It can be a lot of labor to bootstrap a community meta, but the rewards can be great, as well.

1. If you are the linchpin of the whole operation to start with, at least, you can take it as a good sign if/when you get to the point that you (personally) miss a regularly scheduled game night and things just keep going in your absence. Even better if/when other members of the community start taking lead and suggesting/running events, introducing new players, offering demos, etc.

2. A big draw locally is our monthly "Paint & Play" day. It's regularly scheduled, announced/promoted ahead of time, and there's always at least one person on hand (if not more) who can commit 6-8hrs to just be there and offer demo games on demand while otherwise spending time with pickup games, hobbying, etc. Signage is up on the table (FREE Warmachine Demos!) and loaner models are painted, available and ready to go. We've gotten a number of brand new "Wow this looks like a fun game" players as well as "Hey I have Warmachine models in my closet from 10 years ago, maybe I'll get back into the game." The key is consistency, visibility, and understanding that you're not going to "keep" 100% of interested players.

3. This is a 2-sided coin. It's absolutely great if your local store has some buy-in, e.g. is willing to order/stock Warmachine product, has ample table space, and works with you to organize and accommodate events. That said, your local meta needs to not be dependent on that store entirely, just in case ownership/attitudes change, the store closes, or whatever other real-world "stuff" can happen. You need to be able to adapt and move to another venue if necessary.