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WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

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  • WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

    SO HERE IS MY DIMILA (SORT OF). I MIGHT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE OUR HAUNT TO A BIGGER AND BETTER LOCATION, BUT MY CURRENT ONE IS SORTA GOOD RIGHT NOW. WHICH OF THE TWO WOULD U USE?

    #1- 4,000 SQ FT WITH 7FT CEILINGS. OLD BARN 20 MINUTES SOUTH OF MAJOR CITY, SOME WHAT HARD TO FIND. GROUND MOSTLY EVEN BUT SLIGHLY OFF IN SOME SPOTS. COST: FREE TO USE (THAT INCLUDES ELECTRICTY)

    #2- 11,000 SQ FT WITH 12 FT CEILINGS. NEW WAREHOUSE 15 MIN. SOUTH OF SAME MAJOR CITY, EASY TO FIND. GROUND EVEN. COST: $2500/ MONTH. MIGHT HAVE TO SIGN YEAR LEASE. (ELECTRICITY NOT INCLUDED)
    Sean De Wane
    ----------------------------------------------
    The De Wane Asylum
    www.dewaneasylum.com

  • #2
    I guess that would depend on what I had more money. If funds were low, I'd stay with the old one, but if leasing the new one wouldn't dent to budget, I'd move. If you have a 1 year lease, you could store all your props in the building as well, and work on the haunt any time you want.
    ^v^ ^v^ ^v^
    ^v^ ^v^ ^v^
    www.facebook.com/DementiaHauntedHouse

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    • #3
      $2.8/sf isnt too bad where I come from. If you can afford go for the new one. If it will limit your budget for other nessecities I say hold off.
      Brian Warner
      Owner of Evilusions www.EVILUSIONS.com
      Technical Director of Forsaken Haunted House www.Forsakenhaunt.com
      Mechanical Designer (animatronics) at Gore Galore www.Gore-Galore.com

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      • #4
        Being new to the haunting world, I would have to say stay where your at. You might not be able to get it back if you move. If you don't pay rent or an electrical bill, what more can a guy ask for? This I think makes up for the Sqftge. of the other location.

        Just my two cents. :roll:

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        • #5
          I would stay with the smaller, as the rent would still keep clicking in, even if you don't make a profit. Now, if you are maxing out your room and getting a ton of customers and really NEED the extra space, then definitely get the expansion, if your budget allows it by moving.

          But also realize that leasing carries a BIG peril of being kicked out. Some friends and IAHA members had a truly beautiful haunt going, and they just got the boot.

          So there are factors for and against your decision there.
          The word for the day is NPD. Check it out.

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          • #6
            THANKS EVERYONE FOR THEIR INPUT!

            SEAN
            Sean De Wane
            ----------------------------------------------
            The De Wane Asylum
            www.dewaneasylum.com

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            • #7
              Sean -- One of the key factors, since you are talking about moving a haunt as opposed to opening a new one, is that response that you have had at the old location. Have you outgrown it? Will you draw enough new people to the new location to justify that cost? $2500 X 12 months = $30,000. So, if you ticket price is, say for example, $10, then you would need to draw an additional 3000 people to make the move make sense economically. The question you have to ask yourself is if this seems likely.

              As someone mentioned above, don't forget that you will have to spend the extra money to fill up all that extra space. Sounds like it could be a good opportunity, but make sure that the numbers work!

              Good luck,

              Dave
              Lords of Chaos, LLC
              House of Chaos Haunted Attraction

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              • #8
                It also may take a couple of lean years for your old customers to re-find you in a new location?
                Just when you need more money for that rent, you will maybe have less money-not good.
                hauntedravensgrin.com

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                • #9
                  To add to Jim's Idea, if you decide that you want to move, stay at your currant location one more season, BUT advertise and tell your custemers that the haunt will be moving to a NEW LARGER LOCATION next year. Give them directions to the new location so people will have time to learn where your haunt will be located next year.

                  Can't go wrong there! Of course your new location has to be still available next year. Just a thought! :idea:

                  Brian

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                  • #10
                    Don't move, do both. The free location continues to share the overhead of the bigger one. Whichever down the road flatlines in attendance or presents a liability of some nature gets the boot. This leap frog method might return big time as the bigger place closer to town has more potential customers.

                    If the little one makes say $10,000 then the big one has to only see 2,000 people to break even on both (if we are just considering rent) The bigger one might see 8,000 to 15,000 people while the remote little one is stuck at 800 to 4,000 from year to year.

                    They serve entirely seperate customer bases that have different tastes in quality and feel and old established customers only in a small percentage will follow to a new location. So don't lose them, keep serving them and they will keep growing at each location.

                    If you can't do both, I would just stay at the little place until there is a total budget in place where years starting over would be required and could be survived to a degree. The new place would have to see 12,000 people to be considered a going concern consistently. This means you are totally prepared to put 3 haunts in there and handle the advertising, not just cover the rent. The free place doesn't have these "pressures".

                    To make the new place work it needs all 3 haunts right now right out of the box rather than building up from half it's size over years. The little one builds a new haunt every year and puts it in a trailer ready to roll?
                    sigpic

                    Another fabulous post from the U.S.Department of Wild Imaginings, now in spectaclar stereo, sponsored by the Adhesives and Sealants Council, suggesting ways to stick things together since the 1800s. Not fabulous in a gay way. Your results may vary. Illinois residents add 8% sales tax. These posts have been made by professional post makers, do not try this type of posting on your own without extensive training, lovely assistants and a trusty clown horn.

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                    • #11
                      Not a bad Idea Greg. If one could mangage to run two haunts in two differant locations would be twice the fun! However you would have to have the money to build a completely new haunt at the new location. To me that would cut the budget real low to upgrade the current haunt. Pluss staff it, advertise.....and so on. Then again if your budget allows for opening two haunts, I'm with Greg all the way. GO FOR IT :!:

                      Brian

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                      • #12
                        If you "Love" Halloween, If you "LOVE" scaring people and having all this associated fun, then do not become a haunted house owner!
                        (Let alone have two at different locations!)
                        You will be way too busy managing and running the place during that quick, short season to ever know "Halloween" again.
                        .....unless of course you have a small operation with a handfull of good helpers .
                        hauntedravensgrin.com

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                        • #13
                          Im thinking i'll stay in the free location one more year to build up a budget for the following year. Since the small haunt is pretty much complete in props and what not we just change it around each year the money we make could go towards a new bigger one. Im luckly enough to have a huge team of dedicated staff (volunteers) which pretty much run the show for me, im just their suppport man. I might esily be possible to open two, the only concern is staffing. I would have to work overtime to find enough staff for both. Diffnelty thing to look foward to next year. Keep the ideas and comments comming!

                          Sean
                          Sean De Wane
                          ----------------------------------------------
                          The De Wane Asylum
                          www.dewaneasylum.com

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                          • #14
                            Sean, it sounds like you are making a good desission. I hope things work out for you next year.

                            Brian

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                            • #15
                              Better to take small SURE steps and remain going forward than to one large leap and end up going backwards!! It sure is a whole lot different when you're not doing this with Monopoly money!!!
                              R&J Productions
                              Las Vegas, NV
                              www.LasVegasHaunts.com

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