So sorry I haven't been able to update! Let me try to summarize. Last week we got the electric and the gas turned on. The water is there but we don't know what switch actually turns it on to our store. The person that was supposed to be fixing the floors and such at the store hasn't been able to do anything yet. We have been assured it will be finished by this weekend. The floor tiles are coming up in the back from water or condensation. This has dried since we have had the heat on, but we need the tiles replaced. There are some other things that still need to be finished.
We finalized the signs. They were supposed to be up by now but we had a couple wet days. Hopefully they will be up this weekend. We are supposed to get rain again today though. We also ordered business cards and a parking sign. I want it to say Parking for A Darn Good Gift Shoppe, Violators will be Fed to the Dragon. hehe!
Tuesday Alan and I went to Dallas. We only got to one store. We had a borrowed truck (Thanks Julie!) but we bought more than we could fit into it. We packed the truck full and had them set aside the other half of what we picked out. We still have more to pick out and a couple more stores to visit down there. I rented a cargo van for this Tuesday.
Friday we received three deliveries for product, incense, oils, and oriental. Greg is working on the new POS systems, trying to learn it and trying to check the product in. He has been there all day and will be this weekend. Meanwhile, Janna and I and Kyleigh are working the closing store trying to sell all our display items for 25% off. Today is Janna's birthday so she isn't too happy about having to work. But she is going to spend the night at her sisters.
So, all week long we have been packing up my Honda Civic and Alan's Ford Contour. We fill them up as much as we can, drive them to the new store, unload, and come back for more! This is very exhausting and I've found muscles that have been inactive a long time. I also am not eating much, or well, so I hope I am at least losing a few pounds through all this!
Some nights I can't sleep at all and some nights I drop into bed and forget about everything. The nights I don't sleep I'm planning how to organize the store, or how to paint the pegboard... the mind just won't quit! You should see all of us at the end of the day, we look like zombies!
So we think we have been busy this week, I have until Thursday to get things somewhat organized. Monday we have the phone/Internet hookup, and security, and maybe the insurance man coming out. Tuesday I go to Dallas. Wednesday we get the display cases and the rest of everything left out of the old store and move it to the new store. Thursday we open the new store. Grand Opening won't be until May 1, but we will be open for business before then.
Writing this while hopping up and down to wait on customers has been fun! At least we are selling! yeah!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Things are coming together
As of yesterday and today we are seeing progress. Yesterday we signed the contract with COX communications and got a good deal for our move. That is so very nice, we get two months free and no installation fee for the move. They will have it installed just before our opening at the new store.
Today we looked at the workup for the signs. The gentleman that is doing them, Chambers Signs in Broken Arrow, really knows his business. The sign over the door and the sign on the pole at the street will cost almost $1000. Its a lot of money, but it is a marketing expense and necessary to draw customers in, so that makes it a bargain. No one said opening a business was cheap!
The building owner is checking things out that we notice and fixing them. We will have the electric and gas on early in the week. They can then check the heat and air and we should be able to start moving things in next week.
We are putting orders together now and can have them delivered starting next week. Just the incense order is over $500, but we are adding so many new scents that everyone should be able to find something they like. We are increasing so many items and will then increase our product lines. Finding new products is so exciting, but we always have to think in the back of our mind: How much can we charge and will customers buy it? It is so disappointing when I find something I just love and no one wants to buy it! We try to find good quality products at a good price so that we can be a great bargain for the customers.
But on to other challenges! Our car broke down yesterday. I was so hoping for no problems with the car, but it is the fuel pump and will cost about $500 to fix. That is that much less money to spend on the store! But we do need to get around. Everything can't be easy!
Today we looked at the workup for the signs. The gentleman that is doing them, Chambers Signs in Broken Arrow, really knows his business. The sign over the door and the sign on the pole at the street will cost almost $1000. Its a lot of money, but it is a marketing expense and necessary to draw customers in, so that makes it a bargain. No one said opening a business was cheap!
The building owner is checking things out that we notice and fixing them. We will have the electric and gas on early in the week. They can then check the heat and air and we should be able to start moving things in next week.
We are putting orders together now and can have them delivered starting next week. Just the incense order is over $500, but we are adding so many new scents that everyone should be able to find something they like. We are increasing so many items and will then increase our product lines. Finding new products is so exciting, but we always have to think in the back of our mind: How much can we charge and will customers buy it? It is so disappointing when I find something I just love and no one wants to buy it! We try to find good quality products at a good price so that we can be a great bargain for the customers.
But on to other challenges! Our car broke down yesterday. I was so hoping for no problems with the car, but it is the fuel pump and will cost about $500 to fix. That is that much less money to spend on the store! But we do need to get around. Everything can't be easy!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Crossing things off the list
Well, today I:
Called the sign people and took a copy of our business card. Now I'm waiting on a quote.
Called the landlord and left message about the water coming in the back door and putting caps on the water lines. Haven't got a call back yet. Forgot to ask why my key doesn't work in the back door now. I stopped by and they have painted the back room cream colored and put in new ceiling tiles. Toilet is still brown but may need water on for that.
Greg emailed Cox for a quote on moving the phone and internet. He also emailed Windstream, the other service in the area, for a quote on using them instead of Cox.
Greg got the new quote on Quickbooks POS System.
Still have to call the power people. I also have to make out orders for new product and try to find how I might want to pain or decorate the store. I think each day I cross something off the list I add two more things!
Called the sign people and took a copy of our business card. Now I'm waiting on a quote.
Called the landlord and left message about the water coming in the back door and putting caps on the water lines. Haven't got a call back yet. Forgot to ask why my key doesn't work in the back door now. I stopped by and they have painted the back room cream colored and put in new ceiling tiles. Toilet is still brown but may need water on for that.
Greg emailed Cox for a quote on moving the phone and internet. He also emailed Windstream, the other service in the area, for a quote on using them instead of Cox.
Greg got the new quote on Quickbooks POS System.
Still have to call the power people. I also have to make out orders for new product and try to find how I might want to pain or decorate the store. I think each day I cross something off the list I add two more things!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Steady as she goes
They have started painting in the store. Seems like there is still so much do before we can even get in! We are making lists of things to do and buy. Next week we should start ordering product for delivery. As soon as we can we will move all non-essential things over. I've been drawing up a floor plan on graph paper. I hope I don't use up the whole tablet of paper! lol! Some electrical will have to come down through the ceiling for power to tables set up away from the walls. We also have to get pegboard to set up a area for the swords and other wall items.
Yesterday we checked out a local display store. I didn't find much I could use. They had some corner shelves we could use, but they wanted $155 each on them. I have them in a catalog here for $89. Maybe I can even find something local for less. I also need a shelf at least 24 inches deep to display our chess sets. I'm thinking I can get something at Lowe's or Sam's for that.
Our weekend sales were ok. There were a lot of people here, but since the weather was nice the parking lot was full of outdoor vendors and left little room for parking. Also, people were mostly looking and not spending. We surely could use the sales now to cover our regular expenses and the moving expenses. Sales may be slow the first month at a new store. We will initially be spending a lot of money on product, moving, display, advertising, etc. If sales don't cover the expenses, it comes out of our pockets, which are very empty themselves! That's the scary part. The optimistic view is that we will be very busy and sell so much product that we can pay the bills, buy more product, and maybe get a little money for ourselves! And we hope to expand to more stores and start hiring people! Perhaps when we are like 80 we can sit back and let the kids run the stores and live off our owner salary! We can all dream, right?
Yesterday we checked out a local display store. I didn't find much I could use. They had some corner shelves we could use, but they wanted $155 each on them. I have them in a catalog here for $89. Maybe I can even find something local for less. I also need a shelf at least 24 inches deep to display our chess sets. I'm thinking I can get something at Lowe's or Sam's for that.
Our weekend sales were ok. There were a lot of people here, but since the weather was nice the parking lot was full of outdoor vendors and left little room for parking. Also, people were mostly looking and not spending. We surely could use the sales now to cover our regular expenses and the moving expenses. Sales may be slow the first month at a new store. We will initially be spending a lot of money on product, moving, display, advertising, etc. If sales don't cover the expenses, it comes out of our pockets, which are very empty themselves! That's the scary part. The optimistic view is that we will be very busy and sell so much product that we can pay the bills, buy more product, and maybe get a little money for ourselves! And we hope to expand to more stores and start hiring people! Perhaps when we are like 80 we can sit back and let the kids run the stores and live off our owner salary! We can all dream, right?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Well, we have done it. We signed a lease today. We now have 1600 square feet of retail store. No turning back now. The new address is 310 W Kenosha in Broken Arrow. It is between Elm (161st) and Main on the north side of Kenosha. It was not our first choice but I think its the right choice. I will post some pictures of the space tomorrow or the next day.
Now the fun begins. I need to set up security, get banners and signs, order products, set up move of phone and mail, and I know there are lots of things I am forgetting. Oh, I also have to think of decorations and how I want to set things up. I can tell I won't get much sleep tonight. Maybe not for several nights until I just get so exhausted!
Well, on to other things tonight, like seeing how much I can get done tonight. I'm so excited. Have a great night!
Now the fun begins. I need to set up security, get banners and signs, order products, set up move of phone and mail, and I know there are lots of things I am forgetting. Oh, I also have to think of decorations and how I want to set things up. I can tell I won't get much sleep tonight. Maybe not for several nights until I just get so exhausted!
Well, on to other things tonight, like seeing how much I can get done tonight. I'm so excited. Have a great night!
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