Welcome to Ashland Gaming. This isn't the first time I've tried to start this out as a business, BUT it IS the first time I mean it. Just to officially meet you, my name's Hannah, I've lived in Whatcom County for more than 7 years, and I'm the owner of Ashland Gaming.
What is it? Well, at the moment, this is a transitional stage of my hobby being turned into a legitimate business. I'm here to make money but I'm not interested in gouging prices or scamming or scalping. The point of this whole thing is to fulfill a niche I hope to pave into Whatcom County. The niche in question? Cheap cards, and a fun 'third space' for like-minded people.
Right now, we're just a website being paid for by the sales of my secondhand purchases and collections. But 3, 5, 10 years down the line? I could be We, and We could be a brick and mortar store. A LGS (Local Game Store), if you will. There're several shops in Bellingham alone, and I'm not here to bash them, or by the mere existence of this business claim that they're uncool. They are! I love visiting them and I'm an active customer to several. But I can't see myself go into those spaces and feel like I belong. In this business, diversification is king and they do that well. Trading cards, accessories, merch, the works. But what I'm building for is more than that.
The true niche I'd like to provide is a parlor-style Dungeons and Dragons tables. I loved the vibes of stay-awhile ceramic paint stores. And I know it's going to be expensive. If I'm successful enough at this, though, it'll be fine. I'm not in debt from this side hustle and I don't plan to ever take out a loan or survive off credit cards or try to leverage my inventory's value. If I ever open doors, I hope to provide a comfortable space for people to rent tables (unless I can figure out a reliable source for the income to KEEP those doors open) and use a wide selection of pre-painted minifigures, terrain pieces, and maybe even have one or two "premium" rooms with mood lighting, VTT, ambient soundboard, and other accessories.
But that's way down the line. On the way there, I'll be focusing on trading cards.
Right now, though, I love appraising collections and sharing my love of trading cards. My bulk card prices (typically cards valued at <$1) are cheaper than card shops. Not just to compete with them, but because I don't currently HAVE to worry about keeping any doors open, or paying employees or making capital back for distributors. For now, this works for me and until I start bottlenecking somewhere, I'll keep offering collection appraisals. The cards will always be cheap! I'm a bulk card seller. I know my products won't move quickly. The point isn't to have a high inventory turnover, it's to always have a variety of choices to choose from. Whether you're building a cool new deck or you love collecting a specific pokemon like me (yay cubone!), I want to provide cards for you.
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