Can I have some advice about asking for a raise?

I’ve asked for raises before, but this time I’m angling for a pretty big one. My boss loves to negotiate, so I want to come out of this conversation with as much of a raise as possible.

I’m a retail manager earning $30,000 a year in DC. Our cost of living and average salaries are higher than the national average, so our salaries for retail managers are correspondingly higher.

It’s been a year and a half since my last raise, which I got for taking on a lot of extra hours. The position I was hired for was managing the wine department, which meant selling the wines we have, taking inventory, placing refill orders, scheduling tastings, and writing marketing e-mails.

Since then, I’ve expanded my responsibilities a lot, on my own initiative. The cool thing about this job is that if I want to improve something (as long as it’s well-reasoned), there’s pretty much unlimited leeway to do that. I’ve expanded the wine selection, re-organized the store, tripled the size of the e-mail list, made a store website that’s almost ready to launch, grown the beer and spirits selection, expanded our marketing efforts, learned about government programs for small businesses, and trained the staff about beer and wine. I also know the market in our city, which helps us set prices- we have to be competitive and make a good profit margin at the same time. I’ve also learned a LOT more about wine, beer and spirits. Basically any question a customer has in the store, I can answer.

There’s a big development being built next to us, with apartments, stores, and restaurants. For the last two years the construction has really hurt business, but it’s finally wrapping up.

I think the best time for me to ask is after I put up the website, and during the Christmas season. I’m planning to schedule a sit-down meeting with my boss, and tell him all the stuff I just said above. My goal is to get at least $40,000.

Beyond that, any other advice?