Without giving up much info, I live in the mid west in a very large tourist/vacation and retirement area that in general is a very diversified group of young, old, middle class, lower class and upper class income levels. We have large sport groups, including, hunting year round, fishing year round and boating on a very large lake, with around 1500 miles of shore line.
The nearest Bass Pro is 80 miles away and the next one is 150 miles. Yes we have the usual stores to include Walmart, Lowes and Home Depot and of course they all carry some of the items I plan on offering. Although I plan an on line presence I truly believe a brick and mortar will be a good bet in this area.
There are a couple stores in the area that also have some of the same things but except for a few things they offer I will carry different brands and items that I hope will appeal to a large group of people, hunters, cooks, hobbyist, and home makers of all types.
I am not interested in the cheap cookers, gas or charcoal offered by the stores mentioned but instead want to offer good quality items not generally found in this area. The local stores I mention have been up and running for many years and are still going strong, this leads me to think a more high end store will survive although I don't really consider them low end stores just a lot different than what I have planned.
Location and advertising will be a huge part of my plan, I had never heard of one of the stores I mention, just found it by chance but they have been in place for about 7 years the other a lot longer. Neither advertise with the exception of the oldest one that has a couple billboards on the interstate but no radio or paper ads plus it only offers a very limited selection, mostly knifes, very low end for the most part.
If you get the chance, go this website and you may get a better idea of what I have in mind with some major differences.
Fred's Music and Barbecue Supply You may already know of it.
A little back ground. I have been a cook most of my life and although I don't call myself a chef because I have not been formally trained as such, I have been cooking restaurants for many years in this and other areas At one time I owned a restaurant and failed dismally but took away vastly more awareness/experiance of what I should have done to be more successful, I am retired now and am in a much different time of my life than I was then. I have always been into bbq way before it became popular so yes it has been a life long dream although it has progressed from the actual cooking stage I still want very much to stay in this field hence an equipment store. I would reiterate the bbq side would only be a fraction but very important part of this endeavor.
I am taking a S.C.O.R.E mentoring class for small business and am planning a small business class at a local community collage so I am not just waking up today with an idea but am working on a business plan and at this stage I am merely gathering info and knowledge so I will be prepared to make a big decision, which by the way I may conclude not to proceed with if I just cant justify it and that is the sole purpose of my post.
Iforgot to mention I have been involved with the bbq competition for about 10 years now but have decided after a four way hart bypass I needed to lighten up a bit since I only flew solo as a team.
I really appreciate your reply and your questions. These have all been things I have ask myself and seek information to make a rational decision. Please don't hesitate to ask more or offer up any advice, my eyes and ears are wide open.