What could be better than a hobby that has become work? Recently, there are more and more online stores offering handmade products, but in the offline business this market niche is still quite promising. Selling original souvenirs and unique interior items can bring a good profit and does not require large investments at the initial stage.
You can rent a separate room for the store (the most expensive and not always the best option), as well as a small area in the shopping center. Rent 1 sq. M. m. will cost from 2-3 tons / month. (depending on the city, the cross of the shopping center and its remoteness from the center, this figure may vary).
In addition, you can negotiate with the owners of flower and gift shops and, for a small fee (from 500 rubles / month), install small racks and stands with souvenirs (postcards, trinkets, textile toys, etc.).
In addition to registering an individual entrepreneur and buying a cash register (up to 20 tr.), Also lay in the budget for the first month the salary of the seller (from 10 tr.). The logo can be developed independently or consult a specialist (about 1000 p.).
The most difficult and important thing is to find and choose a product for the store. Here, regional Internet communities (forums, groups on social networks, blogs) will come to the rescue. Many of their participants will gladly provide their crafts for sale in your store. If the item is not purchased within the time specified in the contract, the store returns it to the author.
Manual labor is much more expensive than factory production. And it is often valued not so highly. Therefore, when choosing goods for sale, give preference to less costly and time-consuming things.
For example, it takes about 3-4 weeks to make medium-sized handmade embroidery, and its final price, taking into account the cost of materials and design, will be several times higher than the cost of machine embroidery. Although in the opinion of a layman there will not be much difference between them.
The main criterion for choosing handmade goods is, of course, professionalism of performance and artistic value of the product.
The most popular cards are scrapbooking cards, primitive textile toys, designer dolls, jewelry, accessories and small felt toys, wooden items using the decoupage technique, gift soap, etc.
In addition, it is possible to produce home furnishings to order. In this case, the wizards work piecework, so no additional costs are required in this case.
In this business, it is especially important to create an appropriate atmosphere of romance and celebration. And this atmosphere, in turn, is created by the smallest details. Ignore them is not worth it. Nothing will scare the buyer more than boring shelves for goods or hand-written price tags.
But the beautiful and original design of the store does not at all imply a large cost. It can cost you almost nothing if manual work is not just a business for you, but a hobby. Inexpensive wooden shelves can be easily repainted and decorated in the same style. Think over all the little things, including price tags, labels, certificates (where the description of the product, the "legend" about it and the materials used are given) and packaging.
It is unprofitable to make gift bags manually - they will have to be ordered in a small-print shop, but you can cut and collect them yourself. In this case, even with a small circulation, one package will cost you 10-20 p.
Take care of promotional business cards with data about your store. Business cards on thick cardboard with an original design, which can be handed out both to store visitors and on the territory of the shopping center itself, can become an effective and relatively inexpensive (from 3 rubles / pc.) Advertising tool.
Do not forget about online advertising. If possible, be sure to make a store website with product examples and all contacts. Creating and maintaining a site with minimal knowledge will cost 1000-1500 p.: 500 p. - domain registration, 300 rubles / month. - hosting, a free engine, a slightly redone template and the help of an installation specialist if you cannot do it yourself.
What you definitely shouldn’t save on is the photographs. Even the most beautiful and unique thing does not look very attractive without proper lighting and against the background of the sheet. In the future, 2-3 months after the opening, you can do advertising in social networks, at regional forums, in blogs. This may not bring you many customers at once, but it will increase the recognition of your store.
Thus, to open a small souvenir shop you will need from 70 tons. The store margin is from 100% and above. If the area you rent allows you to, you can hold paid workshops (an average of 300-500 rubles per person) for lovers of needlework. This will not only be an additional source of income, but also help to find "suppliers" for your store.
The payback period of a store with handmade goods is on average about 3-6 months. In the "hot" seasons - during the holidays - this period can be reduced to 1-2 months.
Sysoeva Lilia