4 ms·

Are the clothes new or 2nd hand/vintage? If new how does she survive against chains and internet retailers?

• rossdavidh 3y ago
  Both. The key insight is that the store, is a place that people want to go. Buying something, is an excuse to go there. She likes to have good stuff, quality at a good price, but people don't think "hey I need a t-shirt", and then go there to get one. They think, "hey I want to go to that cool store that has a vibe I like", and once there, they see a t-shirt (or whatever) that they like, and they buy it to support the store, because they want it to be there in the future. The same thing applies, btw, to independent coffeeshops, bookstores, game stores, etc. The store, the location to go to, is what people want most. Buying stuff there is a way to support it, and you get something for that money as a bonus. You don't donate to the local public radio station in order to get the t-shirt or sticker or CD or whatever they're giving as a bonus; you donate in order to keep the radio station around, and then as a bonus you get a thing. Local independent stores are kind of like that. Which means, that they need to have a welcoming vibe that you enjoy, just being there.
  • asim 3y ago
    Can I ask about the actual viability and profit margins on something like this? It feels like physical retail is a hard business. My father owned a cornershop selling papers, magazines, sweets, etc. It was tough.
    • rossdavidh 3y ago
      Sorry for the slow reply. Physical retail is definitely a hard business, albeit one less prone to winner-take-all than online retail.