Thread: Has anyone here opened their own store?

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Me and my fiance were throwing around the idea of opening a horror type store that would be open year round...heavy Halloween towards fall of course and items that would sell year round as well...has anyone ever done anything like this? Any tips? There is literally nothing like this ity in hours of my town...any ideas are greatly appreciated! Brandon

Sounds like a great Idea to me. I've often thought (just daydreaming) about a store with nice, higher end, better quality props and things that would last more than one Halloween. I look forward to Spirit Halloween and Halloween Express opening in my town every season. However I'm more and more disapointed in the quality and imagination that go into the mass marketed props.

Marc V.

It's something I'v always wanted. You guys should really check into it. I would love to work for you.

It really depends on what you're selling. I mainly do small to medium sized props and decor for my online shop at Etsy. There is a strong market there for darker merchandise year round. The site also goes crazy promoting all the major US holidays, including Halloween. They were telling people to start listing Halloween merchandise in July to compete with brick and mortar sellers.

I guess what I'm saying is you might want to try out selling online through a site like Etsy first. They charge 20 cents a listing (each listing lasts for 3 months) and take a small (I want to say 3%) commission on all sales. You actually get all the money (minus PayPal fees) for the sale and pay Etsy on a monthly basis from your PayPal account.

Originally Posted by trentsketch

It really depends on what you're selling. I mainly do small to medium sized props and decor for my online shop at Etsy. There is a strong market there for darker merchandise year round. The site also goes crazy promoting all the major US holidays, including Halloween. They were telling people to start listing Halloween merchandise in July to compete with brick and mortar sellers.

I guess what I'm saying is you might want to try out selling online through a site like Etsy first. They charge 20 cents a listing (each listing lasts for 3 months) and take a small (I want to say 3%) commission on all sales. You actually get all the money (minus PayPal fees) for the sale and pay Etsy on a monthly basis from your PayPal account.

I have dreamed of that exact thing for awhile or an online version. I looked into an online version using Etsy or Ebay or even creating my own site but once I started looking into it I realized all that goes into even an online business including state/city taxes etc. and got a little overwhelmed. Do you do that trentsketch or are you just under the radar? If you did - was there a good resource I should look into to help me?

I would second or third the suggestion of doing it online too, but mostly because I want to see and be able to buy more cool Halloween stuff!

"If you love what you do then you will never work a day in your life." Best of luck.

Witchful Thinking, I do. NJ is super easy with running a business online. You register with the state and if you're online with only one employee, you don't have to worry about the county. I report quarterly and collect sales tax (an Etsy feature within a state) for NJ sales. They get a check every quarter I sell anything. I also get to vend at conventions/craft shows and buy supplies at wholesale.

Sorry for the delay in posting, been pretty busy. First off, let me say I have owned my owen business for the past 19 years (martial arts), so I know a little about what I write of. Here are a "few" things I have learned:

Name: Just because you love it doesn't mean it works. Choose a name that when people see it they know right off the bat what your selling/offering. Too many times I seen people use names that have no connection to the average person.

Location: REALLY and I Mean REALLY important. BEFORE you open you need to know if the demographics in the chosen area would support your type of business. Is the traffic that passes by on commute? How many schools are in the area? As for the lease I could go on for a month about this. But here is what you MUST HAVE: at least 3 months of money to cover ALL EXPENSES in the bank. The internet is a whole different game. I just spent TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS ON A NEW WEBSITE ALONE!

Advertising: Be prepared to spend alot on this. Too many people think all you have to do is open and people will come, not true. You must advertise and do so on a regular basis. Also remember that there is more than just print and radio.

Hours: Be prepared to work more hours than you can imagine. The average small business owner works over 60 each week with 80 being closer to the norm! Can you handle this many hours?

Owning a small business is NOT EASY, it takes work. At the end of the day, it comes down to how much you work on it, not in it! Read that again: IT COMES DOWN TO HOW UCH YOU WORK ON IT, NOT IN IT. Don't fall in the trap of working 80 hours in your business and thinking that your working on it. They are two very different things. The more you work ON IT, the more it will grow.

Finally, owning your own business is the best of times (when things are going well) and the worst of times (when they are not). But in the end, the only person to blame if it fails is you. There are no scape goats. But the secret to success is in helping others. The more you help others (employees, customers, etc) the more succees you will enjoy.

Sorry for the length, but I have seen too many people open thier own business and fail, even with the best intentions.