Hello All!, I`m back again!

[jarod74]

First of all I`d like to say Thanks for all the advice I was given last time I was here (a few months back), when I had the `mad` idea of opening a `horror dvd shop`. However due to the replies I recieved, I dropped the idea, went away, did a lot of thinking & I`m now back, ready to open a Greetings card shop. However I need a lot of advice....I`ve found a suitable shop (details are below)....

* Town Centre Shop
* 2 Floors
* 696sq ft (64.65sq m)

ACCOMMODATION (all measurements are approximate)
Ground Floor:-
Shop Average 8.4m x 5.8m (Average 27'7" x 19'0" )
First Floor:- Average 8.4m x 5.8m (Average 27'7" x 19'0" ) plus Kitchenette and toilet.
Lease Terms The property is available towards the end of April 2012, on a 3 year lease or multiples of 3 years, which is subject to a service and management charges for the repair, cleaning and maintenance of common areas, insurance, external painting, window cleaning and maintenance of the fire alarm, refuse collection and admistration.
Rental £12,500 per annum plus VAT payable quarterly in advance.
Management Charge Cbased on 7.5% of the rent passing :£234.38 + VAT per quarter
Service Charge The Service Charge for Phase IV as a whole amounts to £10,800 per annum. It represents 13% of Phase IV and accordingly the service charge per quarter amounts to £351 + VAT.
Costs The incoming tenants are responsible for our Legal Cost in the preparation of the Lease Documentation which will be limited to £350 + VAT
Business Rates We are advised by The Local authority that the rateable value is £10,250 with rates payable for 2012/13 of £4,694.50. Small business rate relief may be available.




Now I have the following money to pay for the following (are these figures reasonable)...


Rental - £12,500
Rates - £4695
Stock - £3-4000
Shopfitting (No idea!, I`ve said £4000)
Spare money £5000


Now, First of all, is the shop good value for money, is there something I should be wairy of?. I understand I`d need Insurance - I guess that`s about a £1000 ?, & will need to get a phoneline, streamline,...Anything else?. I`m going to see the shop next tuesday, needless to say I know I`d need to get a sollictor as well. So once again In advance of any help or advice - Thank you!, I`m going to need it!

 

[TheGuru2010]

The insurer should be lower than the £1,000.

If you want me to give you a costing for your plan it's not a problem

Jamie

 

[chalkie99]

is the shop good value for money

That depends on where it is! Large town/small village - affluent area or poor - busy shopping area with lots of footfall or quiet back street?

Whatever the answer, have you considered how many card shops have closed across the country in the last couple of years?

 

[kulture]

Ok, back to basics. Is there a demand for a card shop? Is there any competition in town. You do know that card shops are dying?

 

[jarod74]

Thanks!

I suppose I should have explained about the shop itself. I live in a small town with a University. I plan to stock the `normal` run of cards & upstairs cater for the `Uni` crowd with a mixture of adult humour/ lesbian & Gay cards/ & cards bought from suppliers in the states.

Competition wise there is a Wh smith/ Birthdays/ & one independent `newsagent`, all 3 have there cards priced at `prices that make you drop through the floor`. Finally there is a Card warehouse, which I know I couldn`t compete on price, so want to be `dearer` than them, but much lower than the first 3.

The shop itself is in a small covered arcade, which runs between the two main shopping street. It has plenty of footfall (sad person that I am, I can see this from my living room window!) The shop is the first one you see when you enter the arcade from one side, then there is another empty shop, then a thriving cafe, along with various others.

 

[deniser]

Have you done some projections about how many cards you think you might sell per week and worked out the potential gross profit on a best and worst case scenario?

 

[kulture]

Have you considered why the card shop is so expensive? Have you lined up any suppliers? do you know how much cards cost? do you have any projections regarding wastage? do you realise how much it is going to cost to staff TWO floors?

 

[jarod74]

Thanks you two!

Well my projections of how much I`d sell per day are roughly £200 x 4 days & £350 x 2 days, so I`ll be looking at min £1500 per week. This is based on very low projections.
Kulture, I`m not buying a card shop - the figures are for an empty shop, it`s me who wants to open a card shop. I have a long list of suppliers (about 25) & plan to put a minimum of £1 to a maximum of £1.50 onto each card. As for wastage no idea tbh, I suppose just don`t get too carried away at ordering too many. Plan to start with 6 of each card. As for staff, I reckon I`ll need 2-3 apart from me, people / family have been approached & are ready when I am.

 

[kulture]

You said that the independent card shop was expensive. By this I assume that you mean their cards are expensive. Have you considered why this is so? Almost certainly because they have factored in the wastage etc that you seem not to.

 

[Doodle-Noodle]

Two floors full of nothing but cards is quite a few cards! What else will you stock? Or are you thinking ONLY cards?

 

[kulture]

Look, on one level it sound Ok. You want a shop, that sells both to the general public, and to the students. You want the upstairs to be the student bit and the stock to be more aimed at them and be perhaps more "naughty" or "adult". You want to cash in on the student pound without also missing out on the non student money.

All fine, in theory. Having a small shop like that also fine, in theory. The basic and most fundamental problem, which you still seem to be ignoring, is what to stock.

I do not know many students who buy cards.

Have you done any research on what the students want to spend their money on?

 

[jarod74]

Kulture, I`m sorry but, the Independent shop I mentioned Is an "Independent Newsagent", not simply a card shop, they carry a small range of cards, which after hunting around on the internet, I`ve discovered are quite cheap with a very high margin. I presume this follows everything else in there shop, which sell for silly prices, they are notorious in the town for being expensive! (they also have there business up for sale, so could be less competition)

 

[jarod74]

To doodle & Kulture,

Mainly just cards, along with standard gift bags etc. I don`t want the shop to be littered with `tack & rubbish`. Plan to sell a small range of stationary essentials, such as jiffy`s, envelopes, pens all individually.

Mainly I want to focus on `unusual cards`, like children`s cartoon character cards - order from the states before they `hit here`, Lesbian & Gay cards (Hallmark stock ONE card online, yet 1 in 10 of people are gay?), Retro cards, have discovered a supplier of `Music stars/ groups` from the past. Really any other card that the likes of Wh Smiths & the `tiny` Birthdays don`t sell.....which is a lot!. While at the same time not lose sight of the `core market`of the Card market.

Since I muted to people that I`m planning on opening a Shop, I`ve a list full of cards that they want/ that they can`t get easily. To me the shop seems to be in a `prime` position (next door but one to a very busy 2 floor cafe), which is always very busy & as I said being the first shop in the arcade off one of the main streets, people have to pass it everytime!.

I suppose the thing that concerns me the most, is the actual shop - I`ve looked at prices for other shops, I`m worried if there is anything in that `small print` which should bother me?, or that someone would argue with, or say is too dear etc?. Is it good value for the size?, is the `service charge` ok?. I believe I may not have to pay rates (small business rate relief) is that right?, either way I have the full money for it.

 

[Lunazzurra]

Hi jarod,

Please think about diversifying and adding other things to your range apart from cards and other stationery items. We've had a card and gift shop for just over five years now and have seen our revenue on mid to top end cards (£1.99 - £3.99) halve in that time, consistently been a downward trend all the time. When we first started, card sales represented 15% of our turnover, in 2009-10 it was 14.3%, 2010-11 13.8%, 2011-12 12.0% and now in 2012-13 just 7%. That is despite trying to keep our cards 'special', we have actively sought good, mainly art cards that offer something different, something that you're very unlikely to find in your average WH Smiths or Clintons. Yes, we do have numerous regular customers who keep coming back for those styles, but it's getting harder and harder and harder. We certainly could not have survived selling cards alone.

Based on your figures you are going to have to sell probably 100 to 150 cards a day, EVERY DAY! If I've got my sums right, that's a minimum of 1 card each and every five minutes. That's a lot of cards. How often have you walked past Clintons and seen absolutely no one in there. Clintons for one is just about hanging on by a thread.

Even some of my long established card suppliers are honest enough to say that they have seen their card sales to retailers halve and when I tell them that I'm not ready to place an order this month (or the next) they are not at all surprised. One (very well known and highly respected) supplier used to take an order from us every 4-6 weeks, now they are lucky if it's once a year. That's how bad things have become.

We have and always will sell cards, but I believe they should, in today's market anyway, be seen as a supplementary sale and not a sale to be relied upon.

Another issue is why go American? This country is absolutely saturated with good quality, well-priced alternatives in all styles (including Americana and Retro). Get yourself along to Springfair next month and/or Progressive Greetings show in May and you'll see what I mean. If you deal direct with America think about the implications of exchange rates and shipping costs.
We've looked at American cards in the past via UK distributors (who take their cut) and most are printed in China. By far the majority of UK cards are manufactured and printed in the UK and are generally cheaper.

In terms of gay cards, we've stocked them from almost day one, there being quite a high number of gay/lesbian couples around our area. Gay Pride even have a major gathering here each year and there is at least one specifically gay hotel that we know of. How many have we sold in four years? Just ONE! That's right ONE. Don't put too much emphasis on specialist areas like this. Most up front gays that come in to our shop, and the one's that we personally know as well, just buy the normal cards that anyone else would.

I hope this helps, as we speak from no other basis than experience.

 

[Lunazzurra]

P.S. with a further thought.

Are you any good at Photoshop etc? Have you got a design flair? Have you thought about producing your own (maybe personalized) range of cards. Have you got a decent printer (preferably 6 or 8 ink?). Google Photoshop Brushes, Gradients, Patterns for use within your own designs (some are free for commercial use, some you may have to pay a small license fee).

We design and print our own cards, buying in pre-folded card stock and polybags and can produce them for about 38p all in (including allowance for printer inks) and sell successfully for £1.99. Much better margins than any other supplier than I know and a very unique USP. Presents low risk option. You have control of what, when and how many you print. It can also be done in-shop for personalized - allows you to take orders - which, in turn promotes a sense of customer commitment - will come back to you if you are good. Etc.etc.etc.

If you can't print your own, there are low print run printers out there but of course your margins will be less.

 

[jarod74]

Hi Lunazzurra!

Thank you for your reply & wonderful advice!. Personally I`m aiming to be a `dearer` Card warehouse/ factory, ie, to sell premium/ art/ special cards but at a fixed price, say from £1- £2.50 max, thus to offer the Quality that is offered at other shops yet without the price tag. Also to try and offer a painless `step up`/ choice from el cheapo cards sold elsewhere. I may wander up to the `dizzy` heights of £3+ only at Crimbo. I`m flexible in being open to `try` any new type of card, whilist still stocking the ordinary cards people want. I plan to just start with cards etc to get the shop up & running, then take time to see what else there is out there.

The town where I live, is boosted by having a twice weekly market, which literally pulls the crowds in added to the students from the Uni, which will give me a good mix of the `elderly daytrippers` & maybe the students tripping on something else!

As for American cards, I suppose I blame that on hours of `googleing` & seeing what else is out there. As for the Gay cards, well Since I`m Gay myself, I feel I should be selling something to `promote` the cause so to speak & many of the `semi nude` cards intended for Gay men, Would most probably go down well with women of a certain age.

Re-reading everything I`ve typed, I hope I`m not coming across as a "Know it all", I probably know about a third of what you know, however we all need to start somewhere. I just don`t want the shop filled up with `rubbish` gathering dust, that won`t sell, despite me moving it everywhere. What else sells `well` for you?

I`ve just seen your second post!, I honestly do not have one ounce of artistic flair in my body, If I produced anything to sell, it would make "Arkwright" look good!!!

 

[Lunazzurra]

Hi jarod,

Thanks for your last post. A great sense of enthusiasm and spirit from you to get this thing done comes across from you. May I wish you luck in your venture. Please try to get along to one of the shows if you possibly can - it can be daunting and confusing (confusion of choice) but great, great fun at the same time. Good Luck.

 

[AlexanderR]

Have you looked into the University? Does it teach art and design at all? Does the University require practical coursework, which requires materials?

You could use 1 floor to sell materials, and if you were cheap enough, you'd be very busy each semester.

Also, how much is going to marketing? Your going to need to let people know your open where you are, and what you do. Also, what does the rest of the population do? There maybe something to suit them along with the students too.

 

[Doodle-Noodle]

Jarod you've had some excellent advice on here from Lunazzura, hope you have listened to it!
We also sell cards, no way we'd sell anywhere near 150 a day though! Ours are 80% handmade by local cardmakers - you could consider dedicating some space to local people who make cards too, you'd take a percentage of any cards you sell that they've made, it's nice to support local crafters, it would help spread the word about your shop too and give you an extra reason to get free publicity!
I really do think that you should seriously reconsider your plans to sell mostly cards though - there's not enough money in it. Don't put too much stock on what people tell you they want, it doesn't mean they actually will buy it and you could find yourself stuck with all sorts of rubbish.
We sell cards for civil partnerships, same sex couples etc and sell probably one every couple of months. Not a big market!

 

[deniser]

We have always sold cards too so have some experience.

The cards we bought -good quality cards - were only available in packs of 10, not 6 as you have suggested.

Each design therefore does tie up quite a bit of money. I still have all 10 of my Congratulations on having Twins cards which I got in at the insistence of a customer who ran a Twins group nearby whom I never saw again. And I have had those since 2007!

You should know also that the cheaper end of the card market such as the cards sold by newsagents, are on a sale and return basis with the supplier coming in several times a year to change the stock and displays to promote the seasons.

If you are buying from different sources you won't have that luxury and one mistake on a design can be costly.

I don't know the population of your town - the figure would help - but our shop is in a town of 100,000 and there is one independent card shop plus Clintons (not sure how long that will remain as it looks pretty empty of stock) and a discounter and it seems just about able to survive. So it can work but is your town that big?

Looking at your figures, your projected minimum turnover looks a little high to me. There are days when you don't see any customers, usually days when it is raining which is quite frequent. Even so, with your (possibly slightly unrealistic especially for a brand new business which has not yet established itself) figures, that's a gross income of only £78,000 from which you have to deduct 20% VAT (I assume you will be VAT registered as this sum is worst case scenario). I'm don't have a calculator to hand but am not sure that is enough net profit to give you anything extra once you have paid your overheads, especially as you are talking about staff. You need to do some calculations based on different levels of turnover. There are many threads on this forum listing all the outgoings for a retail shop from which you can take figures.

I don't think £1000 for insurance is far off. We've just paid £900 to renew ours for the year. There are also lots of other costs you haven't mentioned.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

With regards to "Sale or Return" If I were you, I'd definitely go with some of those, keep your stock on "regular" cards nice and high, while giving the premium cards the chance to sell without having a massive outlay.

I.E. On one lot of shelves have your "regular" cards on the opposite side facing have the "premium" cards - Let the customers decide what they want to buy once they've seen the quality.



EDIT: Oh, and don't forget stock rotation.

EDIT 2: give your local Card Connections a call

 

[warnie]

We sell cards but only as a suppliment to the main business. Hence we only have 3 racks and a spinner.

We started off buying in ourselves due to the greater margin to be had, but soon got sick of wasted stock and having to make 40 minute journeys just to pick up a few cards, so the extra margin we were making was being swallowed up this.

We also were finding that because we were stocking gift bags, banners, badges etc, that a lot of our cash was tied up just sitting there with an odd sale coming every now and again.

We now get all cards, gift bags, tags etc off sale or return suppliers who will stock you up, keep you up to date for all the seasons and only invoice you for stock sold. The only bug bear is the smaller margin which we are fine with as it takes out a lot of hassel for us.

We only sell around the £200 mark each week at circa £1.29 to £1.99 each in cards so it's not a major part of our business and to be honest I would really worry if that was my only offering...

 

[mhall]

On a slightly different curve- a shop on more than one level is VERY difficult in my experience - people just don't like the hassle of stairs or lifts. Not to mention the extra cost of staffing, stocking and lighting. Your upstairs area will be very different to your main area.

 

[jarod74]

Thanks again to all of you for your advice. I`d like to have a go at choosing the stock myself, rather than have a `sales rep` do it for me. I ordered the cards myself, when I `ran` the concession in a main P.O where I used to work * made consistant profits with good turnover, so I may have a `knack` at that if nothing else!

To Mhall, Tbh I`m thankful the shop has two floors, as I`m happy to keep the different card ranges separate. As the `Staff` area is upstairs anyway, I`d have to have it lit etc, so may as well make full use of it. Intend to use upstairs as a space to `launch` seasonal cards early on, before they are brought downstairs for the main event.

As I said, as long as the lease/ rent/ service charge & what it includes, looks fine to your `Knowledgeable` eyes, For me that will be one major `worry` less to think about!. I will have to launch a `factfinding` mission tomorrow, just to see what my competition are selling & anything that i`ve not even thought about to order.

 

[Vrs_Ltd]

Have you joined Cardgains?

 

[jarod74]

Hi Vrs_Ltd, No I hadn`t heard of it before, just had a very quick peep at it now, it seems to be a sort of co-op, do you use it etc?, How much does it cost to join?

 

[David A]

Nobody's mentioned staffing yet.

Unless you can close it off from normal retail space, you will need a minimum of two members of staff for every single hour the shop is open - one upstairs, one down. Most times you'll need at least 3 to cover breaks and sudden flurries of customers (yet 20 mins later the shop will be empty!).

Unless you are going to be one of the two, 9-5.30 six days a week will cost you £20K at NMW, plus on-costs.

Staffing costs is likely to be your biggest expense and your biggest headache, as so many workers won't care about you or the business.

In our town, no end of times I go into shops an see the staff standing around chatting. Yet the merchandise is looking scuffy from customers who browse and mess up the rails/shelves, or even worse stock that has fallen to the ground ready to be walked on.

Thus you either need to be a strong manager, or employ one to keep the sales staff on their toes.

 

[Lunazzurra]

Have you joined Cardgains?

As I understand it, Cardgains is basically what's known as a Factoring service.

The idea is that you can buy from as few or as many affiliate card suppliers within the group as you want. Cardgains will then issue you with a monthly combined invoice listing all suppliers you have bought from and money owed. Then, instead of paying each supplier separately, you pay against one invoice to Cardgains who then, in turn, pay the suppliers on your behalf.

It's convenient for the retailer, particularly if many suppliers are being used, because he only has to keep track of one invoice and not several and pay only one bill as a result. It benefits the suppliers because it's Cardgains responsibility to collect the money and chase any outstanding amounts.

One important thing to remember is that you will still be subject to each suppliers specific minimum ordering requirements. You cannot split a minimum order over several suppliers for example. So you could end up with a massive, and maybe unexpected, bill each month if you're not careful. I can see that it would be all to easy for it to run out of control without you realizing.

Personally, with only dealing with less than a dozen card suppliers at any one time, I've never really seen the point of going through Cardgains especially when you can deal with each affiliate supplier direct anyway with no problem.

On the other hand, if you are running a dedicated card shop with many tens of suppliers then it might be worth considering.

 

[kulture]

Whilst I think you would be very very mistaken to do this. I think you will not have sufficient money to start up, and definitely not earn enough to keep going, I note that no-one has actually answered your question.

I personally hate any property that has additional "charges" as well as rent. They are a distraction. You could negotiate rent and fail to limit or even eliminate these additional charges. What is the "management charge" what is to stop it rising? What limits the service charge?

Regarding rent/charges, all should be negotiable. Any new tenant would ask for a rent free period (and charge free). As well as a break clause after, say a year. As well as a significant reduction in rent.

Also what kind of lease is it? Full repairing? (if so what is the service charge for?). Internal decor only?

Are there any clauses regarding opening hours and access? If it is in a shopping center you may be forced to open the same hours as the center, or face a "fine". Or if you want to open out of hours, would you be able to?

There could be thousands of additional questions. I simply think you are yet again putting your desire to get into retail ahead of reality.

 

[jarod74]

To David A, Thanks for your reply, In an earlier post I`d already mentioned, I said I`d have around 3-4 staff (which would include me), I have people I`ve worked with before & a relative.

To Kulture, Thanks again, However I actually have more money to start off if it is needed & the figures I mentioned earlier are only guesswork on my part, yet no one else has said they are too low?

The defininition of the lease terms as provided by them is as follows.... Lease Terms The property is available towards the end of April 2012, on a 3 year lease or multiples of 3 years, which is subject to a service and management charges for the repair, cleaning and maintenance of common areas, insurance, external painting, window cleaning and maintenance of the fire alarm, refuse collection and admistration.

As I also stated, The shop is not within a `standard` shopping centre, it is a group of shops all within an arcade

Many thanks for your suggestion of raising if I could have a `rent free` period, I`ll have a go at that. I know the shop has been empty for a long time & indeed the `slightly` larger shop next door has as well.

Without sounding awful, just an observation, Do you actually support anyone opening a B&M shop, you do seem to be overtly negative all the time!. Granted you know a thousand more things than myself & will know more than I`ll ever now, however you seem to lack any encouragement or belief in nearly everyone including myself. I fully accept & bow to your knowledge that you were totally right towards my last postings on here regarding opening a horror Dvd shop (too niche a market, sales of dvds collapsing, rethink & don`t do it), Which I dutifully went away, thought about, reconsidered & realised you were totally totally right. However the proposed `card shop` isn`t any of those. It is true that some card shops are closing up & down the country, yet shops of all types are closing, while others thrive or at least remain.

 

[kulture]

Of course I sound negative. This is because you are far far too positive. Have you done market research? Other than just your friends and family, do you really know what will sell in your proposed location? I am not against people opening B&M shops. Indeed I hate seeing empty units. It is simply from what you say so far, you will contribute to the empty units.

 

[jarod74]

Fair enough, I suppose If anything I`m too enthusiastic!, which need not be bad especially in these tough times. I guess I`m reining in on what I will sell, not having any flights of fancy over `stock` & just ensuring I `ll have the cards that people want, alongside my idea`s for `upstairs`. A lot of it will be a learning curve & unlike `normal everyday me`, a lot of thought will be given to stock I do buy, rather than just rushing out buying anything & everything because I can.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

Hi Jarod,

Keep the enthusiasm by all means, but don't take everything as being a negative reply.

There are many people like you out there that want to make a go of things, and trust me I've been there... I had all the high hopes and intentions of running my own business 6 years ago... it was the lack of knowledge and trust of others along with my health at the time that was my downfall.

Constructive criticism and helpful remarks are not negative, they're far from it... if anything as you've said take it as the learning curve... before you fall.

Any help you get from the forums may come across as being a negative but think about what is said and look at it positively and you'll benefit from that.

Good luck to ya

 

[Pap_sak]

I think you first need to do a FULL list of ALL fixed expenses including wages. Then add in what you need and expect. Then add a couple of hundred a month.

Then convert it to card sales.

Also 3000 - 4000 worth of stock to generate 200 p/day?

2 levels is a huge pain with regards to staffing. Although I would not expect cards to be stolen much and you might get away with a decent CCTV system.

I just cannot get my head around that you can have JUST a card shop - but know it happens. I would prefer to hedge my bet initially with an art/crafts/gift/card shop and then see what does best. My shops began sports/fishing/camping - camping got dumped in a few months and from having just about no shoes, now 50% of my sales are shoes

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

One of the misconceptions about CCTV is that people think it will deter people from stealing, it's not always the case unfortunately.

However as mentioned CCTV for the top floor would be a suitable idea if you're looking at working alone. One thing that you'll have to consider though is that if you're on your own, how will you apprehend or detain a would be thief... especially if they're female?

Another thing to consider would be fire-escapes. (considering you're just looking at stocking cards/paper) You may also have to have a sprinkler system installed, unless already installed.

 

[deniser]

Kulture is absolutely right.

You need as much negative information as possible to make an informed decision. Friends and family have a habit of telling people what they want to hear rather than the reality.

I would seriously recommend you actually work a stint in a card shop to get a feel for the market and level of sales. I think it is essential that you know more about the greetings card market before you invest your own money. Is this possible even if only on Saturdays?

I also think your expectations of 3-4 staff is unrealistic. The reality for many independent shopkeepers is working alone. You certainly won't be able to pay that many people unless they all share the hours part time.

 

[Digbeth Court]

Apologies if this has already been said, but in a student town, is there not a fair bit of mileage to be had in also stocking items of stationery too - you could still bring elements of originality into that, sell types of folders and pads that the chain retailers don't, etc.

Nothing wrong with selling your speciality cards too, but at the moment it seems like an all-your-eggs-in-one-basket idea; if you were to try offering a broader spectrum of products to entice people through the door and browse, you're surely more likely to generate a few impulse buys?

 

[Toto Schillachi]

You need to go and stand outside the other card shops in your town and count how many people go in each day.

Even if you assume 75% of people who go into the shop will buy something I can't see how you are going to sell anywhere near the 100+ cards per day that you need to cover your costs.

You need to plan this properly or you will lose a lot of money.

 

[ashbash]

I design and sell my own cards for my own gallery/shop, and I have a specific range that I also wholesale - (this is not a sales pitch!,) the cards have been popular but all my retail outlets have reduced or stopped ordering, and Christmas sales really dropped.

The market is changing, but good high quality cards can sell well and give good margins ( I sell mine at £2.50 without problem , with a buy 4 get another free to get a nice round tenner)

However what really does sell is personalisation, and a as a computer illiterate I personalise using Word,so very straightforward. My typographic cards sell well, so no Photoshop required. Putting a recipient's name on a card takes seconds, and I do not charge extra for that service.

I also sell other things that have developed for the market in my town and the type of customers we attract, and even that changes over time, so we have to adapt...Posters are still good sellers for students and would sit well with cards.

Thinking about your upstairs room, perhaps it could be a gallery space for you to rent out to artists, so you bring in fees and their contact lists, plus art societies are always looking for spaces to exhibit or have life drawing classes ...pop-up life drawing is a newish fad, and students and others would find that fun , especially if you could open in the evening.

The other related activity that still seems to have an income is picture framing, most galleries and art shops survive by having this as their main income generator.. there are a lot of artists wanting their work framed, again think of local art societies, mostly retirees who want their pictures framed for shows etc.
Good luck !

 

[Lentinus]

Maybe it is just me but I would like a card shop where I could walk in, choose a card fill it in and have the shop take care of the postage and posting how many people have stamps handy?
This could happen at the time of purchase or give me a voucher/ID on the envelope or similar so I can sit in the cafe next door write my card and drop it back for sending (drop box towards the back of the store of course!
Simple and convenient, good for business, your bulk postage will be cheaper than them buying stamps, but you charge a round 50p for the service
You will need something like that though as I would hesitate to say that sending any from of paper based communication through the post is a growth area!