need advice

[anastasiabeaverhausen]

OK...kicking around an idea to open a booth in an antique mall, have thought about ebay or etsy but I sit on a computer 8 to 9 hours a day at work...so it NEVER gets turned on at home. Its not that expensive, and I have two ladies that want to do the same, so we could split the fee and space. Any thoughts? I have finally come to the realization I cannot rescue and keep everything I drag home. <btw.. last night it was a life size poster of shaq and a brand new roll of xmas wrapping paper found in a junk pile at a curb> I really value ya'lls input...anyone here have a booth anywhere?
PS this particular mall allows you to sell vintage and homemade..really anything NOT brand new or junky.

[Firekinghunt]

I have an antique booth, and it is GREAT! I love it because although I do sell on ebay, not everything will. That's where the booth comes into play. I have a full size booth and pay less than $100/month in rent. I earn several hundred dollars PER MONTH and it is all thrifted goodies. Lot's of profit to be had. Make sure there is good traffic at the mall, you want quick turn around. Also by law you must get a tax ID and you will have to pay taxes on everything, that's the hassle.

You also have to consider some start up costs such as booth fixtures (bookcases, racks, shelving units, ect.)

If you are splitting it all then you have even less to worry about, I manage it all on my own. You would be amazed at what sells and for what price. I wish you best of luck!

[valleythriftshopper]

I say go for it especially if you have others to share the booth with, it is probalby going to cost you very little.  I had a friend who sold at a flea market & one weekend I took a bunch of stuff down & shared the booth with her.  I made some money & more importantly got rid of alot of stuff!  I am planning on doing this again as a neighbor of mine is getting a booth at a different flea market this spring.  It is great, as firekinghunt said, for getting rid of stuff that is not worth Ebaying. 

As far as the junk pile- who wouldn't grab a brand new role of free wrapping paper?  I probably would have left the Shaq poster behind, but you can always stick that in the recycling if you change your mind about it. 

[SplashsMom]

I agree. I think it would be a smart move.

Of course the first month is the hassle, as stated, set up and legalese, but especially if you have others to share some of the expense. Most mall type places I know require you to work several hours a month but that should be no problem. I would want to be there anyhow.
If you can, ask other vendors their experiences, including bookkeeping and shop lifting problems, and spend some time there to figure out for yourself the busiest times of day/week/month. Also pay attention to what people are buying from everyone in mall.

And please tell us how it works out.
Post a pic of your displays.

Excited for you (and envious)

[anastasiabeaverhausen]

this *booth* idea is skyrocketing. One of my bestest yardsale/TS buddies wants us to open an antique/local art mall. We only have one antique mall and no flea mkt in our town and nowhere that sells local art/crafts/foods. We have great beach traffic and the antique mall, which is kinda off the beaten path is always crowded. I myself dont have the time to run it < full time and two p/t jobs> nor do I want to give up every weekend <yard saling and volunteering at a DV TS>. She knows someone who would run it if we donate her space....sighs.... I will listen to her ideas..she is even writing up a business plan...Im just not a gambler when it comes to a business..any advice on this *bigger* idea?

[valleythriftshopper]

I wouldn't put any major investment into it if you are only planning on selling on your free weekends.  It sounds like the person writing up the business plan is taking on a leadership role, just make sure you really like & get along with the people sharing the booth.  If you don't mind taking a back seat to the planning/concept of the booth, it still seems like a good idea, especially if it is a busy mall.  You really don't need much investment in a flea market booth besides the rental cost in my opinion.  If your partners want to make it fancy & buy all sort of crap to set it up I wouldn't bother with it. 

[valleythriftshopper]

Oops, I just noticed in your post you were asking about opening an antique mall.  To that I would say no, I would recommend starting off with a booth first then working up to that if you like the experience.  If the others want to do that and you can just sell there without being a partner/investor in the mall, then that sounds OK. 

[Punk Glam Queen]

OK...kicking around an idea to open a booth in an antique mall, have thought about ebay or etsy but I sit on a computer 8 to 9 hours a day at work...so it NEVER gets turned on at home. Its not that expensive, and I have two ladies that want to do the same, so we could split the fee and space. Any thoughts? I have finally come to the realization I cannot rescue and keep everything I drag home. <btw.. last night it was a life size poster of shaq and a brand new roll of xmas wrapping paper found in a junk pile at a curb> I really value ya'lls input...anyone here have a booth anywhere?
PS this particular mall allows you to sell vintage and homemade..really anything NOT brand new or junky.

I had a flea market booth years ago, so perhaps I can give a little advice.

My first thought is to check out the antiques mall at different times to see what kind of traffic there is, and make note of the busier times. Those are going to be the times you'll want to make sure the booth is manned. Also decide if you will pay yourselves an hourly, or day rate for manning the booth, or if you will hire someone else to do this.

The second thing -- and possibly the most important -- is to make sure you get absolutely everything in writing with the two other women. Even if they are your best friends, get it in writing. When I went from the flea market to a retail space I did so with someone I knew for about 20 years. Three months into the venture, she split (cross between mental problems and sour grapes as my stuff moved and hers didn't.) Leaving me with all the bills, an exorbitant NYC rent, and even made off with my stock and destroyed the work my husband had done to create displays. She then went off the rails further, and tried to sue ME. I won, but have yet to see any restitution 13 years later. So learn from my mistake; make sure every single thing from how many hours each of you will put in, pay, how much stock each of you will add, cash, as well as how much each will put in for rent, petty cash, display, etc., has got each of your signatures on. You'll also want to talk about the possibility that one person may sell more than another, and how you'll deal with that (as well as getting that in writing!)

Third, make note of prices things are selling for. You'll want to make sure you can keep your prices in accordance or lower if you want to move stock. You will also need to come up with a pricing system that allows you to keep track of what you paid for an item so that you can haggle when people are interested. A general retail rule is that if an item sits for more than a month, you've lost money. The space could have been used for something that would have sold, so keep that in mind for moving merch. Also, try to figure out some way to split the space evenly so no one feels like one person has more of a presence. You're all going to have to be familiar with each other's merch as well to ensure good sales all around.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Keep us posted, and good luck! I think having a booth is great idea, vintage/ antique still has that tactile quality as well as the instant gratification of finding just what you were looking for!
Cheers!
Suzanne

[anastasiabeaverhausen]

hey suzanne, thanks for the advice...and sorry about your experience!
The antique mall is WAY too big of a venture right now with the economy and our schedules, so we are starting with a booth at an antique mall, only two of us partnering and we are already drawing up a *contract* between us as well as the contract with the mall itself!
I hope ppl that shop there are as excited as I am about the treasures I have to share!

[Punk Glam Queen]

hey suzanne, thanks for the advice...and sorry about your experience!
The antique mall is WAY too big of a venture right now with the economy and our schedules, so we are starting with a booth at an antique mall, only two of us partnering and we are already drawing up a *contract* between us as well as the contract with the mall itself!
I hope ppl that shop there are as excited as I am about the treasures I have to share!

You're welcome! Thanks, but it actually wound up being the best thing we did. We went in a different direction, and within 6 months were known internationally! Always trust your instincts. Good luck to you, sounds like you have a good start and a lot of work ahead!
Cheers!
Suzanne

[valleythriftshopper]

When are you going to start?  Make sure to take a picture of your booth & post it please!  Good Luck, hope you have fun with it.