Anyone run a storefront by themselves

[Misty]

I have the opportunity to have a store in my husbands new building that he is buying. It is a huge building, and he wants to make a section for me to sell my candles.

Do any of you have a store that you run by yourselves? Just wondering if you have someone lined up to work occasionally, if you get sick or something. What hours do stay open.

I'm considering this, the pros and cons of it are weighing on me. Just hoping for a little feedback on how others handle it.

[Judy, USMC]

Just wondering if you have someone lined up to work occasionally, if you get sick or something.

My friend has the storefront and I consign there. I'm the one that she asks to work. When she first started accepting consignors the fees were $35 per year and 20%. If I agreed to fill in once in a while she drops the % she takes on all the sales I have for the month I worked in. Example: If I worked 1 day in May she only took 18% commission for all my sales that month. If she needed me to work 4 days in November her commission dropped to 12%.

She is co-located with a grain/seed/plant shop. She's open 6 days a week March April May ... and October November December; Monday through Friday 10am - 5pm and Saturday 10 til 4pm. Other months she'll only open Wednesday through Saturday 10am - 5pm. She takes a week off for summer vacation and doesn't have anyone come in.

If she & I both decide to do the same craft fair she starts advertising that she'll be closed that day ... and give the fair location so her customers know where to find her.

We've known each other for years and she's comfortable that I won't short the drawer or take any goods without paying. So this relationship has worked out well. She doesn't know the other consignors that well and hasn't offered them this deal.

ETA: She has 2 sons (19 & 21) she taps to work during the summer months if I'm not available.

HTH

Edited March 20, 2010 by Judy, USMC

[Misty]

Well, that sounds great that you two worked that out. That's something to consider.

Thanks!

[barncat]

WEll rent maybe be free but you need shelving and displays, inventory, advertising...estimate at least $20,000. If yoiu have that to loose...great go for it! I have a few employees and just open 3 days a week this time of the year then more in fall/winter.

[country bee]

hi,I ran my business for about 2 years by myself,yes,you get real tired at times.I spoiled my clients so bad that they would not except anyone else to wait on them,if I was in the building,they would talk around the helper to me,which mad the helps mad.But I never found any one I could trust leaving them totally alone.I got so riped off or they just did'nt show up and store was closed.ugh!So I ended up being a worker too and everything was fine unless I missed a day !But hopefully you will have better luck,it just maybe where I live.

[Misty]

Thanks barncat, but I already have shelving, inventory and displays, what makes you think I'll lose them? I'm also aware of expenses, but that's not what I was asking.

I was more concerned with staff, as I find that complicated. Employees are sometimes more trouble then they are worth. Having dealt with them for 30 years before I retired from my other career, I know that they almost all have issues of one sort or another. I would like to keep it small enough to not have to have too much help.

[LovelyLathers]

I am the only one who works at my store. I am open 3 evenings a week and all day Saturdays and most Sundays. I work full time during the day at another job. I do have a sign on the door that says if and when I need to close. If it is for a Show or the farmers market I tell them where I am. I do take days off but I make sure I have a sign up as soon as I know I need a day off, usually on a Sunday. I have been doing this for a year and have never had a complaint about it. If someone tells me they stopped by and I was closed then I give them a 10% discount got their trouble that makes them happy, i have had to do that twice so far.. As far as being sick I have not had to take time off for it yet thanks goodness. But if it arises I will put a sign up. It is not easy doing it alone but it is my dream and I will make it work. Sure I am exhausted working 40 hours and then doing the store.

[Misty]

Thanks for your post country bee. Just curious, what made you stop? Did you just get tired of it?

[Misty]

Wow lovelylathers, that's great. I bet you are tired. But, it sounds like you make it work. It's nice to hear that you make out alright with the just weekends, and a few evenings.

I was thinking about just trying a 10 - 5 schedule at first. I'm still considering all options. It's not like I have to. It would be something that I want to do. I just like to have a good plan before jumping into something.

[country bee]

Hi.no and yes,I have run my store 45 years and I retired due to bad hip.But now my hip is getting better beening off of it.

[Blest2BAmerican]

If you haven't already done so, you might post the question on the BC message board. There are a few ladies who have stores there and can give you input.

[nursenancy]

I have a shop and also have a full time job. Currently I don't have any employees. I may have my son help me out this summer. I am open weekends and sometimes Thursday and Monday.

I got sick a couple days over the winter and my husband filled in for me, but he's like a bull in a china cabinet!! And he gets bored with it. I only ask him as a last resort. I can trust him, though, LOL

I thought about taking on an apprentice to put in a few hours a week at the shop, but haven't found the right candidate yet. I haven't actively pursued that option, but it may be a possibility for me.

Edited March 20, 2010 by nursenancy

[Misty]

Well, it seems to work well for some of you, even if you aren't open seven days a week. Do you feel that you have developed regular customers that have learned your hours, or is it more advertising, or that they just happened to see your place and stop in?

[Jokerjen]

I opened my store at the end of January and run it myself..at first my hubby would come to keep me company and run any errands if I needed it...but He gets bored..(hopefully he will find another job soon...)

I am open Tues to Thurs 9-5 and Fri&Sat 9-6

After school starts back up , I may look into getting a co-op student to help with errands & such and help with the store if I am busy producing....

I have a hard time to trust with my stuff too....so we will see what happens.....

Right now, I have no one here to watch while I run to the Post Office..so I just put up a sign...."Back in 15 mins"

[Misty]

That sounds like what I want to so jokerjen. I envisioned maybe 9-5, with being closed on wednesday and sunday. Do you have an area for production at your store, or do you produce elsewhere?

[Meridith]

DH and I both work our store and we both have full time jobs. We are open Tues - Sat. and are the only ones that run our store. I can't imagine hiring anyone to sell my products. And if this unconstitutional healthcare fiasco passes, it will be a cold day in hell before I hire anyone because I don't want to have to provide healthcare for a parttime employee.

[NaturallyTru]

Small businesses hire employees all the time. I think it should be fine to hire someone (or 2) to help you. You just need to interview them and look at them like employees, not friends. Keep the I am boss vibe going. Make sure they do what they were hired to do and if they don't work out, let them go and find someone else. I would opt for an older person to work parttime (though you may find a great 21 year old...who knows) and then maybe a couple college/high school kids to come in and clean, dust shelves, restock, change displays, etc. I wouldn't get them involved in the actual production of the products though. Until you get to the point where you simply can't keep up with all the business .

Trudi

[Jokerjen]

That sounds like what I want to so jokerjen. I envisioned maybe 9-5, with being closed on wednesday and sunday. Do you have an area for production at your store, or do you produce elsewhere?

Yes, I have a production area in the store, which means I am slowly getting my house back!lol I walk down about 8 steps to get to my production area. Eventually I do plan to extend my hours at some point when things pick up...

[TexasBrat]

Coming from a customer standpoint here is my opinion since I'm not a seller but a shopper. lol Be sure to have a set time that you are there, be it 3 x a week or 5 x a week and be consistent. I am thinking 5 is to early as most people get off work at that time so people would not be able to shop after work and if you aren't open on weekends you will miss out on business to those who missed you at 5. You could do 11-6 and you would be open for lunch shoppers and long enough for after work shoppers. Just my

[LuminousBoutique]

Yeah... coming from this shoppers perspective, I wont go to any shop thats closed 6pm or earlier because.. I cant! And I generally wont make a special trip in the middle of my day, I'm too busy as it is. Its unfortunate because there are some really cute shops here in Ogden on historic 25th street that I've seen but never gone in, since they are closed by the time I can get around to them.

My friend had a shop in Washington that she tested different op hours at.

She was located downtown, in a high foot traffic area. she barely ever got a single person into her store before 11am. From 11-4 was slow, but steady foot traffic. Barely any sales. From 4-8 she was SLAMMED. Why? People heading to the movies... dinner... getting off work and walking by.. She even tested being open until 9 and she got double the sales from 8-9pm that she did from 4-5 pm, but only on weekend nights.

Of course that wont work for everyone, and it totally depends on your location. She hired a trusted friends daughter (part time college student), who takes work seriously (not social hour!) to run the shop with her, and they are open from 11-8, Tues-Thu, 11-9 Fri-Sat, they take Sunday and Monday off, as they were the slowest buisness days anyways.

It allows them to have weekends, to take turns being there, to even close for an hour lunch if they wish... and they can still provide 8 hours of "open" time with that.

They also keep a sign on the door that basically says "call xxxxx. if you need to come shop when we are not open - or to schedule a shopping party" They've had a few shopping parties (bachelorette parties, red hat society) and they have been very sucessful! They feel pampered, getting the store to themselves, and they spend more!

One more idea... our local business college requries the students get a certain amount of hours "interning" and you can sign up to host an intern. You arent required to pay them anything, nor provide anything to them (like medical coverage) and it can be a huge bonus to your business even if all they do is help you run the register, clean up, answer phones, and watch the shop while you are creating. We have to be willing to let people help- its a womans nature to want to do it all on our own but how can a business grow if only one person is allowed to nurture it, you know?

[jennyjo]

Well said, Luminous....that is a lot of great advice! I am planning my store opening as well and there is so much great information in this thread. I appreciate all of you girls(or guys sometimes). It makes you feel like your not going it alone!

[LynnS]

I am thinking about a shop but in my backyard. Not any problems I feel with that. If I am sick or cannot be home I would have to put a closed sign. I don't have someone I could depend on. I pretty much do on own when it comes to candles and now I don't make enough to hire someone.

As someone mentioned the customers like to talk to the owner.I feel we are the ones to ask if there are questions. And maybe they dealt with the other worker and wasn't happy with them.

I am going alone on this.I realized this just a few weeks ago when I organized a big event. Decided to just do nothing and let my volunteers do it all.It was a mess and I heard about it. I was there but kicked back like someone might do in a shop. I made a HUGE mistake.Never will I let my volunteers do anything.Same with a business.Your workers are what will bring them back.A bad one and you loose customers.:embarasse

I got STUNG by those 2 rude busy bees and they ignored people. NEVER AGAIN. I trusted them.They always acted like they could do better than me. People told me they were treated the worst they have ever been treated when using the spay neuter clinics I organize. This is a business too. I just don't get paid.

I am on this alone as same as I would be with my candle business. I don't need the hassle and embarrassment.

LynnS

[fmsojka]

I have had a store front for a few years now, in a very small town. It is a challenge. I can't afford to hire anyone, I don't have enough business. I have a daughter that has been part of my business since it started, plus a husband that does help when he can. I retired from my 'paying job' a few years back, he also retired to help but had to go back to work because my health insurance jumped up about 10 times in the last three years. (So much for our insurance system).

I also opened another shop in another town, where there are several shops in one building. We take turns running the store that has a central check out. Great concept, I also pay some rent, but it isn't much compared to what it could be. I have considered doing the same in my own town, on a smaller scale. It is difficult being open full time, when I am the only one doing it. I have tried in years past, but now only am open three days a week, because I work at the other store on Wednesdays. I aslo have a workshop in a room behind the store front, to make product, in my own store. We also own the building, so don't pay rent. But insurance, and utilities can be a killer when business is so slow.

I post my phone number, and I try to accomodate people. I know that I have lost customers being closed too much, but at this time, it is the best I can do. I also have a web site, so people can get the product but want it easier.

It is a struggle, so much depends on location, and I know that, but I opted for my own town, because I commuted for years, and would not do that again. I love to drive four blocks and I am at work. I also loved working with my family, I wish the economy had held out and I could continue. Running a business alone to me is lonely and can be exhausting. It is hard to keep up enthusiasm when I have to figure it all out alone. And since I make my products, that is a whole other issue. I do have the luxury of my daughter able to help, and I know she will do a good job. But she is getting ready to take her nursing boards, so hopefully will be busy making good money soon.

Something is to be said for loving what you do. And I do love having my own business, creating new products, seeing things take off.

[Nanasnecessities]

I am open Tuesday-Saturday 11 to 5:30. I stay open until 6:30 on Thursday only. I wrote down what times people came in for the first 6 months. I never had anybody come in after 5-5:15 except for Thursday. Once is a great while somebody came in before 11, but not very often. I do my running before I open. The ups people sometimes want to deliver before 11 and they drop it at the florist next door. I am closed Sunday and Monday. Last Monday I went in to get some things and a couple of customers drove by and stopped, but usually nobody on Monday. I am in a high traffic area, across from a grocery store and right down form the middle and high school. I do not create at the shop, I don't want my insurance premiums to skyrocket. I doubt that the electric system could take it ayways. My building is from the 1800's.

I carry some local artists and my own things, the rest is purchased. I am not a member of the Chamber, but have joined the Downtown Business Association. I am also a memeber of the DMMA and by carrying some magazines i get free advertising. I use Facebook and my website to promote, but it is really word of mouth.

I have Santa coming into to visit several times this month and the advertising is free with the local paper. I also did the downtown open house, (free radio, internet and paper advertising) I had over 700 people in my store in a two hour time frame. I promoted small business Saturday with them also, we did very well. I plan on advertising in the Country Register next Month.

I was at the FleaMarket for over 10 years and have a following from that. I tried coupons (6,000) but only received about 10 back. People do find you, you just have to be patient. The best advertising in a huge stack of business cards and some flyers laying on your counter. People new to my store always ask how is business and I tell them slow. They are very happy to take cards and flyers to give to their firends and put up at their local hangouts.

Good Luck to you. I work alone so far, but I have my daughter and a few close friends who will step in if I have to go to the Doctors or whatever. When and if I ever get caught up, I may open on Monday, but never on Sunday, it is totally dead.

PS, I keep cards to different shops in my area and hand them out when people ask, or they appear to be on a shopping day. They do the same for me. You would be surprised how many people will stop in after visiting the local antique mall or whatever.

[David Fields]

When we first opened our store, I worked it everyday for over a year. We lived a little over an hour away and the store (in a mall) was open 10-9 mon thru sat and noon-6 on Sunday. Boy was it a drag. In the beginning I hit a cow coming home at night, so my wife and I decided that she would make products, and I would work the store. She doesn't see well at night. We worked it without help because we were trying to keep costs down; just couldn't afford help the first year. Could have I suppose, but we would have gone under. Later we hired someone to work Sundays and then Wednesdays a few months later. Now, eight years later, we moved to College Station, have four employees for the store and one for the whse/factory. Bottom line that we found...DON'T hire employees unless the business can truly afford them. HTH