Subway Game & Phone, a video games/electronics store in upper Washington Heights, was a thriving business until its owner Mike abruptly decided to stop selling video games entirely, for a reason not oftentimes paired with business decisions.
Mike found himself at a pivotal moment in his career due to lifestyle changes he had made, and decided to shift radically the business model of his store. His decision to stop selling video games, as detrimental as it was to his business, was in his opinion, the best decision he could have made for himself, as a Christian man.
The store, which got its namesake from being located directly across the street from the 191st Street 1 train station, had been in business since 2002, with Mike working in it “since around 2003. I became manager about three years into it, and then I officially became the owner in 2011.” Over time, he noticed trends with his customers, mainly that business would be “slower in the summer time, people don’t really want to stay indoors playing video games.”
For this reason, very few games are released in the summer months, with the majority of high profile releases coming out in the fall months of October and November. As a result of the slower business, Mike said it’s “why we have more than just video games; we also sell cell phones and things to make up for the slow times.”
The decision to cut video games out of his business came from a personal obligation to his faith as a Christian. “A few months after becoming a Christian,” Mike said, ” I started feeling guilty selling violent and demonic video games to the community, to young people. So, even though it was a bad business decision, sometimes you have to make sacrifices for what’s truly important.” After he made his decision, “the store started doing poorly sales-wise… I felt overwhelmed and was going to start selling the video games again and do the rated E (kid friendly) games, but on the day that I was going to do it, coincidentally, or, providentially, someone – another Christian –was in the store, sharing his testimony with my brother who was working here that day. I was overhearing their conversation and I had an inner feeling that the lord was telling me, ‘if you come back to selling video games, what happened to that man is going to happen to you.’” This not only changed Mike’s mind on the decision, but further cemented his view on the new vision for his business.
As a result of the drastic shift in the business model, the range of customers visiting the store has shifted. “Fewer kids are coming; it’s an older crowd now.” The interview itself was interrupted several times due to customers coming in to ask questions about their phones or purchase new components for them.
Business has actually slowed down to the point where Mike is looking to sell the business, as early as the first week of October. The price of rent has “increased by a certain percentage every month since we got here” and it is difficult to pay my bills without the video game sales. The business “would’ve survived even if the rent increased, if we would’ve stayed selling video games, but it’s one of those major life decisions that affect the rest of your life.”
The experience of running a business in Washington Heights negatively impacted Mike, as he explained that running a store is “too much work… in the hours it’s closed, you’re consumed with it. You’re still thinking about it.” He prefers the idea of working for someone else now, because “when you’re the boss, you’re always thinking about how to make it better, responsibilities you have to do, and all these different things.” Ultimately, on running one’s own business, he said “unless you’re doing something that you really love” he wouldn’t recommend doing it.
See some edits. Try to add more business details if possible.