742 square feet
Have you been to my store? If so, you know it’s very small. 742 sq ft (which includes the restroom) You will also know I have very small front windows. (I long for more square footage and great big windows)….in the meantime I thought I would share my thoughts and suggestions on “small".”
You have to take advantage of every space. Even if you have an antique booth vs a store you still need to make the best of your space.
Go Vertical. You are paying for “air space” - so use it. Think trunks topped on top of each other. A dresser on a table. A dresser with boxes stacked on. Start large and go up with smaller. Also, look under the tables for boxes and trunks as well.
Put smaller items at eye height. There is a lot to look at when you stack…..and small items can get lost.
Rotate often. Again, there is a lot to look at so when you move things around (and often) it’s not unusual for customers to continually notice something they didn’t see the week before.
Buy squares…..round items are difficult to stack with. Squares can easily go against each other to make the best use of space.
You cannot have everything in the store at the same time. So I work by season. In the fall I mix in more browns, blacks and oranges. In the late fall I completely overhaul the store with Christmas. In the spring I bring in pastel colors and then Memorial Day until Labor Day I have an area with Red,White and Blue. It’s less busy on the eyes and doesn’t have a lot of colors competing for your attention.
Clutter….I don’t have a lot of store “decor” I stick with just my vintage items. Otherwise it just gets too busy for your eyes to rest. (someday when my store is bigger I would love to incorporate fresh greens)
Stacking doesn’t allow for fun vignettes. Trust me - I miss that…(and again, when I get a bigger store)..I would love to have a vintage table and actually be able to set it, and when you can create vignettes is when it becomes visual to what it would look at their homes.
Group similar items together. It always makes a bigger impact.
Last, I continually rotate the “paths” in the store. It just keeps things fresh.
When I opened the store five years ago I was thankful for small. Smaller rent, utilities, and I didn’t have enough money to completely fill the store with vintage. Over the years…as may sales have grown I’ve been able to purchase more for the store……and now, I think I’m ready to be a medium-size store <3
Hoping my share has been helpful to you. Let me know if you have questions : ).
Thanks, Joyce
