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Re: Anime stores

Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 10:26 am
by DKop
I wonder if it got a good deal at the location being next too a goodwill. Id imagine some of their employees going next door to get items and marking up the price in their store to make more money.

Re: Anime stores

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 2:07 am
by usamimi
Lol I love that from far away, not seeing the rest of the logo it just looks like a store called "Anime". :lol:

Re: Anime stores

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 4:31 am
by davemerrill
Hammergirl Anime is in an interesting retail environment; it's next to an international grocery supermarket, the Goodwill, a "Bargain Outlet" home improvement store, an Amvets thrift store, an Indian buffet, a Chinese restaurant, a uniform store, and, since this is Upstate NY, a Mighty Taco. The location is also close to the university, which is probably a key factor.

it's nice to visit a town where the rents are still cheap enough that offbeat businesses can survive. Unlike, say, where I live now.

Re: Anime stores

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2017 3:57 pm
by Drew_Sutton
usamimi wrote:Lol I love that from far away, not seeing the rest of the logo it just looks like a store called "Anime". :lol:
The whole presentation gives me the feeling of driving down the parkway, looking out the corner of my eye, seeing "ANIME" and I immediately slam on the breaks, cut a drifting, Initial-D style hard left turn before speeding into the parking lot. :lol:

It is nice to see a physical outlet around still, if nothing more than for some community camaraderie (which I know shouldn't be the foundation of a retail business - I hope people there are actually buying stuff).
davemerrill wrote:it's nice to visit a town where the rents are still cheap enough that offbeat businesses can survive. Unlike, say, where I live now.
I know what you mean. A company I used to work for used to higher out of RIT extensively; what they all seemed to say was that considering it is nearly a Stanford and MIT level school, there just isn't a whole lot there that keeps people around - they either head to NYC or elsewhere in the country - but no one seems to stay in Rochester. That transient population is probably keeping lots of these places afloat as they have some ebb and flow of customers on annual cycles but not the spikes you're seeing in Toronto or even what we're seeing in Atlanta. And now that Kodak is essentially gone, it almost gives it this weird rust-belt vibe.

Re: Anime stores

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 8:55 am
by davemerrill
Rochester is an interesting place, it's not really on the way to or from anywhere. You're there because you want to be there. The Eastman Kodak plant is still there, it's this enormous industrial behemoth, looks like a refinery. If you have a decent job it looks like a place where you could buy a decent-sized house cheaper than other markets, maybe. Lots of great old 1900s homes still in good shape from what we could see.

While most of the customers in Hammergirl seemed to be socializing or playing card games, there was a steady stream of people actually buying things at the register while we were there. And yeah, there was some anime VHS in the Goodwill, too. (none in the Hammergirl, though).

Re: Anime stores

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 4:13 pm
by DKop
Drew_Sutton wrote:
The whole presentation gives me the feeling of driving down the parkway, looking out the corner of my eye, seeing "ANIME" and I immediately slam on the breaks, cut a drifting, Initial-D style hard left turn before speeding into the parking lot. :lol:
That is how I drive, all day, erry' day! 8-)

Re: Anime stores

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 4:23 pm
by Drew_Sutton
DKop - lol.

Dave - Nice to hear that there's some interesting stuff about Rochester - really, it is. The guys who weren't from Upstate NY but went there were down on it for anything other than doing four years of college and getting out of there. And I am super glad to hear that Hammergirl ANIME is making some sales and hope they have a successful business.