What do you want shops to sell more of?

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Allexiyah
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What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by Allexiyah » Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:26 am

Ok, if this gets deleted thats ok, im not certain im allowed to post things like this :lol:

Im setting up a stall/shop in Newport market, while its bigger than a 'stall' its not big enough to be classed as a 'shop' its 10ft x 10ft (maybe 12 x 12) and i have the 3 walls and floor spare to sell my stuff from.

so anyway, what do you want shops to sell more of? Or, what do you like to see when you go shopping, what makes you shop somewhere?

I would like to get 2 full sized mannequinns i can kit out and push them out near the walkway to show off my best stuff.

TwiggyD has already mentioned selling not your normal run of the mill 'goth' stuff, i am going to stock the usual tutus, tshirts, dresses but at the same time i'd love some of the more crazy stuff. Also socks, hair accessories, punk 69 corsets, tights, directions hair dye, dreads, falls and clip in extensions.

But i cant think exactly what. Everywhere sells stripey-over-the-knee socks, so ill get lolita/pirate etc ones.

I was going to go with stargazer, but tbh i dont like their stuff. So, i've gone to barrym instead.

Its just the clothing side im stuck on. Phaze sell some lovely burlesquey ruffle pants, bustles etc so they are a deffo.

Anyway, what do you think? :) x

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absolutebrutal
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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by absolutebrutal » Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:07 am

PLEASE avoid those bloody terrible repetitive patterned zip-up hoodies that all the scene kids are wearing. THEY'RE HOORRRIBLE! i actually avoid shops that sell 'em.

it's a tough one really. everything 'fashionable' seems very generic nowadays. even some of the obscure 'goth' stuff is easily found.

what draws me into a shop is... accessories! =D unusual ones. fancy gloves, hats, socks, tights, shoes, make up, hair products etc... but it sounds like you have most of the covered anyway!

also, fab prices are ftw!
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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by geneticphreak » Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:06 am

Handmade trinkets/clothing always gets my attention!!

Also, look around for lacy tights/more high street styles of leg wear, as they're transferable to any style really!

SHOES! Fetish/stripper shoes.. maybe some latex? Latex accessories first off and go from there?

Oooh.. also mooch around and ask some gothy brands for wholesale possibilities? I know collectif do them, but they are pretty much average run of the mill.. cyberdog too.. I think a good mixture of styles should bring in customers.. maybe some battery organic, just a general spread of the pin up/cyber/goth/vintage looks that are popular at the moment.

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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by iamtheparty » Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:21 am

I'm always drawn into places that sell loads of accessories. Maybe some of those awesome tophats you've made before? Scarves, hats, rings, bracelets, headbands, hairclips, necklaces. Stuff to rummage through. People LOVE a good rummage :D
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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by Dystopatica » Wed Sep 10, 2008 1:50 pm

Up until recently I would have been screaming for bigger sizes, it's very hard to find anything past a 16 these days that isn't either covered in a million METAL!!11one buckles or a velvet tent.

I don't seem to have that problem anymore now that immense stress has resulted in dramatic weight loss (I don't recommend this diet!) but I'm still gonna be putting the vote forward on behalf of the bigger girls.
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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by Neon Black » Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:05 pm

Ok, firstly, do you have a business plan? If not you need to have one before you start.
You need to figure out exactly how much money you need to be taking per week/month to cover your costs and make profit.

Are you being charged anything on top of rent? I first started out in an indoor market on a stall, and electricity was a separate bill. Then there is liability insurance, and what about insuring your stock? I presume you will be leaving it there over night. Is it covered by the market or do you need to purchase your own?

You need to do some market research in your area. It' s not much use asking people online what you should stock as they are not going to drive half way across the country to purchase from you! You need to find your target audience and find out what they want to see.

Who are you aiming to sell to? Kids and teenagers, or is there a decent goth scene? There is no point in stocking lots of obscure items if no one is there to buy them. Unless there is a large cyber scene, there's no point in stocking lots of expensive cyber outfits, same with latex etc.
As much as you might not want to, you might have to stock the generic goth items, same with the more emo stuff. If it's in trend, people will want to buy it, which means you will sell it, and that's what it's about.

I stocked quite a lot of handmade and different items or clothing in my shop, and they just didn't sell. There wasn't enough market for it in my area. Especially when people can get that kind of thing online, and usually do rather than go to a local shop for it.

Try finding out who your market will be, and where they hang out. Go to clubs and gigs and find out what people are wearing and what they want to see more of. Find websites and local forums and ask people to fill in a questionnaire for you.

Have you been and checked out the place your getting your stall? Do you know what kind of traffic it pulls in? The market I was in was mostly old grannies getting their veg, and lots of tourists. Which meant we had to do a hell of a lot of advertising to get people down there. Flyers in the street and at clubs etc. In the end it still wasn't enough as there was no passing traffic like a high street store.

What is your competition like? Have you been and checked out their stock? It’s probably best to avoid stocking the same items, and a lot of wholesalers won’t sell to people located to close together anyway. But, it can give you a good idea of what type of things people want to buy.

I found what sold well was lots of accessories, kids and teenagers just getting into the alternative stuff with not much money, want to go into town on a Saturday with £5-£10 and get something new. So lots of spiky collars and wristbands, stripy tights, little things like cute badges etc.

Have a really good think about what the people around you will buy, not just what you want to stock. After all, you don’t want a shop full of items that won’t sell, even if they are pretty ;)

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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by Futzzz » Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:31 pm

neon black really said it all..

another important factor is to think about what the budget of your target audience is?
expensive handmade stuff or latex outfits /corsets wont sell if your customers are teenagers with not much money and only 'superficially' into the scene, eg the newest trend.

punk69 corstes arent that expensive though so you coud maybe cater to a different kind of consumer and still make money than regular corset sellers do.

the best way, as neon black also suggested, is to look at what the people at the market are already wearing / buying, their gender and age and then figure out what you think they would like/can afford.. maybe make some questionaires to find out what people in the area / customers at the market are interested in, but also why they chose to come to the market - were they looking for/expecting to see what you would be selling or would you have to market your stall elsewhere to attract customers?

good luck with it:)

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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by kezerb » Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:35 pm

absolutebrutal wrote:PLEASE avoid those bloody terrible repetitive patterned zip-up hoodies that all the scene kids are wearing. THEY'RE HOORRRIBLE! i actually avoid shops that sell 'em.
lol I love those tops >.<

Anyway one shop I have seen and am rather in love with is rush in Newtown.
I think I love it because it's a fancy dress shop but includes a lot of stuff like said tutus and furries and fake hair too! It also supplies body jewellery and just randome fuddy duddy stuff but thats more edging onto the scene kid area...
The make up is they do is stargazers and rubbish :(

Anywho the things I look for in shops are bright, fun things...

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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by Rhaeniel » Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:15 am

absolutebrutal wrote:PLEASE avoid those bloody terrible repetitive patterned zip-up hoodies that all the scene kids are wearing. THEY'RE HOORRRIBLE! i actually avoid shops that sell 'em.
Grr.. I have a tokidoki one (well, it's a fake) and it's not scene, damnit! >.< my sister even called it emo! :O as far as I can tell around here, it's more of a townie thing - but if I pair it with huge boots and huger hair, it's suddenly not any more...

I second the vote for larger sizes - I HATE going in somewhere and finding all the 16s have gone ¬_¬ if you sell so many of them that quickly then GET MORE IN!! then they tell you "well, we just don't sell as many in that size" and you think.. maybe if you got more in, you might be able to SELL more! If you never have anything in that size, people who need that size just won't bother looking in your shop.. duh! Highstreet shops make me angry...
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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by Allexiyah » Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:31 am

I have a business plan, projected forcast and a 36 page plan for the bank who i am seeing next Tuesday. I know my rent, which booth is mine, leccy, and my public liability has all been sorted. I qualify for a rent grant from the council so i get 50% off my rent for 10 months. I also had to fill out another mini plan for the council :lol:

In newport we have the uni, colleges and local schools so they are my market. The competition i have is blue banana, and one alt store in town as well. So ill stock the blue banana-ish things with a small amount of 'other' more alt. stuff to see how it does, but its mainly gunna be stripy ts, hoodies, skirts, baggies, jewellery, tights, accessories, some clip in streaks etc

:D

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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by NaturalistDesigns » Thu Sep 11, 2008 9:26 am

Anything tye dye always catches my eye; there's a place in Earls Barton [on the route I have to take on the bus to Northampton] called Namaste House. I'm desperate to go in there as they have alot of boho, hippy, tie dye bags and clothing :D

Vintage trinkets are always a good one. Fans, fetish wear - e.g. corsets, basques, fishnet body stockings :P

Good luck Ally. I'll try and come Newport next year when I visit my Nan in Chepstow ^_^

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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by iamtheparty » Thu Sep 11, 2008 9:33 am

Oooooh, totally stock Directions!
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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by Rhaeniel » Thu Sep 11, 2008 4:02 pm

TenderTendrils wrote:I have a business plan, projected forcast and a 36 page plan for the bank who i am seeing next Tuesday. I know my rent, which booth is mine, leccy, and my public liability has all been sorted. I qualify for a rent grant from the council so i get 50% off my rent for 10 months. I also had to fill out another mini plan for the council :lol:

In newport we have the uni, colleges and local schools so they are my market. The competition i have is blue banana, and one alt store in town as well. So ill stock the blue banana-ish things with a small amount of 'other' more alt. stuff to see how it does, but its mainly gunna be stripy ts, hoodies, skirts, baggies, jewellery, tights, accessories, some clip in streaks etc

:D


Oh, I would advise you try to find stuff that, whilst similar to those other shops' stock, is also not exactly the same... I mean, it may sound like simple common sense, but I get so frustrated at times with a couple of the alt shops round here, cos they have all the same brands! Why have two shops with the same stuff in?? And at pretty much the same prices, too. It's gotta be fresh and new - I was so excited when the new place opened up the other year, but when I saw they had almost all the same stuff, I was really peeved.
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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by kezerb » Thu Sep 11, 2008 4:28 pm

If your there when I go to uni (4-5 years hopefully) I'll deffo come shop there

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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by MissChelsea » Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:49 pm

Ally, if you stock BarryM I may have to come and visit you every lunch time! :roll: You'll be sick of the site of me lol I think accessories, like everyone else said, would be good. like... awesome unusual sunglasses and earmuffs (both of which I'm having trouble finding!) bags... stuff like that. I do love accessories <3

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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by cybernetikdreams » Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:00 pm

While I am not located in the UK I would love it if there were more shops with a decent pretty full figured "alternative" clothes. I find that when I go shopping that these lovely stores everything is way to small for me and everything my size is absolutely hideous. :o So whatever clothing you decide pick a few lovelies out for us plus sized girls. ;)
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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by candycovered » Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:43 pm

BIGGER SIZED :
-clothing over the size of 14. I have a beautiful friend who is about an 18-20 & she has massive issues about her weight. it makes it so much worse for her when she can't find anything to wear. she's not even that big a girl !!
-tunnels & plugs. it's impossible to find anything exciting in sizes over 30mm. what about us people with 50mm & up ! grrrs !
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Re: What do you want shops to sell more of?

Post by IKickShins » Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:47 pm

TenderTendrils wrote:I would like to get 2 full sized mannequinns i can kit out and push them out near the walkway to show off my best stuff.
Everyone else has covered most of the things that I'd say, but one thing I want to add is this:
Use at least one of your mannequins to display really generic stuff that a normal uni girl might wear to a party when she's trying to look "alternative," like a plaid skirts, bustiers, etc.

At one of the fetish balls I vended at, I had to set up around noon and the room I was in was also open during the day as a sports bar. I sold several things while I was putting together my booth because girls kept eyeing a schoolgirl outfit that I had on display:
http://ikickshins.net/images/events/ev19.jpg (top left side)

These were the same types people that would normally walk right past my booth or comment on how weird fake hair is.. and their impulse buys are rather lucrative ;)
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