Originally Posted by
Zerodefect
Just don't make the tracks small and lame, with short drivers stands. If that means cutting back to just 2 or 1 tracks, so be it. Many of the tracks that are closing, were....., let's face it, boring, small, dirty, ugly, and lame.
90x80 with a 8-10' drivers stand is a great start for indoor carpet onroad.
140x140 with a 15-20' drivers stand is decent for an outdoor off road track.
You might not need the rentals, but 3 or 4 2wd Slashes don't cost enough to make a difference.
I'd also recommend a warehouse based hobby shop as well. Make sure your inventory is online. Getting 20% markup for 5min work per product sold is easy money. (open box, put box on shelf, box sells, pick up box, ship box, easy) I have no idea why more hobby shops haven't gone online.
A lot have but get overwhelmed with the complexity of it all. There's also a lot of overhead/time required to get a fully functioning website that people will actually want to use. You have a lot of competition, there are some really big, really well run online hobby shops that you'll be competing with. Overall, you've suddenly gone from competing with local stores, to the best hobby shops in your country and some international ones.
That said, online is the current and future for hobby shops. Adapt or die.