Several of you have mentioned that you would like to hear an update about how my booth at the local antique mall is going. Since this was a new adventure for me, I wanted to wait until I had several months under my belt so I could give you an accurate picture of how it’s doing. I’m approaching the end of my six-month lease and am still by no means an expert. But, maybe my experience will help those of you who are also considering starting your own space.

 

The beginning of the booth was definitely where most of the hard work came into play. Once I decided it was a go, I spent a good three months shopping, cleaning up items, tagging and storing them (in our garage). My main concern was not having enough items. I didn’t want my booth to look half-done so I bought and then bought some more. I also wanted to make sure I had plenty of inventory-in-waiting in case things sold quickly.

As it turned out, I had plenty of stuff and ended up even bringing some pieces back home with me after I moved it all in. My booth is 10×10’, which holds several large pieces but isn’t all that hard to fill up quickly. My lesson learned: I didn’t need nearly as many pieces as I thought to get started. In fact, I probably had enough just in my attic, but felt it was important that it look a certain way when it opened.

 

Again, I spent a lot of time up front getting things ready and prepped for my move-in. For the first month or so, I took care of it like a baby, stopping by several times a week to check on things. Now, I may only stop in every two to three weeks for a half hour or so, just to move things around and place new items.

I’ve heard that it’s important change up the look of your booth on a semi-regular basis so that it always looks fresh and new to regular customers. I don’t know that I’ve necessarily seen a huge difference in sales after I’ve changed things up, but I do go and move the larger pieces from wall to wall every month or so. So, I’d say that the overall time commitment for me is maybe one good “fluffing session” per month and just quick stops in and out a few other times during the month.

 

I wasn’t sure how much furniture I would really need in the space, but it seems that the smaller, accessory items go more quickly. Lamps, mirrors, artwork, milk glass, vintage books, and bowls all seem to do well. This means that I’m usually better off shopping for smaller items than painting furniture in my garage—which is okay with me! I think most people that come through the mall are usually there to browse instead of on a mission for a specific item. So, the smaller, more inexpensive items are easy to pick up.

 

And, the question you’re probably wanting to ask but won’t because you’re too polite. . . Am I making any money? The good news is that I’ve yet to have a month where I didn’t make a profit. I’ve had a couple of really good months and the rest have been good enough to cover a couple of trips to the grocery. For me, making any money is a good thing because I can still justify shopping for more pretty things to put in the booth. :) On the other hand, I won’t be making a Forbes list anytime soon—or ever.

 

I chose to open my booth in the place that I did mostly because it was convenient. It’s located right in the town where I live—about a 10-minute drive for me. Being right outside of Charlotte (as opposed to in the middle of it) does affect what sells and how I can/should price items. If I’m unsure, I usually look at what items are going for on Ebay and Etsy and then mark mine a little lower than that.

The antique mall where I’m located is a new business—less than a year old—and word of mouth is still growing. And, with such a wide variety of vendors, I’m never going to completely draw in my target market (those that love my style of decorating) like I would with a stand-alone retail space. While there are other booth rental spots around the Charlotte area where I think I might be more successful, the convenience for me wins out at this point.

 

When you have 10×10’ and a lot of stuff, the name of the game is maximizing your space. I’ve learned the trick of stacking—chairs on tables, tables on tables, trunks under tables, etc. Upward seems to be the direction to go so that everything looks “grand” when a customer first spots your booth. I chose a corner spot where I would have one actual wall to hang things on and then the adjacent brick wall (mainly because I liked the character it gave the space). I try to keep the chalkboard wall pretty filled with artwork and mirrors, but have used it a few times for writing messages. I’ve also added and taken away seasonal pieces (like the flag sign I painted, branches from our yard, etc.) just to freshen it up a little.

 

 

To be honest, I’m in decision-making mode right now as to where this is going—if anywhere. Things I know for sure: I don’t want my own retail shop anytime in the near future. And, the booth is a great hobby but I wouldn’t be nearly as happy about it if it were a full-time gig. I do believe that I could probably sell more items and find more people who would appreciate my finds if I would ever open an Etsy shop. I’m still debating if I have the time to put into it. I’ve even gone as far as to list several items, but haven’t officially opened shop yet. We’ll see. . .  I think it will probably be after the first of the year if it happens. For now, I’m going to keep my booth open and see how it goes. I’m interested to see what the winter months bring.

If you live around the Charlotte area, I’d love for you to visit my space. It’s located in the back room of the Catawba River Antique Mall (across from the cafe that just opened) in Belmont, exit 27 off of I-85.