in Canada for the first time(besides live events), without paying US rates and shipping. Thought I'd just throw that tidbit in there even though its not really a wrestling store, but still close enough.

[Guest Rob Van Dam]

There is a wrestling store in Allentown ,Pa it has videos, magazines, autographs, shirts, tons of figures, photos, all kind of rare stuff, plus they always have special wrestlers doing autograph sessions. Within the last two months they had Larry Zybisko and Terry Funk, and in a few weeks they have Grandmaster Sexay.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

We now have a section for stuff like this.  I will move it there.

[Guest NICKO]

There is a cool little shop here in the UK in Manchester.

Extreme Central sells everything wrestling related. I go there once a month to pick up tapes etc...

I even picked up a cool little barbed wire baseball bat from W*ing in there!

[Guest Mark4steamboat]

I think shops like that would cost way too much for an independent owner to pay for. it would have to be current stuff unless wwf actually opened a store besides wwf NY.