For those of you who read How To Start a Business - 101, this will be the "rest of the story". Having established Twelve Baskets Cooperative Ministry and also having a number of years of experience under our belts, we began considering the "other" aspect of our dream. We "Three Crazy Ladies" also desired to have a consignment boutique in which we could sell the arts and crafts of our local artists. For a small spot in the road, Glenns Ferry seems to have an incredible number of talented people, many of which have kept their abilities hidden. And thus began the dream.
Once again, we were back at square one. No money, no building, no inventory. But we had experience . . .for all the good it was doing us. Believe me, we prayed diligently. We looked at buildings that were for sale, fully knowing that there was no way we could buy them . . . but the dream would not die. Then one day a benefactor "caught'" our dream and gifted us enough money to purchase a building! Not any building, but one on the main street! A perfect location for the business we had in mind.
So we had a building. And three weeks in which to get it ready to open. We raided our husband's tool chests and armed with hammers, saws and power tools, we charged right into carpentry, plastering, painting, and fixing. The days were 15-18 hours long, the temperatures over 100 degrees (it was August), so when I say we put blood, sweat and tears into our project, it was literally true. Often we crawled home at the end of the day. But we were not alone. What we could not handle, our family and community turned up to help us accomplish. They moved heavy counters, installed shelving, fixed air conditioners, repaired walls and carpet, and so much more.
And while we were still hard at work renovating, the consignments began to roll in. People who did woodworking, needlecraft, jewelry, or had antiques and collectables all walked in the door before we were officially a business. By the time the store was ready to open, we had products to sell! The Calico Cupboard still gets new consignees with unique items to sell on a regular basis. Everything from oil paintings, to antler art, to jewelry, doll clothes, baby blankets, rugs, repurposed furniture, soaps and jellies, to name just a few things, grace the store. Each and every one are unique, "one of a kind" items.
Believe me when I tell you, that "empty feeling" in the store only lasted about ten minutes . . . within weeks we were over flowing with goods.
Along with our experience in retail selling, we now became intimately familiar with property taxes, insurance, and other things that take a chunk out of your "income". The first winter we discovered drainage problems and ended up with a flooded basement. Maintenance. Frozen water pipes. We learned a lot about that. And just before we opened, someone hurled a rock through our plate glass window. Fortunately our newly purchased insurance bought us a new window.
And while we had given the inside of the building an upgrade, the outside left something to be desired. It was a bland gray with absolutely no "punch" that would invite people in. Thinking that we could live with it until we could afford to fix it, we felt so blessed when Operation Face Lift nominated us for a make over. They provided the paint, we provided the labor for a whole new look.
Again it was hard physical labor in 100 degree heat scaping, painting, climbing ladders, balancing on scaffolding, all accomplished by the "Three Crazy Ladies". With the new paint and the new signs, we now have an outside that matches our inside!
But as with all things we had ever done, we needed to evolve to make it work for us. We started with a small tea room, craft weekends, created an internet web site for on line shoppers, then we moved on to a year around Christmas shop, and in the process of consigning, we learned a ton about all sorts of "things" that people brought in to sell. Some of it worked, some of it didn't. If it worked, we expanded on it, if it didn't, it fell by the wayside. I suspect we will continue to evolve as the years go by. Everything in life is a lesson in something.
One thing we had to balance was time management. We now had two businesses to juggle between the three of us. And while that doesn't sound too hard, add in our personal struggles and family lives and it can make life quite interesting. But we managed to keep the doors open five days a week with the help of Heidi's daughter and granddaughter. Little Adeline came to work when she was less than a week old and has been a customer draw ever since!
And again, I would not necessarily recommend to anyone that you begin a business the way we did. Although, prayer should certainly be a major part of your planning. It might be a good idea to develop a business plan and talk to people who could offer you some financial guidance. That way you don't have to learn so many things the hard way! But sometimes experience is the best teacher.
My advice? Believe in yourself, don't give up your dreams, and never shirk hard work!
Just writin' on the River Road
Once again, we were back at square one. No money, no building, no inventory. But we had experience . . .for all the good it was doing us. Believe me, we prayed diligently. We looked at buildings that were for sale, fully knowing that there was no way we could buy them . . . but the dream would not die. Then one day a benefactor "caught'" our dream and gifted us enough money to purchase a building! Not any building, but one on the main street! A perfect location for the business we had in mind.
So we had a building. And three weeks in which to get it ready to open. We raided our husband's tool chests and armed with hammers, saws and power tools, we charged right into carpentry, plastering, painting, and fixing. The days were 15-18 hours long, the temperatures over 100 degrees (it was August), so when I say we put blood, sweat and tears into our project, it was literally true. Often we crawled home at the end of the day. But we were not alone. What we could not handle, our family and community turned up to help us accomplish. They moved heavy counters, installed shelving, fixed air conditioners, repaired walls and carpet, and so much more.
And while we were still hard at work renovating, the consignments began to roll in. People who did woodworking, needlecraft, jewelry, or had antiques and collectables all walked in the door before we were officially a business. By the time the store was ready to open, we had products to sell! The Calico Cupboard still gets new consignees with unique items to sell on a regular basis. Everything from oil paintings, to antler art, to jewelry, doll clothes, baby blankets, rugs, repurposed furniture, soaps and jellies, to name just a few things, grace the store. Each and every one are unique, "one of a kind" items.
Along with our experience in retail selling, we now became intimately familiar with property taxes, insurance, and other things that take a chunk out of your "income". The first winter we discovered drainage problems and ended up with a flooded basement. Maintenance. Frozen water pipes. We learned a lot about that. And just before we opened, someone hurled a rock through our plate glass window. Fortunately our newly purchased insurance bought us a new window.
And while we had given the inside of the building an upgrade, the outside left something to be desired. It was a bland gray with absolutely no "punch" that would invite people in. Thinking that we could live with it until we could afford to fix it, we felt so blessed when Operation Face Lift nominated us for a make over. They provided the paint, we provided the labor for a whole new look.
But as with all things we had ever done, we needed to evolve to make it work for us. We started with a small tea room, craft weekends, created an internet web site for on line shoppers, then we moved on to a year around Christmas shop, and in the process of consigning, we learned a ton about all sorts of "things" that people brought in to sell. Some of it worked, some of it didn't. If it worked, we expanded on it, if it didn't, it fell by the wayside. I suspect we will continue to evolve as the years go by. Everything in life is a lesson in something.
And again, I would not necessarily recommend to anyone that you begin a business the way we did. Although, prayer should certainly be a major part of your planning. It might be a good idea to develop a business plan and talk to people who could offer you some financial guidance. That way you don't have to learn so many things the hard way! But sometimes experience is the best teacher.
My advice? Believe in yourself, don't give up your dreams, and never shirk hard work!
Just writin' on the River Road
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