Booth #14 at Years Left in 'Em

It has been over a year since I opened my booth at Years Left in Em, the mini antique mall in Innisfail, Alberta. I have enjoyed the experience of selling my collectibles in a retail space. And I have gained experience in collecting – learning the art of selecting product, display, researching information, pricing trends, etc. The owners have become more than friendly acquaintances, providing advice on what products seem to sell better in what seasons, etc.

Lately, however, I’ve been entertaining ambivalent feelings towards continuing with the rental of my booth space. As much as I’ve enjoyed the experience, rental costs for the year, plus the commission taken off the top, have far exceeded my sales. In only one month out of the last twelve have I made a profit over the booth costs, but even then, not enough to cover the item costs.

So how do you judge when is enough? Do I look at moving my collectibles to a new location in a larger city? With my busy schedule, it is hard enough to find time to select, inventory, price, deliver, display, clean, etc. product for the Innisfail booth, the most local antiques mall available to me. How will I find the time to do these same things at a location farther away?

Stock turn-over is key – and I have fallen a little short in that department. I have not been able to keep up with the ‘chores’ that go with managing my booth. I do very much enjoy buying, researching, selling antiques, vintage finds, collectibles. I do not take enough time to manage my space effectively. And I’m finding it has moved down on my list of ‘must do’ things each week. I have not yet carved a permanent time in my schedule for this. And I know that has affected my sales.

I’m learning a lot about what sells and what doesn’t. I’m learning about what items people are collecting. I’m learning about effective displays and how to pack the most items into the little space I have for display. So, is learning enough of a reason to keep on going? This learning experience is costing me a minimum of $1200.00/year.

Where is the balance between learning experience and cost analysis? It is a business after all – one that I am enjoying immensely, but that I’m also losing money on.

I’ve decided to reevaluate cost effectiveness in October 2011, at the 2^nd anniversary of my mini-business. Let’s see what comes of that…

Originally posted: December, 2010.