By: Keyana Michel
So you want to start your own vintage shop huh? Well you have come to the right place!
Resale Fashion has been the talk of the town in 2020, and the takeover will only continue in 2021!
Now more than ever, fashion lovers are getting into this creative realm of fashion; but have you ever thought about starting your own vintage shop?
Here are 5 major tips, to help you start your own vintage shop!
- Figure out what demographic you want to serve
Who are your customers? Are they people from 18-35? Are they people from 25-40? Are they people 35-50? Are you selling to only woman? Only men? Do you have a more specific niche like selling to plus size woman? Or selling to only teenagers?really take time to figure out, who you are serving first. The Who you serve; determines what they would like; and most importantly what they would like to see from your shop.
2. Gather up your inventory
After you figure out your demographic; it’s time to gather up your inventory! Depending on what demographic you are serving, you can start by using some of your own clothes brag you don’t wear anymore, or clothes from close friends and relatives before running out to the thrift store to acquire clothing.
If you don’t currently own any inventory for the demographic that you want to serve; go to the thrift stores, discount stores; or your family and friends.
You can even have people consign items in the beginning, which is a form of resale business; where people give you gems to sell; and once they are sold; you all would split the profits. In addition, keep track of your inventory; create a designated area for your clothing, and create an excel sheet; which will help you know what is selling, what hasn’t sold.
The excel sheet will help you understand what you need to get more of, or less of in terms of your inventory.
3. Style and take pictures and videos of your inventory
One of the most important aspects of your business is styling. You are selling a certain lifestyle to your customers; so the way you style your gems, should convey that lifestyle. Create content days, these are specific days of the week that you would dedicate content to for the entire week. You want to create a lot of content on those days; so throughout the week, you are marketing and sourcing inventory, and thinking of new innovative ideas.
4. Find your main marketing platform, but diversify your marketing strategy
Where are you going to advertise your business and your brand? Are you going to be on Instagram? Facebook? YouTube? TikTok? Pinterest?
Where are you going to promote your business? This is huge, because content marketing is key to having a success online business.
Pick 2 social media platforms to build on. It is better to start with 2 than one; 1) so you aren’t stretching yourself too thin and 2) just in case one of your social platforms gets hacked or deleted. (This has happened to an entrepreneur who had 250k followers on IG, and she lost her page in 2020 because she used a song in one of her videos. Now everyone can use music in their videos due to reels).
Side note: along with building your social platforms, build your email-list. This is huge, and this is a common mistake a lot of people make in the beginning. Remember you don’t own those social networks; but you do own your own email-list.
5. Be patient, and realize that you will make mistakes along the way.
As an entrepreneur, it is so important to give yourself grace. Be proud of yourself for even taking the step to start your own business. Be proud of yourself for all the small wins. Be proud of yourself for all the sales you make; no matter if it’s one, 5, or10. Be proud!
In addition, don’t forget to check out the Key To Fashion Vintahe shop!
