When my mother passed away earlier this year one of the things that I inherited was her business. My mother ran a resale shop/farmers market booth. The items available were a pretty eclectic mix of items. When I came home to help her out we started to work on being slightly more specific in the customers we catered to. The direction we took was based on both her interests and my own. Specifically we started selling more items along the lines of New Age and Indian/Southwest style items. After my mother passed away I closed her store while I got her affairs and my life in order. Recently I’ve been getting my mind around the idea of re-opening her store with some changes. Instead of being strictly a farmers market type of operation I’ve been looking at something more in line with a retail style business.

Having said that I’d like to ask for some help and ideas. I’m looking at keeping in the direction of New Age items and possibly Southwest as well. I’m also considering adding Gothic items as well and have some ideas in this direction already.

My questions are this. If you were Boss for a day and could choose absolutely anything you wanted to carry what items would you include in such a store? What things have you looked for in other stores and not been able to find and wish you could? What things do you hate or find to be poor quality? Any ideas will be carefully considered and greatly appreciated. Please feel free to give any suggestions and don’t feel limited in items you might consider right now I’m looking for ideas and I’ll narrow the field later.

Obviously I won’t be including everything but I’d sure like to be able to offer people quality items and a good selection. The area that I am in currently does not have anything close by and the few shops that you can drive to have some items but really have very little. Having talked to many people in this area there seems to be a good customer base for such a store if it existed and based on the way sales picked up when we started to carry such things before the store closed it would seem to bear this out.

Again please let me say thank you for any help or ideas you can give. If you don’t feel comfortable posting here please feel free to message me privately.

Thanks so much,
Bob