It has been 3 whole months since I opened my antique booth at Main St. Antiques in Mooresville, NC. And I have learned a few things and am still continuing to learn. The good news is that it is still fun and 2 out of the 3 months I have made a profit! Yippee!
So here is what I’ve learned:
- Focus on inventory and not on upfitting your booth. Here’s what I mean. Staging your booth is important, but if you have good inventory you will be able to stage it very well. That is without spending money (lots of $$) building walls and partitions and signage. You can make the booth look fantastic without doing all that. Now, once I feel that my profits allow for me to do all that, I will. But for now, I allow for my pieces to set the stage.
- Don’t hover. The one month that I was there the most was my least profitable month. I think people were afraid to come into my booth while I was there arranging and rearranging. People want to look and buy, not be sold.
That being said….
- Schedule visits so you don’t stay away for too long. If your booth is empty, what are folks going to buy? I go about once a week for 30 minutes or so to check inventory and spruce things up a bit. I bring smaller pieces to fill in blank spaces and if any of my larger items have sold I can decide what I want to bring from my “stash”.
- Don’t go shopping! The other dealers are just like you, they are out to make a profit. Be very careful not to shop or else you could end up spending all your profits. And it is very tempting! I love antiques and quirky items. Things with an old patina and a story.
- Do check your pricing. It is a good idea to price compare. See what other dealers are charging for similar items and adjust accordingly. Ask the manager what items they see most at the checkout counter. Are you selling those items? Are you too high or too low in price? You can change tags on your items if you need to!
2 of my favorite pieces are still in one of my booths. I have decided to give it through the end of May. If they don’t sell they are coming home with me and I’ll replace them with something less expensive in the booth. I have also decided to take home that white dresser. White has not been a good idea. People have left their trash on it or dragged things on it and it is now stained and scratched. I’ll fix it up and it will go in my daughter’s room and her dresser will get a makeover and be sold.
