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Archive for March, 2011

“My talent circle”…great concept for ALL resale shopkeepers

Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , on March 31, 2011| 2 Comments »

Tara brought a new way of communicating a very important concept to Sharing, the TGtbT discussion board for resale professionals, the other day.

I’m a details person, meaning I like all the details to be done and done right. HOWEVER, I don’t have time to take care of every detail myself. Because payroll is a difficult one for me, I hire that one out and take care of the ones myself that are inside my “talent circle”…things I’m good at, that I can handle quite well myself, and that focus my physical, emotional, and mental energy in a way that makes me have MORE energy, not draining me of energy (like payroll and acct’ng stuff does).

Is it an expense I could get rid of? Yes. But at what cost?! In the beginning years of my biz, I wouldn’t have “splurged” on such a thing. Today it is a necessity to hire out some things that deplete me or just eat up my time, taking me away from the things that ONLY I can do. Hope that helps!

I love that phrase, talent circle…and even more, I love the concept. Why, indeed, do things that drain you of energy? Farm them out to someone who does it better and with more ease than you do, and spend your energies doing what YOU do BEST. When you are free, time-wise, mentally, imagination-wise, to do what you do best… you earn the right (and you are free to earn the cold cash) to hire someone to do what s/he does best, to take the load of onerous tasks off you.

I might even recommend that some things ARE worth “splurging” for, even in the beginning when money seems in short supply.

How many consignment and resale and even charitable thrift shops (with their supportive corporate boards), have not reached their potential, or even totally failed because they didn’t focus on their circles of talent, but instead slogged through the sucking quicksands of things they were not good at/ hated/ held them down from soaring to the heights of their true talents?

Tara owns Born Again Resale & Consignment in Idaho.
 

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They aren’t paying attention, Part #2

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , on March 30, 2011| 5 Comments »

They aren’t paying attention, Part #1, talks about quick little messages to your clientele that go right over their They aren't paying attention to your consignment or resale message.heads or through their minds with no lasting impression of your business.

Go ahead, read that first. I’ll wait….

Oh, you’re back? Do I have your attention? Okay…

They aren’t paying attention Part 2: Make sure they know who you ARE.

Many broadcast emails I receive (more…)

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Oh my aching head….

Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk, tagged , on March 29, 2011| 19 Comments »

Why do consignment, resale, and thrift shops force their shoppers to do math? (more…)

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How to go from AU (Absolutely Unremarkable) to GOLD (Good Original Luxurious Detail.)

Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk on March 25, 2011| 8 Comments »

Take your resale shop to GOLDI got an email the other day from a shopkeeper who had read my two past posts on differentiating one’s consignment or resale shop from competition via packaging, and she asked

What else can I do to make my shop memorable? I am in an area with a lot of similar shops, in fact so similar that shoppers forget which store they’re in. That can’t be helping my word of mouth! if they don’t know who’s who. I even have consignors come in to get paid…who consigned somewhere else, not with me!

Great question! Here’s some ideas beyond packaging to take your shop

from AU (Absolutely Unremarkable)

to GOLD (Good Original Luxurious Detail.)

* Outstanding decor. Whether it’s a leopard-print back wall or extravagant dressing rooms, is there something that will impress and be a stand-out? And is it truly impressive enough? One gold-painted frame on a wall display is nice… a whole series of them, outstanding.

* Elegantly-dressed staff. Most of us shudder to think of wearing a uniform, or asking our staff to do so…but is there something that will make your crew look like, well, a crew? Maybe something as simple as striped shirts, tan bottoms, and a seasonal scarf/ tie? Good-looking name badges (naming both the person and the business!), to me at least, are mandatory.

* Unique exterior. Not all of us have a lot of choice when it comes to altering our building or its exterior accessories, but most of us can do outstanding… and outstandingly unique…window displays. Whether it’s a stack of dining chairs for a furniture resale shop or a mock tree fort that fills a big window in a childrenswear shop, consider your display windows as more than just something to show merchandise. Even simply framing the edges of the window glass in a bold motif can be Good Original Luxurious Detail.

This is a topic on which YOU can comment, and I hope you do. What is it that takes your shop to the top of the GOLD standard in your market area?

The two packaging posts that consignment shop owner was referring to? A silly penny more or less and Packaging can make all the difference.

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Oh, those wonderful inspirational consignment and resale shops!

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged on March 24, 2011| 2 Comments »

Learn from these truly-involved resale shops:

The shops who join their peers as Sponsors at HTC can be truly inspirational to consignment, resale, and thrift shops of all levels. locations and longevity. Here’s just three good ideas I came across this week!

A shop which is on top…and plans to STAY THERE.

Wandering Wardrobe in Springville UTThis is the broadcast email Patty sent out from her shop, Wandering Wardrobe in Springville Utah. Why is this email worthy of note?

  • It’s a photo of the storefront, which is the main way most customers identify any shop. And she was smart enough to get a good shot of her “Best” banner last year.
  • Patty mentions that perhaps her fans would like to submit her name for other, allied categories.
  • Patty shows her community support by asking if there are businesses that her readers would like her to vote for. Tit for tat and social outreach!
  • Oh, and to do that, her readers will have to respond top this email…thus beginning a conversation with her avid supporters.

How could YOU use simple tactics for your business?

A shop true to their mission…and their prosperity!

Remarkable Resale in Rochester ILKitty, owner of Remarkable Resale in Rochester IL, is a fervent believer in recycling. So fervent, indeed, that it’s a point of pride (and education of her clientele!) for her vast business to use recycled merchandise bags.

But Kitty doesn’t just re-use packing material. She turns each gently-used bag into a point of pride with a 3″ x 5″ sticker in the shop’s signature blue and white, which says don’t be surprised if you’ve seen this bag before/ WE RECYCLE, followed of course with her shop name, address, phone, and URL.

Kinda reminds me of the stickers I used to use, back when most of TGtbT.com’s Products for the Professional Resaler were hard-copy sent by mail. I reused envelopes and stuck a PROUD to recycle! sticker on each. How could you use this idea in your shop?

A shop true to its cultivated image

Clothes Circuit in Dallas TX: clothes fresh as garden blooms

One of my very first consignment-shopkeeper friends is Irene of Clothes Circuit in Dallas TX. Her great talent, which I always strived to follow? Irene treats her previously-enjoyed merchandise as worthy of the finest, “new” store treatment. As an example, this spring window. The few pieces are meticulously groomed and displayed, and the props and setting show to their clientele that this merchandise is worthy of the finest ownership.

Oh, and as a bonus? The window is amusing and worthy of word-of-mouth. Doncha love it? I have some more examples of Clothes Circuit displays, and I’ll share them with you anon.

(Did you notice the pun in my headline? I am so un-punny that I feel the need to call your attention to it.)

I thank these Sponsors of HowToConsign.com for their willingness to share and, through their Sponsorship, to support our resale industry!

What inspirations do you have to share? We’d love to hear!

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