I am curious whether any folks around here might have access to, or be able to point me to a place where I might get access to, lists of active hobby/gaming stores. It seems like this would be the sort of resource that would be useful to small publishers - and for that matter to hobby stores interested in improved margins.
Thanks for any help anyone can provide.
I had been considering asking such a question myself in about a year. I was going to at least start the process by using the Indie Press Revolution retail stores list.
http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/retailers.php
Best of luck!
A great place to start is GAMA. It's the game manufacturers association, but it also includes a lot of distributors as well.
Also, some game manufacturers will list all of the distributors who carry their products. You need to check a few websites and eventually you will hit pay dirt.
Lastly, you can call various game stores and ask who their distributor is and if they have a phone number (think yellow pages).
Hope it helps.
Here's the Wizards of the Coast map + contact info for the stores that carry Dungeons & Dragons. Probably a good place to start.
WotC D&D Retailers (http://ww2.wizards.com/StoreAndEventLocator/Default.aspx?link=true&ReturnParamMode=buy&ReturnParamMapSearch=Enter%20City%20or%20Zip%20Code&ReturnParamLastDirectionsQuery=null)
You might also check with GAMA.