Submission: Rinoldo’s Emporium of Fyne Wares

[Japic]

This is of course considered a work in progress. However if the DMs disapprove of the locale I don't want to put too much effort into it. (like maps)

Submitted for your approval.

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Rinoldo’s Emporium of Fyne Wares

Description:
Dominating one corner of a well traveled road [insert major street names here if you wish] Rinoldo’s Emporium of Fyne Wares stands three stories tall and draws in the crowds. Being the largest and most renowned shop in all Gremia, Rinoldo’s offers everything and more to the savvy consumer.

At first glance the Emporium is an imposing place with thick stone walls boasting the finest craftsmanship that Dwarvenkind can offer. Stark stone walls rise forty feet into the sky, with majestic crenellations atop them. From stout flagpoles fly three flags; on high the device for Gremia, slightly lower flies the flag of Port Rislan, then lowest the personal device of Rinoldo Starcanter the sole proprietor. Though imposing, someone’s taken the time to drape long tapestries and banners across the outer walls, somewhat culling the military look of the building. The banners bear testaments to the quality of the Emporium’s wares via magically projected images of the hottest deals and smiling visages of a dwarf calling to the passersby.

Within the huge steel doors a Mecca of shopping needs can be easily met; arms and armor, magical accoutrements, tools for every profession, stables, appraisers, strong boxes, foodstuffs, even in house magicians available for hire.

The center of the immense building is clear, offering an open view from the lobby to the upper floors where some business is conducted. The upper floors can be accessed by a well worn series of stone steps that circle the walls. One can find a multitude of things within the five floors of this building:

-Sub-Basement: Strong boxes and vault. UBER restricted access. Staff remains underground and access money for the upper floors by a series of custom dumbwaiters built into the walls. Each sale booth on the upper floors loads payment into the waiter to keep all monies unavailable to the clientele.

-Basement: General storage area

-Ground level: Food and standard goods (gear and clothing) marketplace w/stables off the back. Additional stables are located a few blocks away, but this is the place to buy and they can bring anything else a person needs from the other building. Lockboxes (steel strapped chests) can also be accessed here, being sent up a dumbwaiter from the secure lower levels and returned when the renter is done.

-2nd Floor: Arms & Armor (magical and mundane) as well as appraisers for inbound A&A for sale/trade. There is an area to test swing arms against dummies, and the opportunity to try on armor and make sure it is to the customer’s liking. Big sign’s across the walls of this floor remind the clientele of the floor’s policy. “You break or bleed on, you buy.”

-3rd Floor: Magic items (potions/scrolls all the way up to wondrous), spellcasting, and appraisers for all other sale goods (anything from mundane gear to exotic gems/art or other talismans)


If ever an adventurer or average Joe needed something for the daily grind Rinoldo’s Emporium is the place to be. Every thing you could ever need is housed under one roof; and as the slogan goes, “Rinoldo’s; proudly offering a hoard of wares to delight the dragon in you.”

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Male Dwarf
Fighter 5 / Expert 4 (expert levels represent more than a hundred years building the business)
Age: 199

Rinoldo Starcanter began life as an average Dwarven youth delighting in all the beauty and wonder that his underground society could show him. As they years passed he longed to travel to other Dwarven strongholds and soak in their culture. However on his travels he began to lust for the bright and beautiful places that were built above ground by his kind and much to his surprise other races of exquisite skill. To finance his travels he ran trading routes, and on occasion had an adventure or two, and thus saw the wonder’s of the known world. He traveled far and wide, following his fancies and through the years began to yearn for home as his wanderlust faded.

Grown now into a proud man and having acquired his fair share of wealth he decided to retire; but not to the dusty halls of his Dwarven home. He had found a new home in the bustling and ever growing Port of Rislan. Here he bought a plot of land in the city’s heart and began peddling wares and calling upon the adventuring types of his former life to finance his future. With the goods they brought to this busy port from far and wide he engineered a thriving business and over time earned a name of respect for himself and the business. Having instilled himself so deeply into the heart of this society, he was able to expand his business, time and again gobbling up smaller business and traders and using their talents in his Emporium. The finest craftsmen in the city are now proud to work for Rinoldo, and through his fame they receive the best market for their wares.

Rinoldo is overall a proud man who knows his worth and the contribution he’s provided to this community. He prides himself on offering the finest wares and thrives knowing that adventurers rely on his business to survive. In his heart he holds a special place for adventurers and can often be found regaling them with tales of his exploits or listening raptly as they recount their own. He is a good friend, and a terrible foe when it comes to business transactions; and people know not to cross him lest they have the Emporium’s privileges revoked. Everyone knows that the fastest way to anger Rinoldo is to cheat him; whether a seller or buyer he expects courtesy, honesty and fair play.

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I'd like to write out a schedule for the rental of lockboxes and rules surrounding their use. As well as to set up a mechanic for adventurers getting special priveledges (like mebbe 5%-10% more/less on/off the prices for sale/purchase of stuff).

I know tht I'd like to make it so that not everything is automatically available magically speaking. But things could be acquired or created if someone needs them. We'd need a mechanic for this variable too.

Umm, I'm sure there's more to add in, but so far I see the opportunity for a place like this to be quite useful in our city. One stop shopping as it were, and the opportunity for the locale itsself to be involved in the scheming of the Port. Mebbe there's the possibility of thefts from this place, mebbe the Dwarf gets an awesome lead from an adventuring party and wants someone to get it for him, mebbe he has a special request that he needs help to fill. Mebbe this is the headquarters of another type of guild (in the future), one revolving around merchants.

Thoughts, concerns, suggestions? Thanks.

[TheZebraShakes™]

This seems like a place which caters to adventurers for the most part. Perhaps a few of the richer locals. I'm not exactly sure how he finds the money to maintain all of these wizards, craftsmen, and other such staff that you're talking about when you consider that not everyone walking around is a 10th level adventurer with lots of money to blow. I'm not sure that there would be all types of magical equipment and weapons just lying around waiting to be sold when you consider how much effort needs to go into making them. I don't like to think of the world being made up of mid and high level adventurers, at least not enough so to be able to keep a super store running successfully and fully staffed at all times.

I'd like to know where the merchants, shopkeeps, and overseas traders fit in here. Do they hate this guy or do they just submit and work with him.

Can't clarify my post now, as I have to leave suddenly, but I'll be back later to finish.

[Japic]

As far as locals go, consider this place having brought most of the locals into the house and they get to make thier goods and sell in his house. so local craftsman get money from the business; as for mages, mebbe there's one mage in town who whores himself out for money and is thus available most of the time as this shop. Or a group of them (a guild if it please you) that offers their services to the community, for a price. The mages are still making their own buck, and all he's got to do is supply them with the clientele to get their money. I almost imagine the whole thing like a mini shopping mall, one stop shopping because everything you need is there. He makes his big bucks off the higher level guys, but money just the same off everyday items (as noted on the first floor, and mundane A&A on the second floor). Though I didn't put all of the details into the floors, I intended for there to be general foodstuffs there too (for peeps in town or travelling through).

I never said the guy had three suits of +2 plate mail just laying around, but that's not to say that he's not going to have the best pickings for magical goodies on this island and neighboring. That's what I mean by teh mechanic of availability that needs worked out. He'll not have everything, but he'll have somethings and the ability to try and get what you need from wherever he can.

As for how people feel about him and his business; that all depends on who is asking exactly. ANY business has someone not pleased with them. For being who he is, he'd have clout among the merchants; and mebbe a sympathetic ear in the counsel (not being born a citizen here). The opportunity exists for people to work with him and love him for it, or to go against him and despise the guy. No one says he's the only shop in town; but he'd like to think that he is.

I imagined this place being in teh middle of a very large and populace area where he can easily be found and the community loves the business he brings to the neighborhood.

How many times do you want a trusted go-to guy instead of a possible scam artist to be taking all your gold for goods that you need to survive..? This is that go-to guy, in my opinion. But this is why I submit to the DMs; to get thoughts and find a way to make this work, if at all.

[VemuKhaham]

I like this place and it provides a great locale for urban encounters as well as a handy place for shopping and services. And I don't think maintaining such a big business is at all impossible, because it's not a purely magical-item warehouse I believe Japic described. It also is good for commoners to go buy general stuff like food and clothes, possibly even furniture or something. It seems to me that this combined with selling equipment to adventurers could keep a business going. I think that that's what Japic was going for.

But Zebra's last question is important. Maybe the Emporium is simply a great place for merchants to set up their stores because Rinoldo guarantees that every shop in his emporium has a "fairness lable" on it. In short, Rinoldo could sell his good name and reputation as well as a good place to set up store to many individual merchants, making loads of money. So the merchants don't work directly for the big dwarf, but its a mutual arrangement.

Maybe the merchants have to give a certain percentage of their revenue to Rinoldo. That could explain the money being transported to the sub-basement. Though maybe every merchant simply gets a vault of their own there as part of Rinoldo's service.

Also, maybe prices may be a bit higher at Rinoldo's because of the costs of every merchant to set up shop there. That way this shop won't simply consume all competition. At Rinoldo's, they sell guaranteed quality, which is why people still go there.

This could also offer a nice suggestion for the discount plan: what if customers were to buy directly from Rinoldo's? Maybe the big dwarf has a few trinkets himself in his own store. Rinoldo needn't pay for selling at his own emporium, so the price drops. But you would have to be a friend of him to gain that privilege...

I'm just thinking out loud. I like the place.

EDIT: I see I was a bit too late in the posting. Most of what I say here Japic said in his second post.

[Lin]

I've got some problems with this design, from the perspective of the business model itself.

The idea of a mini-mall or one stop shopping is good, but as it is designed, the place isn't targeted at any particular population or even particularly marketable. Rinoldo is focused on a number of non-complementary business activities and would need a number of executives working under him to make this work.

In particular, the idea of simultaneous dealing in arms and armor and food simultaneously is dubious. Considering this is pre-telephone (Sending gives you 25 words with a 10 minute casting time) it seems like you'd have a hard time handling both businesses unless you specifically sold to one particular source, the only one I can think of in this example would be the army, not a free market store.

What would work is to make Rinoldo's a one stop mini-mall for Explorers/adventurers. Magic items are an extremely niche market: only a small number of people want them and most are non-consumable (Potions and scrolls are a different story, though). Dealing in these item means selling for a large profit only a few times. In order for this to work, the store needs to be in contact with the largest possible percentage of its market. The big thing is, magic items are extremely difficult to acquire from other sources.

As such, Rinoldo offer Adventuring services below market value, like stables, spellcasting and lockboxes to draw the clientele in towards the big profit items. He is providing convience to his patrons. They don't want to have to slug through the commoners buying wheat to get there bracers of armor. Mundane items adventurers want could all be found here as well, but rather then being a store that has items in bulk, it carries a small inventory of very specific items which each bring a reasonable profit.

I have no problem with Rinoldo dipping into other businesses, but simply from a mangament and marketing perspective, it seems to make little sense mixing them into the same building. Maybe Rinoldo is a tycoon and owns a whole block, with stores run by other people. That would work. I just think the business itself needs to better define itself, particularly what Rinoldo (the key NPC) himself dedicates his time to. Being a merchant who deals in food alone is a 60+ hour a week job, nevermind attempting to develop relationships with an excentric, ellusive and dangerous clientele (adventurers).

[TheZebraShakes™]

Lin mentioned a lot of this already, but I have it written up so. . .

I mean, the idea is pretty good. I like Vemu's solution of having him pretty much just own the property and the merchants and shopkeepers work out of it if they'd like.

It just doesn't seem to me that it would make sense in the way that you initially presented it.

There's a lot going on here. It seems mostly to cater to adventurers like I've already said, but then you have the first floor with all of the common goods. I'm not really sure what business food has in the same building as what would more or less be considered the setting's weapons of mass destruction. I don't see where the rich people have reason to patronize this place, as we all know that rich people don't shop at Wal-Mart. There's a lot going on there, it would make sense for more people than just the dwarf to be involved at the very top.

I just can't see how they can manage to do so much with the utter lack of marketability and clientele. Mid and High level adventurers are extremely rare, and then to offer them discounts on items that they are the only people in the world buying seems a little counterproductive. Boots of speed, ghost touch armor +3, tremendously powerful weapons, these are the big ticket items that the higher level guys are going to be buying. No one is going to go out of their way just to make one with the foresight that someone would come in for it. I understand that you would want to arrange some schedule of sorts, but most wizards who have the ability to make these items are not going to do so at a discount when you consider how infrequently they are going to be called upon to do something like this.

In many ways this type of establishment cute into the integrity of the guilds themselves. Causing a competition with the other guilds that the PCs themselves don't really get to interact with. To clarify, Rinaldo seems like he is running an operation which could more or less pass as a guild but in this case, is not, seeing as how he is managine so much and he would need a number of people to do so (accountants, bookkeepers, wizards, craftsmen, warriors, clerics, mediators and go betweens, etc. . . )


EDIT

This would be great if you can just turn it into A business with some better defined borders and boundaries Again, Vemu's suggestion of Rinaldo owning the property and renting the space to other merchants could be feasible. Perhaps he rents space on a street and allows merchants to set up there, thus making him more or less a land lord type figure. Not sure and I don't want you to feel like I'm intending to sabotage your idea.

But I think it would be kind of weird when the PC says that he wants to visit the armor smith's shop to ask him something and I have to reply that there are no more privately run armorsmiths because Rinaldo bought them all up or put them out of business. There's really not much room for competition with a place like this. Especially if you are planning to give discounts rather then jack up the prices, which would make more sense.

[Japic]

Ok, call me crazy, but I fail to understand why this isn't possible the way I've got it set up. I can't fathom this idea of executives under Rinoldo. He owns the place, he tells the people under his roof the prices they sell for, they sell accordingly. There's no need for hundreds of personnel and magical messaging services(?), I don't even know where that came from.

Perhaps you guys have the scale of this endeavor all wrong. I'm not talking about a modern day shopping mall where people browse around for hours and emo teens hangout away from their folks. (to continue from the idea of a modern mall) Rinoldo's would be more like a little anchor store that's got a few floors and different departments spread out. You go there if you want something, and rarely have to go elsewhere to get what you want (especially for adventurers).

One man employs craftsmen from the city; they sell their wares under his roof. Everyday arms and armor, tools and basic equipment, even some provisions are in one place. What purpose does owning a block full of shops versus one combined space serve?

For what I envision of a large city, I can easily see this kind of place existing. And unless someone can provide me with a valid reason why it wouldn't work, then I will continue to feel this way. The mechanics behind what he has available and when are certainly up to discussion and debate, but for standard everyday goods, I don't see a problem with the setup I've offered.

If the complaint is that the building seems to cater more towards adventurers than regular folk, then I can't help you there. Every town has somewhere (or many somewheres) that cater to the same group and have little to no business without them. In this busy environment, on an island with much uncharted and wild land to yet be explorered, I find it perfectly reasonable that explorers (of the adventuring type) would be going out to try and make a name for themselves. And they'd need/want somewhere close/reliable for the buying and selling of their goods.

Rinoldo is a businessman, and while yes, he does need some staff to run this place; it should be possible. I'll run it down:
2 Reliable guys in the basement (probably gnomes because they loves money) to handle the money/books.
2 (ish) trusted muscle-men to handle the strongboxes and general stock.

5-10 Merchants on the first floor to cover sales of general goods (we can say 95%+ chance they'll have what someone needs).
2-3 Guys for the stables (would have beasts of burden for most needs).

2-5 Arms merchants on the 2nd floor (say 90% chance for mundane, 60-80% Masterwork; 30-50% chance for magical. Prolly even different percentages based on the level: Minor, Medium, Major.)
1-3 Armor merchants on the 2nd floor (say 85% chance for mundane, 50-70% Masterwork; 30-40% chance for magical. Prolly even different percentages based on the level: Minor, Medium, Major.)
1 Appraiser on 2nd floor to buy inbound A&A (usually Rinoldo).

1-2 Potions/Scroll merchants (say 75% chance for Minor, 30-40% for Medium, and 10% for Major)
1-2 merchants for other magical. Wands, staffs, rods, rings & wondrous items. (lots of percentages to work out based on level of magic.)
1 merchant for fine goods: jewelery, gems, art.
1 appraiser for magical goods and fine goods (usually Rinoldo).

2-5 (ish) Trusted toughs roaming around and keeping the peace. (always one up on the third floor)

Based on those rough estimates there'd be about 20 personnel (including the boss) in the large building. I was trying to decide whether or not Rinoldo had some family working here (as trusted sources); or if he was a lonely ol' dwarf who was interested in the business and stories of adventurers. Rinoldo floats around doing what he has to if one place or another needs some help. He manages the inbound supplies and negotiating with outside merchants as needed.

Does this make a difference in your thoughts Lin/Shakes? If not; please explain how I could improve upon the idea. Thanks.

[Lin]

japic said:

He owns the place, he tells the people under his roof the prices they sell for, they sell accordingly.

Ok, so what's the added value? Why do these people allow him partial control of their business (pricing)? What is he giving them that makes them willing to both give him a cut of the profits AND reduce prices? What is he doing that allows him to lower prices so dramatically?

It doesn't sound like Rinoldo is doing very much. How is he marketing his operation? How does he keep craftsman working for him? How does he foster relationships with elite clientele? It seems all he does is own the land itself, which isn't by itself very compelling as the island has plenty of it. How is Rinoldo anything more then some guy who owns a plot of land where people set up shops?

If all we are going for is a conveint location for PCs to shop, then it works. I think focusing it solely on the adventurer/explorer clientelle would make it a richer location. As it is, would any character ever have any business with Rinaldo?

[TheZebraShakes™]

If the complaint is that the building seems to cater more towards adventurers than regular folk, then I can't help you there. Every town has somewhere (or many somewheres) that cater to the same group and have little to no business without them. In this busy environment, on an island with much uncharted and wild land to yet be explorered, I find it perfectly reasonable that explorers (of the adventuring type) would be going out to try and make a name for themselves. And they'd need/want somewhere close/reliable for the buying and selling of their goods.

This was by no means a complaint, it was simply an observation. In doing all of these things to provide services for adventurers and explorers, why is he even bothering to serve the commoners and other common type folks. It just didn't seem clearly defined. Why would commoners or nobles or anyone for that matter want to shop in the company of adventurers. They are often times dirty, intimidating, scary, etc... being in their presence is dangerous, and many will go out of their way to avoid partaking in an activity where adventurers are involved if they can help it, especially an activity such as shopping which is a staple in the lives of most all who dwell in the surrounding locale.

Yes, the idea of the place existing in terms of a plaace where PCs can partake in one stop shopping is a great idea, but in terms of actually accomplishing this in a community in such a manner as you've presented it just doesn't logically make sense in the overall social scheme of things.

To address some things which Lin hasn't touched on, though I do agree that he brings up some valid points which could use clarification as well

Offering the things he does as the discounted prices you suggest would deplete any actual form of competition which this place could possibly have in terms of privately run shops and services. You practically cover all of the bases in terms of merchandise, from magical arms and armor, right down to food and arts and antiques. Why would anyone in this town ever think of setting up shop in this heavily populated area when it seems like Rinaldo has the firm hold on all of the possible areas of sale. I don't see how citizens of the comunity, espeically merchants and shopowners would stand for this existence of this monopoly as it were.

OK, perhaps this isn't all true. Maybe I am misunderstanding a bit. You describe it as a big place where anything and everything can be found and there is rarely a need to go anywhere else, but then you say it's not a big place which has its hands dipped into everything to the fullest extent. Maybe that's where I'm getting lost. If you can explain to me why the above concern wouldn't be an issue then I guess I could manage to wrap a bit of my mind around this.

If he were simply a landlord or the proprietor of an adventurers and explorers shop which also functioned as a consignment shop where craftsmen and mages without businesses or connections of their own could sell their wares then the existence of a place like this would be much easier to work with and fit into the society.

If he did own a plot of land where people rented shops from him to sell their wares there would be a difference. Firstly he would have no say as to how they ran their businesses in terms of pricing, he wouldn't get any cut in their profits save the rent he charges, and the merchants would not have to worry about selling their merchandise in his name rather than their own.

As an adventurers' and explorers shop which also functions as a consignment shop Rinaldo could focus his areas of sale and do a better job rather than focusing in a lot and falling short in a number of areas which would likely be the case in such a business as you have created. It would be easier for him to have contact with those wizards and craftsmen which work with him, getting their goods sold for a profit without the hassle of having to find buyers on their own. He would also have a regular relationship with the merchants who help to supply the store with the rest of its merchandise. This makes things a whole lot more manageable and specialized and he's not driving the entire city out of business by doing such an outstanding job catering to every single shopper by offering every single item which could possibly be available for purchase in the city at discounted prices. (for such a concept to exist in this setting for purposes other than metagame convenience for the players seems quite unreasonable in my mind)