If you have explored all vintage stores in your area in an attempt to expand your ever-growing collection of vintage clothing and home decor, it’s time to ask yourself a question. Is opening your own vintage store an option?
Here are the main steps to take to open your own vintage store.
- Fall in love with vintage
Every single vintage store owner appreciates and loves vintage. There are no exceptions. If you feel that at seeing vintage items your heart begins to beat at a fast pace, then continue reading.
There are many reasons why vintage is cool. It’s trendy. It’s high-quality compared to cheap clothing from the malls. And it’s unique. Having found a 90s vintage jacket on the market, you’ll highly likely be the only one in your city who has it.
- Find your niche
Vintage is truly diverse. You choose to open a thrift store with 5000 square feet of $5 t-shirts or opt for 500 square feet of vintage Louis Vuitton purses. Make sure you’re aware of all the options you have.
Here are the main opportunities:
- Thrift stores offer low-priced clothing-generally, from $1 to $40-with lower quality standards compared to other shops
- Vintage stores offer virtually anything at prices from $50 to anything, but mostly it should be clothes that are at least 20 years old.
- Retro stores concentrate on vintage clothing, as well as clothing that is not that old yet. This term also refers to vintage-inspired clothing.
- Consignment stores mostly focus on high-end designer clothing or accessories.
By organizing a vintage store, you are selling your taste. Chances are that your future customers have an inclination towards the same style and will become your regulars. Thus, be yourself and sell what you like.
- Find experts in the field
If you’ve chosen to be on the high-end, be aware of the main problem in this niche: counterfeiting.
For instance, dealing with designer items, such as Chanel luxury handbags or watches, requires expertise and precision as the market is flooded with replicas. As an item’s price tag is high, one mistake can cost you months or even years of work. That’s why it’s important to have a reliable partner that offers Chanel authentication, along with verification of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, YSL, and Hermes items. For a small fee, you’ll know for sure if the designer item if real or fake.
- Get the word out
You don’t need a huge investment to open a vintage store. In fact, you can start at home. Create an Instagram account, find some clothes you want to sell, take pictures and see if that’s something you would like to endure for years.
Once you have put up an IG page or a website, you need to let the world know you’re in business. It’s easy to do that via registering your website on trusted directories.
Submit it to Vintagestic’s database of vintage stores. Vintagestic is the most updated database of all the ‘vintage stores near me’ and it’s expanding all the time.
- Make your first sale
You might want to check out other large platforms at first to have access to a larger clientele database. Try eBay or your local marketplaces of used goods at first. See what sells and what doesn’t. Don’t get frustrated if your items don’t sell, you’re just testing the waters.
Summary
Opening a vintage store requires a lot of effort. Luckily, if you’re truly in love with vintage, that might be one of the greatest journeys in your life. Don’t be afraid to start and your efforts will pay off.