Many of you following me are here because you have been interested in my articles about selling on Etsy. After some time selling this way you might decide it’s time for you to try your hand at having a brick and mortar presence. So today we’re going to talk about running a furniture flipping business or what it’s like in a booth life!
I’m targeting this article specifically to those exploring the option of getting a booth at either an antique mall or and occasional sale or some other retail outlet that rents booth space. This is because I believe that if you’re interested in running your own shop some day a booth is where you need to begin.
Why?
Because starting with a booth will help you learn the ropes. If you’re thinking I’ve worked in retail for years so I know what’s going on believe me you don’t. Selling custom painted furniture and vintage items is a whole different kitten.
Unfortunately I have witnessed a few jump in feet first business owners who have learned the hard way that they don’t understand how difficult it can be.
I’m not discouraging you though just saying learn first conquer the world later.
The first thing you will need to do is find your space. I’ve written about that before in this article. Read it and make sure you know what makes a good space and what space you should pass on.
Prepare for Work
I know you are not afraid of a little hard work, but if you’re opening a furniture flipping business while working a full time job just remember you’ll be working 2 full time jobs.
I made this mistake when I got my first booth. I had a full time job, and a young child who needed my attention. At the point when I thought I wanted to sell my upcycled piece I Had a few frames and a couple chairs completed. It looked like a lot until I had to fill a very small booth.
My life became all about finding and painting.
I mistakenly thought once I filled a booth I was all set.
I was wrong.
Restocking your Booth
Once the booth was all set up I thought I was doing great until people started to buy my furniture. Oh the horror!
I had nothing to restock with once pieces sold. It’s a good problem to have but still a problem. I scrambled for replacement pieces sometimes picking up items that were NOT good quality. Some weren’t even pieces that reflected my booth or my style. I just bought enough to fill in fast.
Well none of these filler pieces sold. They were garbage purchased in desperation and over the past few years I’ve had to filter them out.
How Do You Know What Will Sell?
The simplest answer is to follow trends on Pinterest and in the market place. A better answer is to ask or better yet spend some time shopping your potential market place.
At the shop you want to sell at see what’s selling. Ask established vendors what sells and what doesn’t.
You might run into a vendor or two who doesn’t want to share that information. Some will glare/look at you as the competition and will be really tight lipped. They will give cagey answers like, “you just never know” or “try a little of everything”. But if you look at their booth you will see certain items making a repeat appearance. Those are the sellers.
Over time you will know the ebb and flow of what sells when, but until you do my best advice is start by asking the owners. They have a vested interest in making sure your booth succeeds and make friends with the other vendors so they’ll be more apt to share their secrets with you.
Heck you can call me and I’ll tell you what the perennial sellers are in my area if you want to try those!
What Do You Do if Something Doesn’t Sell
The sad fact of the matter is when you’re running a furniture flipping business, some pieces as lovely as they are just don’t find a new home. Maybe the color was a turn off. Maybe the pattern of the fabric wasn’t great. Whatever the reason it just sits there month after month.
So what do you do?
Well, you can always take it back to the workshop and repaint it. I usually repaint everything at least once before trying to find another way to get rid of it.
You can try selling it at a yard sale or on Facebook Market Place if it doesn’t sell in your booth.
If all else fails and you don’t have the ability to store the piece you can always donate it to a local thrift shop and take the full value of the piece as a deduction.
If you’ve made it this far in the post do me a favor and save this post to Pinterest using the pin-able image below. I would be so grateful if you did!
I’m always happy to answer questions you guys have so if there’s something you want to know ask in the comments below!
Many Blessings to You All!
~S
