What do you sell in your shop

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Dermot

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Hi everyone

Can I ask for some guidance and help.
After a few attempts at going High Street and failing an opportunity has surfaced that would allow myself and a partner buy a premises in a fast growing town current population about 15,000 to grow to 25,000+ over the next 4 to 5 years unemployment in this town is 4 as of yesterday and there is no other custom framer there on the High Street and only one homebased framer who is close to retiring it is a super opportunity in Ireland.
We will have approx 1000+ sq.ft. of retail space for framing this will be big by Irish standards) in a very prominent position very close to the 3 supermarkets in the town.
The framing workshop can be at my framing studio at home or in the shop.
This is a bit of a long shot at present but we are going to try and go for it.
What I would love to know is asides from Framing and Framed Art what other ranges do you sell from your shop.

Thanks

Dermot
 
What I would love to know is asides from Framing and Framed Art what other ranges do you sell from your shop.

GE and Hotpoint
biggrin.gif


kidding aside,
We sell Cards (Leaning Tree)
Marble Nick Knacks Small gifty thingys
Premade Frames and Framing supplies



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Jerry Vandergriff, CPF cm
McCue and Blanford Frame Shop Supply
Crestwood, KY
 
We sell gift items, craft items, framed mirrors and a huge selection of easle back photo frames, photo albums & scrapbooks.
Also the regular original art & framed prints, unframed prints & posters.

John
 
We sell photo frames, hand made photo albums, posters, and framed art. I tried doing the gift thing. Wasn't worth the effort it took.
 
I too sell gift items but really they are for decorating since I sell very few items. In eight Years I have tried many things to pick up the slack durning slow times and to this point I have not found the THING. I am looking into the Scraping Book materials. This is very poplar at theis time and may run out. But I will be offering classes {FREE] and this is the seller. One of my daughters will be doing this end of the business.

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Gail Bridges
Kimacy Frame Shop
Tallapoosa, Georgia
kimacyfr@bellsouth.net
 
Dermont,
You can always try some hand-made soaps and candles. At least they smell good.
As long as it doesn't take up half you gallery, selling things on the side can't hurt. A small display can add dynamics to an unused area.

If you find someone who makes scented candles and soaps locally, it might help drive some customers your way by word of mouth advertisement.
And again, they smell real nice.
Good luck in your new venture and don't give up. Creation is built on sheer will.
 
This is super guys most things I can do well from suppliers in Ireland, though I had not thought of Soap, and I'm not sure if the Scrap Book idea would work over on this side of the pond but it is worth considering.
Hopefully if all goes well my business partner (Rosleen) will be the front face of the business and I will be the back room boy which I think will work very well.
Rosleen has already helped her brother get his open farm up and running and had returned from the US about 7 years ago with the intention of setting up an Art/Gift shop her plans did not work out due to a family illness, I thing her and I will make a great mix she is a great manager where my strengths are "lets get it done and finding the best way of doing it".
Please keep the information and suggestions coming no matter what they are The Grumble is about the only place I will get information on what will be the best product mix, what we are planing will be quite unique in Ireland.
Our main customer base will be the locals and tourists' which will include a fair few Americans.

Thanks everyone your help is so much appreciated.

Dermot
 
If you've got tourists then a good range of postcards and nik-naks/souvineers are an obvious choice. Giftware must be of a similar nature to your framing style (expensive, elaborate...that sort of thing).
 
Hi Dermot
Another item you might consider carrying if you are in a tourist area is a selection of prints of local and area scenes. Frame them for display. Who knows, maybe a tourist will buy the framed display.
As for what we carry in addition to the framing, we were a full arts and craft supplier for over 20 years, so shen we reopened our frameshop, we kept the areas that require framing - artists' supplies and needlecraft kits.
We also carry Leanin'Tree greeting cards. Our customers really like the convenience of finding a nice, not too big, selection of basic cards for birthday, get well, sympathy, wedding, and anniversary.
Another item that sells itself (and that is very important!) is a jugsaw puzzle. Since we often drymount and frame puzzles, it is easy to sell another puzzle to someone who just finished one!
Photo frames in gift boxes are good related sellers.
As for scrapbooking supplies, most craft store have huge inventories of them, so we carry acid-free albums and refill pages. We have them right beside the photo frames.

Looking forward to meeting you in Atlanta!!

Linda
 
Dermot,

Adding other merchandise to your mix is a subject that I teach with Ellen Collins of Hagerstown, Maryland. She has a business with a mix of needlework, art & craft supplies. We have added a variety of gift, home decor and collectibles to our shop.

We have "diversified" our framing business to the point that 30% of our sales come from other lines. As Lance pointed out, there should be a "relationship" with the product you add.....quality, exclusivity, mood, etc. Items that are most commonly and easily mixed into a frameshop/gallery include.<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Notecards
<LI>Pottery - Ceramics
<LI>Photoframes
<LI>Collectible plates
<LI>Framed Mirrors
<LI>Baskets
<LI>Christmas Decor & Collectibles
<LI>Candles
<LI>Pillows / Lamp Shades
<LI>Furniture (Bedding - small items)
<LI>Windsocks / Flags
<LI>Clocks
<LI>Silk flowers
<LI>Music Boxes
<LI>Jewlry
<LI>Home Deocor
[/list]

In my travels I am seeing more and more sucessful frame shops that sell gift items and decor. You can make any item a "marquee" attraction to gift your shop identity - I visited a small shop in the north of Spain that decorated a stairway with a selection of exquisite lampshades.

Regards,

John


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The Frame Workshop of Appleton, Inc.
www.theframeworkshop.com
Appleton, Wisconsin
jerserwi@aol.com
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Original artworks on Paper and Canvas by internationally recogonized artists.

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Timberwoman
AL
I cut the mat, I pet the =^..^= cat.
 
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