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Archive for the ‘Shopkeeping talk’ Category

We just did what every other store in our city does.

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged on June 9, 2007| 1 Comment »

When I asked a brand-new shop why she was doing something I thought ineffectual and even damaging to her future success, and received the reply  We just did what every other store in our city does, I figured it was high time to address the copycat syndrome, which I like to call the Kiss of Death.

If you’re thinking of starting up any sort of retail venture, the absolute sure Kiss of Death is to do things the same way your competition does. (This probably applies to non-retail businesses as well, but let’s stay on topic here.)

Think about it: why does your area need another place just like the other place? Why would their (more…)

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Down to the Wire

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged on June 8, 2007| 2 Comments »

Wow! It’s only 14 days til Conference…this time 2 weeks from now, we’ll be boarding the buses on the Resale Shop Bus Tour. Are we ready? Ready for Conference, ready for Kate’s workshop… ready to learn from each other? My index cards are all sorted by color and I’m gathering my passwords and my lists.

So here goes: A checklist for Two-Weeks-Out:

  • Gather important phone numbers, computer passwords, whatever you will need that you “take for granted” when you’re on home turf.
  • Gather your questions. Think about what you want to ask others about. Should I have a senior discount? How can I work with the other businesses in my area to draw traffic?
  • Gather your answers, too. Got a great source for gift items? Really learn a lot from a book or web site? Write down the specific info, so you can help others.
  • Get your index cards in line. I use different colors for different topics, and you might too. Yellow for advertising ideas, blue for consigning issues. Remember, one note per index card, so you can sort and use the suggestions you get easily.
  • Make up a few SASEs: that’s self-addressed stamped envelopes. When you ask a breakfast buddy to send you a copy of that great bag-stuffer she’s been going on about, hand her a ready-to-use SASE, penciling on the back “your Pick a Pair flier” to remind her what she promised to send.
  • Polish your elevator speech. That’s the 30-45 second summary of your business that you will use not only to introduce yourself to peers, but in the future to prospective customers. I opened Funky Fashions in 2005 to introduce my town, Tootleville Sask, to a wider choice in fashion and sizes than was available.
  • Check over the new TGtbT Shop, or download and print out our Catalog, to decide what you need. Make note of what you have! Then: order what you need now. It’ll save you time and money at SourceMart, and by pre-reading topics you are interested in, you’ll be able to ask me, in person, for more details, or why I said A or B or what I think of your trying X or Y.

If you will be attending my workshop, Using Every Little Bit of your Space, I’ll be more than happy to sit with you at lunch on Saturday for some one-on-one. Be prepared, tho: bring your dollars sold per square foot of selling space and a drawn floor plan of what merchandise is where in your shop. We’ll put our heads together and boost your sales!

Save

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Twinkle with enthusiasm!

Posted in Shopkeeping talk on June 6, 2007| 4 Comments »

Consignment stars follow Kate Holmes and Too Good to be Threw1. Learn something new every day. The more you learn about something, the more interesting it is to you, and the more fired-up you become. If you don’t make an effort to learn something new every day, you stagnate. Not only is that no fun, but every day that you don’t educate yourself, (more…)

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“How long you been here?”

Posted in Shopkeeping talk on May 25, 2007| 6 Comments »

“How long you been here?” is a question designed to drive any resaler CRAZY. You spend and spend on advertising, signage, bag-stuffers and all that, and still, people don’t seem to know you’re there: as in “open for business, reputable store, cool joint, must-see shop in town.”

Happens to everyone, so don’t feel bad. But on the other hand, fight tooth-and-nail against it.

Are you aware that over 2/3s, yes, over 66% of Americans have Internet access… and use it? Are you there, for them to find? Or do you get consigned to the “must not be a REAL store since they don’t have a web site” category?

Example: I wanted to go visit a resale store that is out-of-the-way for me here in Sarasota. Not really too far, but I don’t normally travel to Venice. But I’d go, if I knew they’d be open. Let’s see, what’s the name again? So I google consignment + Venice, get lots of Venice CA results. Try again with Venice FL…. nothing.

Now mind you, I know this shop exists. I’ve even done an article about it.

Ah, there. I found it on Google. Which pointed, ah-hem, to my site, Too Good to be Threw. But that was an article, not shop info.

So I guess I’ll be one of those shoppers who do not visit that shop this weekend.

Shame, too, because I could really use a resale fix about now. Money’s just itchin’ to jump outta my wallet.

My point? Get your name out there on the Internet. Loving your potential customer is never having to say, “We don’t care enough about you to tell you about us.”

Or you can roll your eyes at “How long you been here?” until you get so dizzy you fail. Oops, I meant fall… or did I?

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Couture Candy… guess that’s the only kind their audience eats

Posted in Shopkeeping talk on May 19, 2007|

Back by Popular Demand, Melissa’s Georgia shopWanted to show you resale shopkeepers a size equivalents chart from Couture Candy to use when figuring out foreign sizing of women’s apparel.

It will help resale and consignment shops dealing in American, European, Australian and Japanese fashion designers. (We love resale because we get great stuff from our Ubershoppers who travel…stuff never available at our local mall!)

Nice chart, but I got sidetracked because this shopping site apparently considers only size 0 to 10 to be worthy of mention. Women size 12 or higher? CC must consign them to the trash heap.

Well, ladies of all sizes can consign with us anytime, for example, at Melissa’s great shop in Georgia, Back by Popular Demand, pictured here.

Heck, we’ll even give ’em a piece of chocolate as a reward for cleaning out their closets, won’t we? Now that’s what we resalers consider Couture Candy!

Anyway, here’s the chart. Hope it helps…as far as it goes. And thanks, Couture Candy: http://www.couturecandy.com/fit-pop.htm

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