From the Road: Ft. Collins, CO’s Marshak’s House of Fantasy
From the September 2004 Diamond Dialogue:
For Don Krause, comics and role-playing games had been a hobby of 20 years before he opened Marshak's House of Fantasy on October 30, 1993. Working as an employee for the government, Krause was not content to keep his 9-5 job and wanted more control over his life. Because of the booming comics and games industry of the early '90s, Krause felt this was a perfect opportunity to change his career choice and become his own boss. Since then, Krause has provided Ft. Collins, CO, with a wonderfully clean and well-kept comic book and game store, where fans can find items featuring their favorite super-heroes and comic book characters, roleplaying and collectible card games, figurines, statues, T-shirts, and toys.
Affectionately known to the community by his nickname, Marshak, which he gained in 1975 as a member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms (an international organization dedicated to researching and recreating the art and skills of pre-17th century Europe), Krause gladly gives back to the community that helped him escape what he perceived as the drudgery of working for the government. This includes his canned food donations to the Ft. Collins food bank. Krause charges a two-can food entrance fee for consumer participation in game tournaments. He also donates comic books to the local homeless shelter, so children without a roof over their head at least have the opportunity to read comics and find at least a little happiness in their difficult situation. Krause also stays involved in all the community fairs that help make Ft. Collins an enjoyable place to live.
Krause also works closely with the local libraries in Ft. Collins and sells them graphic novels, which the local librarians tell him are always in demand. During National Library Week, Krause gives presentations to the local librarians concerning graphic novels and trade paperbacks, to help further knowledge of the genre. To begin selling to librarians, Krause says, a retailer must first find out who is in charge of youth reading at the targeted library. According to Krause, if you tell that person you have a bookstore and would like to share information on the books you carry, this will lead to a meeting with a librarian and great opportunity to start providing the library with graphic novels and trade paperbacks. "Free Comic Book Day [FCBD] is also a great way to make contact with local libraries," says Krause. "I always make sure to promote FCBD in conjunction with the local libraries in Ft. Collins."
To help his business run smoothly and profitably, Krause believes strongly in tracking sales. To this end, Krause created a non-scan, point-of-sale system that he runs in Microsoft Access. While Krause is not a computer programmer, he was still able to create a custom program for Access that requires just a couple of keystrokes while ringing up a sale, which inputs sales data to the program. Krause said it took about a week to create the actual program, but the key to success in creating the program was the analysis of what data he wanted. "Analyze what you want to track and what sales data you need before creating a program in Access. This way the whole process will go much smoother," noted Krause. He tracks all "big" items through his custom database while he uses hand written cycle sheets to track his individual comic sales. For Krause, it is now easy to run reports on what is selling in the store and he can quickly adjust to up-and-down sales trends, thus significantly improving his store's profitability.
All in all, Marshak's House of Fantasy is a fun place for kids -- and adults alike -- to shop, game, or just visit. And for Don Krause, right now there is no better way to make a living than selling the products he has loved for more than 30 years.
-- Diamond Field Representative Dave Hawksworth
For Don Krause, comics and role-playing games had been a hobby of 20 years before he opened Marshak's House of Fantasy on October 30, 1993. Working as an employee for the government, Krause was not content to keep his 9-5 job and wanted more control over his life. Because of the booming comics and games industry of the early '90s, Krause felt this was a perfect opportunity to change his career choice and become his own boss. Since then, Krause has provided Ft. Collins, CO, with a wonderfully clean and well-kept comic book and game store, where fans can find items featuring their favorite super-heroes and comic book characters, roleplaying and collectible card games, figurines, statues, T-shirts, and toys.
Affectionately known to the community by his nickname, Marshak, which he gained in 1975 as a member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms (an international organization dedicated to researching and recreating the art and skills of pre-17th century Europe), Krause gladly gives back to the community that helped him escape what he perceived as the drudgery of working for the government. This includes his canned food donations to the Ft. Collins food bank. Krause charges a two-can food entrance fee for consumer participation in game tournaments. He also donates comic books to the local homeless shelter, so children without a roof over their head at least have the opportunity to read comics and find at least a little happiness in their difficult situation. Krause also stays involved in all the community fairs that help make Ft. Collins an enjoyable place to live.
Krause also works closely with the local libraries in Ft. Collins and sells them graphic novels, which the local librarians tell him are always in demand. During National Library Week, Krause gives presentations to the local librarians concerning graphic novels and trade paperbacks, to help further knowledge of the genre. To begin selling to librarians, Krause says, a retailer must first find out who is in charge of youth reading at the targeted library. According to Krause, if you tell that person you have a bookstore and would like to share information on the books you carry, this will lead to a meeting with a librarian and great opportunity to start providing the library with graphic novels and trade paperbacks. "Free Comic Book Day [FCBD] is also a great way to make contact with local libraries," says Krause. "I always make sure to promote FCBD in conjunction with the local libraries in Ft. Collins."
To help his business run smoothly and profitably, Krause believes strongly in tracking sales. To this end, Krause created a non-scan, point-of-sale system that he runs in Microsoft Access. While Krause is not a computer programmer, he was still able to create a custom program for Access that requires just a couple of keystrokes while ringing up a sale, which inputs sales data to the program. Krause said it took about a week to create the actual program, but the key to success in creating the program was the analysis of what data he wanted. "Analyze what you want to track and what sales data you need before creating a program in Access. This way the whole process will go much smoother," noted Krause. He tracks all "big" items through his custom database while he uses hand written cycle sheets to track his individual comic sales. For Krause, it is now easy to run reports on what is selling in the store and he can quickly adjust to up-and-down sales trends, thus significantly improving his store's profitability.
All in all, Marshak's House of Fantasy is a fun place for kids -- and adults alike -- to shop, game, or just visit. And for Don Krause, right now there is no better way to make a living than selling the products he has loved for more than 30 years.
-- Diamond Field Representative Dave Hawksworth
