[by Samara]
Dad ran a successful store for more than a decade. He bought, sold, and traded movies, music, and other collectibles. He specialized in older models. Technology was booming and the "next big thing" was always coming out. But he had a different target audience. He bought, sold, and traded with people who didn't want the newest thing. They wanted a deal. It was a genius business model. He bought low and sold at a fair price. If you wanted to trade, he charged you a fee. Trading something that costs $10? Buying something that costs $10? That'll be $5. Trading something that costs $25? Buying something that costs $25? That'll be $5. Why? Because we can't pay the bill in DVDs. It's a $5 trading fee. People hated that he didn't give them a lot of money for their stuff, but they loved that they could buy at such reasonable prices. When Blockbuster went under, Dad had another genius idea: franchise Video Trading Company and take over those locations. They already had the infrastructure. They just needed merchandise. He had a whole plan mapped out for the logistics of how the stores would work. He truly was the brains behind the operation. And his partner was the "business mind." But either his partner wasn't as driven as Dad, or he wasn't as knowledgeable as he claimed to be. The idea that could have worked fizzled out, and the short window closed. This was one of many great ideas he had that never made it to fruition. Throughout his life, he thought of these as his "big fuck ups." But over the last several years of his life, as he got sicker, he changed his perspective. He realized that if it weren't for every "one that got away," his life wouldn't have ended up as it did.
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