open my own shop

so, my friend who designs baby clothes and makes baby clothes is fed up w/her business not moving anywhere. she recently got a rep, but the rep isn’t repping!

this week, we were having lunch and sort of discussed putting our ideas together-a used baby clothing/accessory store with her new stuff. it would cross market well and for those who don’t want used clothes or are looking for gifts, her line is perfect. for parents w/kids who are on a budget-and/or don’t want to spend tons on stuff the kids will grow out of in a couple of months, the used line would be perfect.

we are going to look into a store front. we need to do some market research first and do a business plan. one of her friends owns a baby gym, so i’m thinking of asking a random sample of parents who go there to answer a short survey to see if a store like this would interest them. i got advice to go to pediatricians’ offices and ask parents there, but i don’t know if that will be cool w/the doctors. anyway, it’s a start in the right direction!

this is slow going, i need to call a friend of mine and talk to him about start ups. i’m finding there is a lot to this beyond finding a place to rent/lease!! another friend suggested applying for an sba, so i think i should do that. i need a better plan—business, marketing, etc. i know there’s a place for this store, and i want to get on it before another one opens up!

been keeping my eyes open for places for lease, but nothing in the area that looks good and affordable. but, i’ve been talking to people and brainstorming on the idea of the second hand baby/toddler store. i feel like i need to get moving on it before someone else opens a business like this one….it feels like it would be successful! i need to talk to someone who knows how to start start-ups!

i know this has already been done, but i haven’t seen it in the los feliz-silverlake-echo park corridor of LA: a secondhand store for infant and baby clothes and stuff. they go thru their things so quickly and i know there are people on a budget like me who would love clean secondhand baby clothes. my thought is that people could out and out sell me the clothes or put it in the store on consignment—or just donate it (what a thought)!

i am still looking out for a small store front, but in lieu of that, it might be nice to do a co-op kind of thing with neighborhood moms. we could meet somewhere with things the babies don’t fit in and trade with each other. we can have snacks and stuff like that…

still trying to find the right spot, but i have a vision! i am excited about this and if it never happens, thinking about it still makes me happy! i want to open a yarn and bead shop in echo park/silverlake/los feliz—smallish, but big enough to host classes and sell works of art that people create. who knows where i’ll find the money to do this, but it’ll come when the time is right!