I'm thinking about starting sneaker boutique, but am not sure what to do. I need some direction!?
91552
According to the Annual Retail Trade Survey conducted by the Bureau of Census, athletic shoes form the biggest share at 41.5% of the shoe retail market. There is definitely a huge market for selling sneakers and athletic shoes.\n\nCheck out the free article "Starting a Shoe Retail Store" at http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol136/shoe.htm - the article gives you information on level of competition, factors affecting demand for shoes, tips on writing the business plan, choosing the right location, business registration and licensing, start up expenses, potential gross profit margin, choosing the merchandise and success factors. The article also includes links to shoe retail associations as well as recommended books on starting a shoe retail store.\n\nYour next question will be: "How or Where will I get the merchandise I will sell?" The most effective way is to learn who the suppliers are, and how you can purchase from them. You can get this type of information by attending trade shows focusing on the shoe retail business. I have written in my blog the 10 most important trade shows every shoe retailer must attend http://www.powerhomebiz.com/blog/2005/11/starting-shoe-retail-store.html\n\nGood luck!\nIsabel Isidro\nhttp://www.powerhomebiz.com
1110523
The Jordan XXI is awsome I have a black pair but will burn a hole in most peoples wallets.  But I would suggest an outlet mall to shop at you can get name brands for loads cheaper, but I would stick with Nikes, Jordans, addidas, AND 1, or Reeboks.  I had a pair of dada's last season but they made a sound when ever they blew out the air to make the spinners spin.
935616
Most important thing is dont give up. More competition the better. What you must try to do is make some difference from what you were and what is available in the other shop.\nFirst go through your sales history and examine what is in demand mostly,  ex. 1. what type of items 2. the quality etc. \nMay be books or candles are more in demand. See whether you can sneak a peek into the other shop. I'm sure that other person started his business after giving a careful consideration to you who has been in business for 18 years. \nDepending on your finances see whether you can change the stuff you have been selling, 'cos your stuff might be a little outdated. We cannot say from here 'cos it depends on what you have been selling. You can even put a small sale and get rid of the old stuff for a cheap price. that could attract more customers , but not for long. \nTry to change the look too. As someone else has said you can put lanterna and candles to make the place attractive. Also go out of the town to a posh big gift shop and see what they have done. You dont have to copy or I'm not saying you should, but that will give you an idea as to what the trend is. You might not even be able to do everything they have done too. \nMy experiance with gift shops is that they must change with the seasons of the year as well as retaining some for someone who wants to buy something such as a b'day gift etc. Also if a person can get something inexpensive but looks good and of good quality the better. So dont give up. Do a bit of research as to the needs of your community. \nGood luck!
872096
Why don't you try some local stores that display their shoes out of the box, like Burlington coat factory or TJ Maxx?  They have to be doing something with the boxes, right?  You have intrigued me....I will do a little more research on this topic!  Good luck.
492764
The article "Starting a Shoe Retail Store" can give you some pointers on how to go about starting this business http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol136/shoe.htm . \n\nA shoe store business is not something you can start without capital and without access to credit. Loving shoes is one thing; but owning a shoe store is another. You need to have capital in order to provide for the following cost expenditures: leasing a store (the cost of which will depend on the size, design and location), displays and racks, backoffice furniture and shelving, inventory selection, business licenses and permits, insurance, marketing, and many more.\n\nTo get ideas of the latest footwear styles and to develop contacts and find suppliers in the shoe retail industry, it is important that you attend any or all of the important trade shows in this industry (participation of which also depends on the availability of resources for your travel, accomodation and trade show fees):\n\n- World Shoe Association http://www.wsashow.com/ the largest and most comprehensive footwear and related accessories event \n- Magic Marketplace http://www.magiconline.com - mainly apparel and accessories, though includes footwear as well\n- Fashion Footwear Association of New York http://www.ffany.org - largest shoe show in the East Coast\n- Shoe Market of the Americas http://www.smota.com - held 3 times a year in Miami\n- North American Shoe and Accessories Market http://www.northamericanshoe.com  - the 10th largest shoe show in the world\n- Los Angeles Shoe Show http://www.californiamarketcenter.com\n- Southwest Shoe Expo http://www.southwestshoeexpo.com - held 5 times a year at Dallas World Trade Center \n- Chicago Shoe Expo http://www.chicagoshoeexpo.com - a small regional trade show held 4 times a year in Chicago\n- Micam Shoevent http://www.micamonline - international trade show for medium to high end footwear held twice a year in Milan\n- GDS http://www.mdna.com - the premier shoe event held twice a year in Dusseldolf, Germany\n\nMy advice is to either save up for more capital first or find an investor willing to support your venture. A retail store, whether you like it or not, has LOTS of overhead -- from rent, electricity, salaries of employees, etc.\n\nGovernment grants are typically not available for for-profit ventures such as a shoe store (check http://www.cfda.gov and http://www.grants.gov to see if there is a single one that offers grants for your planned project - there's none). For SBA loans, you may want to check their low-cost loan products available http://www.sba.gov/financing \n\nWhile you are getting your plans together, you may also want to check out the following Trade Associations for more information on this business: \n\n- National Retail Federation http://www.nrf.com \n- America Apparel and Footwear Association http://www.americanapparel.org/... \n- Electronic Retailing Association http://www.retailing.org \n- National Shoe Retailers Association http://www.nsra.org/
284426
Like most other things in life, there is no best, there's only best for you\n\nDon't shop for a brand, shop for a fit.\n\nGo to a shoe store that specializes in running shoes and try on several brands. Don't buy something because you like the color. Tell the salesperson the activities you are going to be doing.  Walk around the store. If the store has a treadmill, try them on the treadmill. Find out if the person who is recommending the shoe is a runner. \n\nDon't forget to take a pair of your own socks, the style you always wear for workouts. Stores will have a supply of socks, but you can't count on them to have the style and thickness that you like.\n\nJust a note, most running shoes are not build to take lateral stress. If you are going to participate in activities that require hard side-to-side action, such at basketball or tennis, make sure that your shoe is built to take it.
1154215
I think one pair of really good shoes is worth the money!  You can try your local sporting goods store.
1101140
Where are you, what are you stuck on?\nHave you found a location, a space?\nHave you priced equipment, like the chairs people sit in to get their hair done and mirrors and shelves for the beauty store?\nI would start with finding a suitable space and renting or buying it. \nThen fill it up with the stuff you need (might have to remodel the space first) then hire the staff and open.
109831
I dont know about the shops location..it usual matters A LOT\nTaking into consideration the brands you named you already tried to extend business activities into disparate fields of brands...since that didnt work you might as well try and go for something new.\nIf you have young customers passing your shop I would suggest to at least start one display window with - you wont like it, I know - rappers outfit (street/sportswear). Wouldnt mean degrading your store, most of these clothings are quite expensive so it wouldnt be scaring away your present customers, would just help you to diversify.
192577
Sounds like you want a home business. I am involved in one that all you have to do is tell people about .WS(website)It is  a new domain that will be just as big as the .com boom. E-mail me at info@fashion4u.com for more info
297299
Try major shoes stores such as Finish Line, Champs, Kids' Foot Locker would be a good place to start!
824321
There are several things that you can do to check this out and verify what you think that you are learning:\n\n* First and easiest, are there any competitors near by?  If so, go to those stores and just ask some questions.  They may be curious about why you are asking such questions, so you can tell them that you are working on a class project or something.  You are NOT asking them to compete with them, but for information about the industry.\n\n* Check the Internet to see if there is a "Retailers Association" in your state (most states do have one or more).  Contact those groups and ask them.  They will have contact information that you can look into.\n\n* Go to the local library and find a set of books called the "Encyclopedia of Associations' - this is usually found in the reference section (the web version costs money).  Look up any name or contact information in the first book (i.e. clothing retail, small business, clothing store, etc.).  There will be some code numbers that you can then look up in the other two books.  This will give you contact information for many specialized groups around the country who will also have information that you are looking for.\n\n* Another things to do in starting to learn this field - as you go around to other stores in the area, write down what clothing lines they are carrying.  This will help you identify what is currently how and possible lead you to identify where things are coming from.  You should also search out who are the major (or even minor) clothing distribution centers.  They will also have some information for you and you might even find a new source of clothing for your targeted specialty store that you want to talk with.\n\n** Things to consider:\n - based on what other stores are carrying, you will get an idea of what is currently selling in your area\n - look for information on demographics in your area, this will give you information about income levels, education levels, possible religion preferences, etc which all go into the buying habits of individuals and groups of people\n - maybe take a psychology class from a local college, this will help understand why people buy what they buy\n - how large are the local high schools in the area, depending on the type of specialty shop you are looking at, who would be the type of people that would buy from this store.  The real question that you should ask yourself before you interview there would be ‘How can we position this store to attract even the people who do not typically purchase here?”  Example: if this specialty store is targeted to teens and early twenties – then what could you do to attract the parents of these potential buyers to come into the store and say buy gift cards for their kids?\n - Sit outside the store as much as you can (especially at different times of the day) and watch people as they pass the store to see who goes in.  This will give you a tremendous advantage even over the store manager as you can actually track the people who are going in versus the same type of person who may be passing by but not stopping.  If this is happening, then ask yourself why they are going by.  If this store is in a mall of some sort, you might even consider approaching the perceived target clients who pass by why they did not stop to look or what would it take to at least go into the store to look around.  This would be tremendous marketing analysis information for this specialty store.\n\n\nHopefully you are getting the idea.  There is any number of other things that you could do from reading books on marketing to actually talking with as many potential buyers as you can to see what people think.  If the store is not in a major mall in your area, you could even go to that mall and walk around asking people what they are looking for in what the specialty shop you are look at is offering.\n\nGood Luck.
830425
Borrow someone's shoes until you can get some new one.\nAsk someone like a family member or a close friend if you can use their sneakers and explain why.\nTHOSE SHOES WILL MESS YOU UP.\n\n\nI FEEL THIS IS THE BEST ANSWER
1002634
The best routes to take are to research the process of starting a business as well as the industry you're interested in.\n\nI recommend checking out the SBA, Entrepreneur, The Start Up Journal & Nolo. All 4 are great informational resources for the new/small business owner. I posted links for you in the source box.\n\nAssociations may be a good avenue to explore as well. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for general retail association links.\n\nResearch, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:\n\n* Start and Run a Profitable Retail Business by Jim Dion, Ted Topping\n* Retail Business Kit for Dummies by Rick Segel \n* Specialty Shop Retailing: How to Run Your Own Store Revised by Carol L. Schroeder\n* So You Want To Own The Store: Secrets to Running a Successful Retail Operation by Mort Brown\n\nThere are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.\n\nHope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!
8959
If you have some capital, spend time in the dollar stores.  I know some people that get socks for a buck and sell them for alot more on EBay.  Visit garage sales as well for higher-end goods.
201049
are you sure you want to? you do know that you can't make any money off of that and its a struggle to just break even, right? i guess you just wanna do it to support your local scene and that is a noble cause. first you need to find a location. then get the phone #'s of the distributors of the brands that you would like to carry. buy all that sh*t wholesale, set it up in your shop and sell it for profit. it's pretty much how any business is run accept its more part of a community that you don't wanna p#ss off (cause if you do, skaters will retaliate) and it helps your local scene immensely. it also means that as the owner of said shop, you will have acess to all product in your shop at all times but don't be surprised if you find yourself living the ramen life
758320
Get 'N Gear\n\nThis was my second choice when I started my own sportwear line.