My Antique Booth is on Autopilot now - 4 Tips for Part Time Business Owners

The Antique Booth that my fiancee and I run has been up and down all summer. June was a spectacular month for us and we had some very good revenue and sold a lot of items. July seemed to be great for everyone else in the shop but we missed the boat, not even making enough to cover rent. Now August is here and I’m learning a little more and we are starting to do better again.

Here’s my quick Tip list for anyone looking to start this kind of business:

• Find a store/mall/market with good marketing. You don’t want to have to give the antique mall a cut of everything you sell (usually 10-12%) and not have them add any value or get anyone in the door.
• If you really want to do well, add and remove a few items from your booth at least once a week. Every weekend I’ve re-arranged the booth, I’ve sold something. Weekends I haven’t are very hit or miss.
• Get to know the dealers that are there often as well as those working there. A little networking can go a gigantic way. I’ve had dealers and floor people direct people to my booth just because they know me. A few kind words does wonders.
• Pricing, Pricing, Pricing. Here’s where my downfall is. I am terrible about pricing things too low. Read that last sentence again. At antique-type stores, people assume that if something is a lower cost then it is too good to be true.
  • Example: I had a set of 4 leather backed antique dining chairs I was selling for $95 for the set. $25 a chair. They sat there for two months. I was in the other weekend and replacing price tags and I guess I didn’t make it clear that it was $95 for the set. Someone bought them the next week for $95 a chair.

Overall, a market stall part time business is a lot like any other business : The more time you give it, the more it will give you back.

/grump