Anyone own a store

[marilynd]

Does anyone own an embroidery store/boutique???
My dream is to open one. I am thinking in a year or so but I am doing research now. I have no clue where to begin...any help or ideas?

[clae]

Same here... I would love to own my own embroidery shop... I have a full time job now that I really like but I do plan on having a shop in the near future... I don't really know where to start either.. I sell on Ebay and Etsy.

[pcsews]

This is a big dream of mine too. I would actually like to share a store with somebody....My cousin makes jewelry and we have talked about sharing a store.......hummmmmm, some day!!!

[Honeybee]

As close as I come as I sell in a local artist's co-op. Fiber art is what they call it.

[dana]

I don't own one either, but I dream of what that would be like. I have seen that Brother has info on starting a business. I think they offer financing for the machines (?).

I have just been looking into a home based business and what that would entail, but I need to get another 10 hours in my day to (probably) make that a reality right now.

Good Luck!

[fun2sew]

My Dream to own a store with all the embroidables designs on the shelf!

Can you picture it?

[idesign]

I used to have a design store with wallpaper, fabric (decorator), furniture, etc. One of the things I learned was to have lots of little things for impulse buys. Few people buy a huge amount of drapery material without taking some time, or a lot of furniture, but they will pick up little things that don't bust the budget. You might start on ebay and see how it goes. Perhaps you will find that is the way to go with no overhead.

Carol

[guppy]

I own a store. I have quilting fabric, viking sewing machines. Having a store is really, really hard work!! I have cactus punch embroidery cards. I have had them for 2 years and they are not selling. I finally put them on sale for 50% off (that's cost) to get rid of them. People in my area can't quite figureme out. I have a well stocked store and they don't have to go out of town or on line to buy. They still go out of town and online to buy. oh well!! Good luck to those that want to try for a store!! It really is hard work!!

[idesign]

I own a store. I have quilting fabric, viking sewing machines. Having a store is really, really hard work!! I have cactus punch embroidery cards. I have had them for 2 years and they are not selling. I finally put them on sale for 50% off (that's cost) to get rid of them. People in my area can't quite figureme out. I have a well stocked store and they don't have to go out of town or on line to buy. They still go out of town and online to buy. oh well!! Good luck to those that want to try for a store!! It really is hard work!!

I had the same trouble in my small town with my store. Maybe you could do some samples of the designs to help sell them. Just like the inspirations pictures here, which help sell me on the designs.

[alissa]

I do not own a store. But, I have my things in 2 stores. One is a boutique and the other is a quilting store. It seems nothing is moving. I did do real good on some pin cushion pigs at the quilting store. I think that you need to have things that are different but, yet fuctional.

[Crafty Connie]

I too want to open my own place, but I think it may be cheaper to open it in my own home. No rent and electric etc. to pay. We also have to remember, that we love to embroider right now, but if we make it way of income, it may become more of a chore than a fun hobby. I paint murals too and that's going well but I find myself not enjoying it as much as I did when I painted now and then. Just something to concider when thinking about opening a business.:rolleyes:

[Deedles]

I owned a quilt shop for about 10 years. It just about ruined my love of sewing and quilting! I got so burned out I didn't touch a sewing machine for fun for over 10 years. I'll never again take a hobby I love and turn it into a business. It's especially hard as guppy mentioned when you try really hard to carry what your customer want, sometimes have even asked for, yet they still go elsewhere. Sometimes even paying higher prices. Making samples, trying to second guess the customers for what fabrics, books and patterns will sell or not. Then you've got classes....or not?

After the honeymoon period is over, it's just a job that keeps you tied down. I make and sell do rags online now. I mostly sew when I want to and after it's all said and done I make just about the same profit as the quilt shop made.....and I can do this is my jammies! :D

You're smart to do your research. Be sure to ask about the bad as well as the good to owning your own business. It can be wonderful or it can be a nightmare.

[magazine]

I always thought it would be fun to own an embroidery shop, especially one that has class for kids to. They could learn to digitize and embroider. It would be a lot of fun and a good hobby for them too.

[idesign]

See if you can get a job in one of the type of shops you dream of having. To own your own business, you have tremendous overhead, and will probably not be making a huge amount of money after you pay the phone, heat, cooling, rent, cabinetry or fixtures, and any insurance. Not to mention the start up costs of stocking the store.

I laugh now when people say I could make my own hours. All my hours went into that store, and the only day off I had was Sunday. Even then I might be doing things for it. I don't want to squelch anyone's dreams, but it really is a ball and chain a lot of the time, and I would NEVER do it again.

Carol

[Emma]

I think a lot of people don't understand the "ball and chain" when it comes to opening a store.

And second what's said above about while its a hobby now, if you open a store it's a job, you can't just have a day off and not do any for a few days, you've got to be there, to get orders done etc.
Also stocking the store would be difficult.

May seem fun, but it is a LOT of hard work.

[StitchinGrandma]

All of those reasons you have given about how it becomes a job and you pretty much get burned out when you own a business is SO true. I loved cake decorating and used to make cakes all the time. I did probably 5-8 cakes a week and did it for fun for my friends/family. Then they started telling people how good they were and I started getting way too many orders that I was constantly baking and decorating. I still drag my feet when I need a cake and usually order from the bakery even though I know mine tastes so much better.

[Granny313]

My daughter owned a store in the past and it truly was alot of work. She had a gift shop/frame shop. She started out doing flower arrangements and framing as a hobby and a side business from her home. Then she and her husband bought the store. She put in more hours than she EVER worked for anyone else. She hated holidays because she never got any time off and by the time she decorated the store for Christmas she didn't want to do her home. She worked many a night until all hours in the morning and I worked with her some at night and wee hours to help her out. Plus, some people can be soooooo picky about things that they pick out themselves , then when you get it done, they don't like it as much as they thought. It is always a headache of some sort. That's the main reason that I won't embroider at home as a business because I think her store ruined me.(LOL)

[The Hen]

I own a gift shop called 3Chicks and aHen. My daughter and I carry everything from pocketbooks to baby clothes. We have many embroidery items and handmade quilts and afagans in our store. We just love it. Our store is in a small town and our customers are like family. True it takes a lot of hours and effort but it is what we enjoy doing. In fact, I am retiring from teaching in the spring and will be working in the store part time. At present, my daughter runs the store during the week and I run it on the weekend. Make sure you talk to some store owners before you make the plunge. We got a lot of good advice from other owners. Of course, go out of town to get your advice. AS far as free time, there is no such thing. If you have small children I wouldn't recommend it if you are going to do it by yourself. My daughter and I have a good situation. Her children are in school during the week and I take over on the weekend so she can be with her family. During the holidays it is very hectic and it takes both of us to keep up with the demand. We have found it very rewarding. The building we are in was an old bank building and we refurbished it ourselves. It still has the original tin ceiling in it. It gives the shop its charm. We are planning on expanding into the building next to us in the summer. My recommendation would be to put down all the positive and negatives about ownership and see where you stand. Watch your inital investment. We started off small, so if the shop didn't do well we wouldn't be in debt. We have doubled our size of inventory in less than a year. The Lord has really been good to us and has guided us through our venture. I will tell you we did a lot of praying for guidance before we made our final decision.

[divephantom19]

I had a boutique (clothing) for 10 years...or it had me!!! It was very hard, fun work...but extremely hard for small town shops to break even, much less profit!! Taxes, payroll, business fees, credit card fees, bounced check headaches, trying to find good help, can't afford to pay them what they are worth...and you have thousands of dollars of invoices due in 10 days, and maybe that day you only sold $150...not a good combo.

In today's economy I think I will stick with doing small-scale part time from home. Don't give up your day job!!