Thought I'd get a forum thread rolling about some potential upcoming changes to Backstage and see what everyone thinks about them.

First up: adjusted hours for February. New hours will be:
Thursday & Friday, 3-8 pm or weather permitting. Due to the lack of participation & interest on at least Wednesday or Thursday, its in my interests for the time being to remain closed that day, so I'm not paying for gas into town to just chill.
Sunday 12-8 pm or weather permitting. With my volunteering for the Forensics team at Scottville I can't be open Saturday, so I'm opening Sundays.
The hours were trimmed because, lets face it, no one wants to be out in the cold that late. With some of the worst storms coming (February is typically bad, and we usually get at least one nasty one in March), I'd also recommend that those without personal transportation work out rides well in advance.

Second, some changes to the operations in general.
First off, I get that the temperature inside the store is one reason not many folks aren't hanging around. I feel pretty bad about that, and am going to be speaking to the landlords and seeing what can be done and getting a better, actual space heater.
Aside from this, what are some ideas to get folks into the store, or back into the store for those who haven't been in a while? Post some thoughts, please!
Some ideas myself:
- Going back to a Saturday(Sunday) Tournament kind of arrangement. Aim will be to draft at the standard $12, with Constructed as a back up. Constructed fees I'm undecided on, and may work up a varying prize schedule to accommodate free tournaments. Such that for a $3 entry, you get a $10 rare for winning, for a free tournament you get a $1 rare for winning.
- Needing to get some activity earlier in the week as well. For February at least, Wednesday is off the schedule; I said it'd be an experiment and, as experiments go it didn't fare too badly, I just know that this time of year is not the best for extended hours. With school and weather, it is a good time to be closing down early.
To jumpstart some non-weekend activity, I'm looking at picking one day a week and running Free Time on the consoles to get some folks to hang out a little more. Restrictions would be that it'd be a preselected system and game, and it'd be multiplayer. So, Mario Kart one week, James Bond the next, Perfect Dark later, Smash Bros another week, etc. Might even mix it up with some NES or Genesis action.
- Miles, might come as a heartbreak, but I'm prolly going to have to nix your Smash tournaments in favor of a regular event, run by myself. Same generally goes for any other tournament event; Much more impartiality if I'm doing it, and if I make a call people aren't happy about its less gruesome than if you guys do. Upshot is, it'd be regular and predictable, so we'd name a weekend each month as the Video Game Tournament weekend and run a tourny for it. Examples would be Smash, as well as Halo 3, or some of the other console games.
- Street level promotion of the shop, what would be some cool, non-obtrusive/obnoxious things? If I can get DJ's press available to me, I want to hammer out some shirts, which could see use as Tourny Prizes. If I put fliers up on the site for print/download, would you guys be interested in handing them out? Also, when I ran Guerrilla Games, we had a "referral" arrangement, where if someone brought a new friend or preregistered for an event, both peeps got a cool freebie, usually a booster pack of some kind.
- Finally, any product suggestions for me to carry? Will's been asking for DDM, as has DJ, and Dave's playgroup is looking for it as well, so I'm going to be ordering a bit of that coming up. Anything else, within reason, that you would SERIOUSLY buy? Don't want any more FMAs or (sorry Will) Magi Nations (though all of Magi Nation did sell, and not all to Will...)

That's it for the moment, lets hear what you guys have to say~

You need to get the college guys. I know they tend to be doing later in the day but with your new hour system, it shouldn't be a problem. WTH is charlie doing at WSCC, he should be able to get alex, steve, travis, kyle, ryan and everyone else up there to come down once a month or so. This summer i'll be promoting as best I can. i know travis and Ryan are interested in FNM.

I also wouldn't mind more constructed. Wean everyone into extended or standard slowly. Keep a sign posted with the current rotation.

As for drafts, I would like to see more mix-ups, like LOR-MOR and not just straight up one set, especially if its Small-Small-Small, thats too repetitive, also 8 mans would be great if we get numbers (tough), I have elves, he has  Kithkin, theres really no strategy involved when theres only 4-5 of us.

Ill have more later, I have class and tonight i'll try finding the FNM $/info

Ryan-
All goodness, thanks!
Regarding the older set, that is going to have to be a growing focus for me, as a business. For the most part, the 18 to 20+ set are the ones with the cash to spend financially speaking. Part of it too, everyone, might be some ettiqute enforcement and cut back on a child-like appearance.
Regarding Charlie, dunno. Both him and Ross are out at the college, I know Ross has gotten a couple folks out. I'm thinking this is where a Guerrilla Gaming-like incentive might help. Plan on a constructed event, bonus to new customers who enter.
Numbers we definetely need to get up, closer to summer levels. Even six folks to an event would be an improvement in challenge. That's kinda why I'm looking to free/cheap constructed, figure that'll get folks iterested in competing more. 
Otherwise, *reaching* the college set without some customer-assistance is going to be difficult. I haven't advertised yet, but am looking at it to boost attendance. So, yea, unless I shell out another 800 to 1000 for advertising, I'll need some local help to reach that other set.
And lastly, end of February I'll be working hard to keep up stock levels so we can do more mixed & block drafts. A lot of that has dealt with my stock investments and what I can afford & when I can afford it. Unlike other businesses, Backstage is running totally cash, while other stores run off distributor credit for up to a grand. But, we'll see what can be done.

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- Street level promotion of the shop, what would be some cool, non-obtrusive/obnoxious things? If I can get DJ's press available to me, I want to hammer out some shirts, which could see use as Tourny Prizes. If I put fliers up on the site for print/download, would you guys be interested in handing them out? Also, when I ran Guerrilla Games, we had a "referral" arrangement, where if someone brought a new friend or preregistered for an event, both peeps got a cool freebie, usually a booster pack of some kind.

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I may have an even better Idea than that. Cardboard super Mario Blocks that you can hang around town with some cardboard powerups and your business card inside. Like this



and this



And well here's a whole website full of super Mario blocks.

www.bladediary.com/questionblocks/

An interesting idea, David, but not very feasible.
Most cities frown on that kind of behavior, and I kinda feel its a bit disrespectful to plaster stuff up in strange places. Now, as a promotional tool, it could totally kick ass.
For the one year anniversary of Backstage (July 7th!), I was thinking of some kind of hoopla, that might not be a bad addition; do some advertising on WMOM, sponsor like the 80's lunch hour and do a Classic NES Giveaway with all sorts of coin boxes around town. Likely get Artists Market to let us do that, Andy's awesome, Mermaid's Perch & the Reeds, mebbe even Flagstar, could see about Hungry Howies.

Alright you've already basically shot down the Box idea, but something like that wouldn't last, specifically with all of the theft that goes around in Ludington.

Another basic thing I'm having issues with, is the drafts, I mean yeah Lor, and Morning Tide, but I'm not specifically drawn to that, like having the other blocks like you did with Dessention last weekend, that was pretty awesome I'm not going to lie.

A side from everything happening in Feb, its good to see your finally putting your foot down, I mean its great that your coming into town to chill, but if your not even making gas money to come into town, than what the point?

Also, how are those fliers coming along?

Hmkay, so more variety in drafts offered then?
Alright then, everyone - name five (preferably recent, though I can see what I can do for older) sets you'd like to see and, between now and mid-March I'll see what I can do about getting them in stock here and running draft with them.

Otherwise, besides this, couple it with Ryans request, we'd like to see more varied drafts in general, offering more than one set per draft, yes?

Ravinica hands down.
9th Edition
Future Sight
Planar Chaos
Coldsnap? (Filler maybe)
Stronghold,(If it doesn't run too much)

To the second question:

Yes, I'd like people to be able to draft a capable burn or discard.

And Sealeds, that would easy if people just wanted to get to know the mechanics and such. Sealeds with easy blocks, or just like the monoblack colored edition decks, (Like 10th and 9th and such.)

Coldsnap is a bad filler for the same reason Lorwyn would be- they're both heavily focused on something and, outside of the set, that something is either not supported or its support is weak.
Ravnica block as a whole is fairly cheap and we could do a Guild-Wars event using that- let peeps pick their set for their guild and build to that guild.
As far as editions, I'd go to 10th before I'd go to 9th, simply because its newer and what more people would look for as opposed to 9th.
Time Spiral block is still fairly new and available, so I could do that as well.

That said, sealed events are touch different. They're either A) You get like 5 booster packs and build a deck out of just that
B) You get a Tournament pack and 2 or 3 boosters and build with that.
You don't use the precon decks for that at all.

So, here's what I'll shoot for: picking up at least one box of Ravnica block for each week in February and aim for a Guild-Wars sealed event in March, give us a while to do some pimpage. Check the new thread for info on this.

Really? Wow. Well Tourny Packs are awesome, more of a bulk buy card wise too, but you probably don't sell them because the demand is high enough, what I meant by filler is I couldn't think of another block >< Pimpage? When did the Putrid Imp come into context here?

I'd dearly love to run a Tempest-block event, but that'd so freaking difficult. Tempest runs about $10 a booster, $25 a starter. With Chinese, we can do it for $15 a starter. Stronghold is cheaper, you're still looking at the $3.50 a pack there, but Exodus is more like $7 a pack, as low as $5.60 depending on the supplier.
Course, it'd be fun to do something like that, cause Mirage block and Tempest block are the first two really designed with the block concept in mind for tournament play.

Spiffy cool, Spiffy cool, but price wise, people are looking for cheap entertainment, and 7 bucks a booster is going to turn people off, specifically if they don't understand why their 7 bucks booster.

I'd like to draft Future Sight(MORE GOYF) and Time Spiral, along with some LOR-MOR, since if we start doing T2 FNM, this would be a great way for people to pick up legal cards.

Looking at the prize structure, instead of a junk rare, why not offer playsets of "power" commons/uncommons for the given format. That way people can make stronger/more consistent decks.

Looking at the block idea, it would be cool to have a WOW !point above the cash register or something.

I sent a Email for FNM stuff and I'm still awaiting a reply.
Nice to see the boards picking up again.

Then again its good also see that Nate is actually posting...Stuff that actually matters.

Anyways how goes that idea me and Will threw at you about those Preconstructed Dessention, I'll need them for the core of the hellbent I'm thinking of running.

lol @ "!" - thats kinda cool and likely to make it in ^_^ Actually, could be a spiffy kind of signage in the first place.
Check the T2 legal sets, does make sense. And I get that you guys are looking at cheap entertainment, but, frankly, thats not where money is to be made. Granted, I get some good deals so I do make some cash and you guys get cheap entertainment. But running something like a Rath Block event has more to do with attracting a different crowd than it does with satisfying the current base.
Ryan - didn't plan on handing out crap rares, unless its like a free tourny and winner gets pick of the $1 rares. Despite their apparent lack of value, people find some fun stuff in them, and hey, its a free tourny. But yea, playsets of good cards is a good prize.

Regarding activity, I tend to go in spurts. But, with me being out of WalMart and getting affairs in order, I could easily be around here more.

I don't remember if I did post this or not, and if I did any over looked the reply, tough noogies. However, what of the fliers??

shouldn't you be in class right now?

still awaiting an FNM email, if you check out the wizards forums everythings gone tits up. Some of the big posters have been banned, mods are quiting/fired and general chaos overwhelms the community so it may be a while.

Snow day, Cruddy weather.

Hmph. I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt down here in Georgy.  A couple weeks ago we got a little snow and everyone was like, "What's this white powder coming out of the sky?  ...It's raining anthrax!  RUN!!!"

...Well, maybe not quite like that.  But I really did need to stop and check to see if it was snow or just soot (which we do get sometimes).

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Those Mario blocks remind of fuzzy dice.  Picture it:  Two question blocks hanging from your rear view mirror.  If I lived 700 miles closer and you were giving those away as like a third place prize to a tournament of some sort, then I think I'd be motivated to show up.

Even better: instead of cardboard/paper-products, make the dice out of metal and electroplate them with something shiny.  That could be the second or first place prize, depending on how expensive they are to make.  They'd need to be light enough to not break off the mirror though.

OK here's an update from Wizards....

To be considered as a FNM location, you need to be or have access to a Level 2 Tournament Organizer, and be able to prove that you have a retail location with gaming playspace.

I can take the lv 2 test in march so no worries there. The store information I will need though. Seems like we have to play the waiting game