Going into business is a breeze, right?

Well, this is my first attempt at a blog. The point of this blog is to share my experiences of starting a business. Let me first catch you up to now!

Seven years ago my husband, Greg, and my friend, Alan, started a small business to buy and sell first day covers and stamps. They called it AG-Global, using the first letters of their names, and hoping the business would go global! I think they bought more than they sold but it was a first step. Then I joined them and we decided to open a booth at the Great American Flea Market in Tulsa, OK. We started with products from a well known home decor catalog, and added products from wholesale stores in Dallas, Tx. The lifesaver product was 3-d laser crystals. These previously could be bought at places like Vegas for $60 or more. We could get them cheap enough to sell for 5-15 dollars. Our little booth did fairly well being open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

After a few months we moved to two booths where we were visible right from the door. Sales increased and our product line became more streamlined. We listened to our customers and started carrying gothic or medieval items, dragons being the most popular. The laser crystals were still a best-seller. People loved them and we soon had over 500 designs. In a few more months we moved to the booth across from us, a window booth right at the door with a store room. Sales again increased and our product line centered on dragons, fairies, skulls, grim reapers, oriental, misters, and lucky bamboo. The laser crystals became a secondary product, still popular but not always the big seller.

This booth was our home for a few years and customers became repeat customers and sought us out. We began looking to get a booth with our own door so we could be open more hours and more days, not bound by the flea market hours. Our opportunity came in April 2009 when we moved into a new room where we could be open five days a week. It was a big step for us. We incorported into an LLC and changed our name to A Darn Good Gift Shoppe LLC. For short we call it ADG Gifts, A for Alan, D for Dorinda, and G for Greg. Isn't that catchy? We are determined to be a darn good store.

Wednesday through Friday in our store were slower, customers did stop by to check us out. We had more room and increased our products, carrying the most dragon items in Tulsa! Sales began to double.

However, we did not get the control of our own fate that we expected. Our contract said we had access seven days a week and extended hours. But, we never got a key and the flea market decided to chain the doors from the inside. We ended up calling to have the door unlocked in the mornings, and making sure someone was there to lock up at the end of the day. We were limited to five days a week instead of seven. Wednesdays we had to close two hours earlier than the other days. Next they tried to tell us what products we could sell, in spite of our contract. Increasing the outdoor vendors took away parking for our customers, and they came less often. Sales dropped, and our hopes began to dim.

Of course, not given to surrender, we have decided to get our own store front. We look forward to our own hours and days, and having our own key! A clean bathroom with toilet paper is so enticing! More space, more products, more vendors, more excitement! Then there is more bills, more expense, more work, more hours, and maybe less sales! Oh my, are we doing the right thing? Can we handle this? What if our regular customers don't follow us? How will we handle all the marketing? Will I ever sleep at night again?