I was previously working at a large architecture firm in Texas, and was hoping to continue working in a similar field up here. But there isn't much work to be had for a Interior Designer in our new small town in Oklahoma.
So I'm thinking of venturing out into something I've never done before- selling of my future creations. There are some vintage/ antique stores in town where I can rent a booth and sell my wares. I've been hesitant about doing this- it's kind of nerve wracking. Will anyone buy what I have to sell? I'm not expecting to make a ton of money doing this, but will I be able to break even?
I already have a few things to help get me started.
The Cafe Chair I found.
Working on fixing this guy up
Scored this guy at the Goodwill for $10 and he is going to be fabulous!
Maybe making some variations of my Wine Cork Boards to sell
And thinking about recovering these guys with a less bold fabric.
So do you guys have any advice for a first time furniture seller? How do you decide what to price each piece? What in your experience sells the best; furniture, accessories? Any tips or tricks?
My other concern (besides not making any money back doing this..) is that I have some other projects around the house that I wanted to work on and I'm afraid they might suffer with my new venture.
Any advice on balancing your work and play?
4 comments:
Hi! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your nice comment! I'm love your blog and am now following :)
Also, I have no idea about the shop/booth thing because I've never done anything like it, but I think you have some interesting items!
Gosh, I know what you mean about worrying whether anyone will buy your wares! I've never had a garage sale and grew up in a family where we just never sold stuff. Either we hung on to them and kept them for future generations to use or just gave them away. However now with our Diplo Lifestlye of moving, I need to learn how to sell off items that I don't need any more because we actually need the money. I don't know if anyone will by my stuff even if I sell them cheap. Gosh!
I wish you luck and I hope you get advice from more experienced people out there! You create beautiful things, and they deserve to be sold! =D
Hi Rachelle,
I don't have first hand knowledge of selling your things through a store. But I am about to open my biz and of course, worried no one wil by my kids lights! Honestly, I think (hope) they will and yours will too. I would talk to a few store owners and see what the market is. If it's a consignment type store, I think those stores are doing well in this economy because people are more apt to buy used than new. You'll have to look around a lot to see the price points so you don't price them too high and certainly not too low. Since you'll be using a lot of your time, don't forget to value that and add it into the price. If you're spending too much time on a project then it may not be worth fixing & selling. When you figure out the max number of minutes or hours you can spend on a project then you'll be able to choose ones in the future knowing whether you can sell them.
The other thing I'm thinking is the furniture re-sell shops I've been in (small city 80k population and large city suburbs) had pretty high prices - so you may do ok. They are not a Goodwill-priced stores. If your town is really small, could you drive to a more populated area to find a store? Good luck!
btw, where is your Dremel giveaway? Did I miss it?
Oh, one more thought....have you considered doing online design services?
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