It is Friday once again, and the weather here in the Memphis area is crazy right now. Rain, sunshine, cold (even snow in some areas in TN) and the leaves are falling like crazy! Fall has been a little wishy washy these days and I would love to have a couple of weeks of 60s/40s to feel like we actually had a fall season.
One of the questions I get a lot is- should I start my own booth business? Many people have a good eye for design and they love shopping and putting things together to look pretty, and maybe they have come across alot of "stuff", either from relatives or just from their own collection. It could be that they have more time now that the kids are grown, or they want a side gig or hobby, or they could just want to get rid of the "stuff". Some people even want to have booths as a full time job, which is possible but very difficult. Either way, people want to know the pros and cons of having a booth.
As a booth owner going on just 5 years, I feel a little qualified to give my advice. Here are some pros of running a vintage or antique booth:
- You get to be your own boss. Are you self-motivated and pretty good with organization?
- You are able to be creative and use /develop your talents in creating put-together spaces. This is something you get better at over time.
- You have the ability to have another job, or travel, or care for kids/parents and still have time to run a booth.
- It can be a profitable side job - you have to be disciplined enough to buy low. You make your money when you purchase things. Free things are even better!
- If you like to constantly move things around and redecorate- this is the job for you!
There are also some cons about running a booth:
- Rent and fees. Make sure that you are allowing enough room in your pricing to account for these! And TAXES!!
- Slow months happen. Be prepared for some slow times and some busy times. Making a sale is a mental rush but not selling anything for a week is a downer. Make sure you can mentally and financially handle these times. Many people claim the "J" months are the slowest- Jan, June, July, but I have not always thought so.
- You have to go at least once a week and "fluff" your booth. There is proof out there that moving things around, cleaning up, reorganizing makes sales go up. If you don't have once a week for an hour or two, you may not do as well as someone who does take that time and put in the work.
- Things get broken. Things get stolen. Things get lost.
I'm sure there are plenty of pros and cons that I have missed, and I would love to hear what you think about my list. What would you add or subtract?
If running a booth still sounds like something you want to do, make sure to find a good mall to join. Try a small space to start with and let them know you'd like to move to a larger one at some point (if that's your goal).
Having 3 booths, I spend a lot of time learning and growing and researching, moving things, cleaning things, pricing things. I love having booths and being able to stay busy while creating spaces that I like looking at. If you have any questions, please reach out and I will help if I can!
Have a great weekend!
Amy