Leadership Lessons From Building A Successful Brick-And-Mortar Store In The Midst Of A Pandemic

April 27, 2020 was a banner day for businesses all across the state of Texas. It was the day that Lone Star State Governor Greg Abbott declared that the state’s non-essential businesses could reopen on a limited capacity after a grueling 39 days of locked doors and “CLOSED” signs in the windows for businesses large and small.

April 27, 2020, was doubly a day of celebration for Michael Rogers. It was the day that his toy-and-collectible store, Fanboys Marketplace, first opened its doors in Fort Worth, ushering in the era of a new leader in a crowded space.

Opening a new business at the height of the pandemic might seem like a dangerous gamble, but for Rogers, it was a chance to lead from a rare position - as an industry pioneer.

New space in a familiar place

Rogers, an event runner for a couple of decades in the DFW Metroplex saw the chance to combine a long-time passion in a new format that capitalizes on a huge niche market that has never seemed to find the proper venue to shine.

“We have some of the rarest and coolest collectibles,” Rogers says. “We don’t really have a lot of competition as our biggest competitors are small comic book stores. They don’t have the suppliers that we have.”

Fanboys’ collectibles range from gaming cards like Pokemon to sports memorabilia to movie, TV, and toy collectibles. Most of the sales of this type of merchandise is done at conventions or through online vendors, but both of those lack a certain something that Roger's format has now captured.

“We had been doing events, Comic-Con and at malls leading up to the pandemic, and then when it hit, all the event centers closed,” Rogers says. “We just put Comic-Con in a building and people liked it, so they didn't have to go out. They don’t have to worry about the pandemic.”

While it’s easy to order pretty much anything online, the in-store experience lets customers see and touch what they might want to buy.

Bringing the convention feel to the customer

Rogers has taken to having mini-events in the store, bringing in celebrities of the niche business to drive up interest in visits to the storefront.

Among those celebrities to come out to sign autographs and meet fans are Marvel comic book artist Sam De La Rosa, known for his work on titles including Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Venom, and actress Tracy Lynn Cruz, who appeared on several incarnations of the popular 1990s kids’ show “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.”

Rogers has found a healthy middle between comic book stores, that sell limited merchandise and mostly focus on the printed trades, and the big-box stores that don’t have the knowledge of how to market to the true fans.

“Big stores like Wal-mart have big vendors that just come in and stock all their shelves,” Rogers says. “Our sales are a lot higher and now we’re getting suppliers like Funko, Lego, and other places.”

While other companies were struggling to get back on their feet as life slowly returned to normal in 2020, Fanboys has seen staggering growth, 20% month over month, according to Rogers.

It’s no joke, though. Since the first store burst onto the scene, Fanboys has added outlets in multiple DFW suburbs including Denton, Hurst, and Garland, with stores in Hulen Mall and Arlington coming soon.

A lot of people are fearful of starting brick-and-mortar businesses post-COVID 19. What has that journey been like and what advice would you have for people considering doing likewise?

Get the word out organically and see how people respond

“We really do a lot on social media. Facebook is a really big help on that, and it and Instagram are our big channels for advertising. There’s also a lot of collector communities for everything we sell. We tackle those.”

Don’t make it a one-man show

“I believe in my employees and trust their judgment; ultimately we want to make money so I have to trust them to know what is right for business. Don’t compromise those values and your business will exceed expectations. ”

Take the chance to be great

“It was scary to do it, to launch this business, but I took a chance and we’re here today. Two years later, even though I work seven days a week, I still don’t feel like I work at all because I took a chance and pushed forward to do what I love despite fear or challenges, and it’s awesome!”

From running a Magic: The Gathering card tournament in 1993 to being a regional force in collectibles almost three decades later, Rogers is living proof that no matter your passion, hard work can get you to the top.