Hi Nauts,
I am thinkering about starting up a small brick and mortar “niche” store here in Berlin.
It might involve music in a broad sense but it does not have to.
Without going too much into detail - it’s still in an embryonic phase - I just wondered:
-Vintage instruments or not.
-Representations, tutorials, and hardware tests.
Repair would be a great addition. For older items that may be past their warranty.
Workshops for learning gear, synthesis, etc…
Retail is so hard, esp. vs online.
As a customer, I would pay some money - $10, say - if there were a shop that had a wide range of instruments available to play and test out. It’s a bit off to do that in a music retail store when you fully intend to buy online. But to do that without guilt, and feel free to spend an hour or two really playing different instruments to help decide what I really like before spending a lot of money - that would be cool. (It’s also a place I’d visit as a tourist!)
Is there another more “traditional” store you could reside in and value-add to their offerings?
If it’s niche, you wouldn’t have to worry about paying the rent and you could bring in other foot traffic to whatever the other business is.
Durable and/or DIY items.
Music store like
instruments on deposit / sale.
I think of cases ,for instruments and custom brackets and flycase
Can be an activity that will require high energy :
Make this place dedicated to music… a stepping stone ;to bring to the “niche” labels invited to search for artists.
kollaborate with big brands (not necessarily a lot) and get talented artists to perform in order to get in front line or
Poster sales, clothes …soldering iron 
To answer the OP two questions.
I would not attempt to open a shop due to where I live. If I lived in a major city in Europe or USA, then yes possibly I might ( if retail was something I wanted to do )
I would host performances, maybe hold workshops, and have a swap shop section where people could bring in their old gear to swap with other gear heads.
Basically in terms of electronic music gear, the nearest local gear shop is a 2.5 hour drive away, and they dont stock much. The next option is a 5 hour drive. So I buy pretty much everything online.
I always wondered about shops and why they don’t double up and have a double shop. From 9-5 it serves one purpose, in the evening another. You could rent as a skillshare. As for the normal stuff I have no idea of the demographic so my idea maybe the wurst.
Live shows in the evening perhaps? All local artists
Thanks for the feedback, kiddo got sick so not much spare time today.
I’ll reply more into detail to your replies later.
Big takeaway is in the fact that I don’t have to rent the space, renovate yes. It belongs to my wife and is used as a storing space, was a temporary favour, will soon be over with and I can use it.
My “rent cost” will be the renovation cost (front door - window, heating, new floor,… ). Asking around for prices at the moment to get the basics done.
If after 2,3 years the thing does not work out or I change plans or I outgrow the place - you never know then it will just be rented out. The investment will never be lost completely which is like a giant stress factor less.
Of course I want it to work out, if I go through with it.
I buy almost all consumer goods online myself … 
Food in general always fresh and local, good coffee, hairdresser and Ayurveda massage therapy (highly recommended btw) , shoes and a good jacket I like to buy in a store where I can feel before I pay. Of course there is impulse buying now and then, but they are also swallowed by the long rise of e-commerce.
I will read all posts again tomorrow.
Thx
Edit: Just adding why I want to do this: I am done with sitting in an office and I want to decide the next move, all of them… 
Sell used gear on consignment. Or, to look at it from another perspective, they pay you rent to sell their gear, and to cover your insurance.
I’d stick to what I know; synths, Bass/guitars, recording gear, photography equipment. Just the stuff I could troubleshoot and offer real professional experienced advice on. Be careful with policies on returns and warranty, so study your countries laws on that.
We have almost no stores like this remaining in Australia, and most music stores won’t sell 2nd hand gear any more. As for e Bay, our politicians are now reaping 10% of all transactions, so e bay is not so great anymore.
And lastly, but primarily, pay tax.
If it all gets too much, or boring, you just return your stock at no loss.
For a long time I wanted to start a “mixed business” kind of store that was a combination record store, cafe and laundromat… so you could browse/listen to records, have a coffee etc while getting your clothes washed.
Lately though that’s kinda evolved into a combination electronic music venue/bar and synth store/repair shop. I probably won’t do it because in Melbourne we already have Found Sound, which isn’t a bar but sells pretty much all of the music gear I’d sell if I were to open my own store. I would love to be in the financial position to do it someday, maybe when I’m in my 50s lol
Most of my music gear is bought from local stores, with exception of a few Eurorack DIY kits etc.
Start up a maker space, with musical leanings. Support DIY modular, or DIY audio hacking, fun stuff! I’d join 
My advice would be to run the business as an online store first. If it works online it will work with a bricks and mortar hq. I think probably the converse is also true.
Combined with coffee & tea 
Wow, this is perfect! What a neat gift to you.
Beyond whatever you’re selling, always keep subculture in mind to cultivate.
I watched the Waxtrax doc “Industrial Accident” recently and was reminded that while there are some fascinating aspects of online culture… the physical space is just not there to support, nurture, and network creatives.
Sell hot coffee, or split it up into small studios you can rent out. It only needs a little investment but there is a high return on that.
In time you can add music or gear or whatever you want. But you need something that can give you revenue from day one with limited investment.
Anything relating to selling gear is really hard, there is little to no profit and everyone else has invested alot in getting to the point where they are today. Schneiderladen wrote a fine post about the difficulties of being in a market controlled by the likes of Thomann.
yes it’s difficult but the repaircoffee (from belgium) sparks.
Imagine, a neighborhood house, with tea and coffee on sale, the days of the week, with repairs, household appliances.And Friday night grill with the kitty of the week and concert with artists from differents backgrounds.
Cool kit I can rent for an hour or two with an option to buy. Stuff that’s too old to find new or way out of my price league. Maybe old consoles for some gaming. If you have snacks and drinks on the go too. Throw in some table top gaming and this would be my dream hang out spot.