| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Jul 16 2009 : 07:58:29 AM
Ok, farmgirls (especially you in VA and NC) here is something I have been pondering.
In my small hometown, just ten miles over the border in North Carolina, is an antiques store I started working in years ago.The owner and I became good friends.
It is an a large brick building built in the 1837. It is called the Milton General Store. It has been in her family since the 20's, I believe. She remembers her father selling meats, cheeses, seeds, feed, and things like shoes and other "general store" items in the 40's.
She inherited it upon the death of her parents, and restored it to be the antiques store it is now. A few years ago she put a commercial kitchen in it.
Now, she and I have been talking about me starting a country style bakery in there, mainly for weekends, when most guests come in. (We are a historical district, and tourist attraction in our town. I am posing a link http://www.miltonnc.com/shop.html, if you want to check it out.)I agreed to do this.
But I was in there the other day and I realized what a great "farm" or "country girl" store it would make.....she has the retro kitchen furniture, blue canning jars by the dozen, vintage linens, old farm tools, old signs, garden decor, farmhouse furnature, aprons, vintage china and glassware....... there is a lot of other stuff mixed in too, but most is "country" stuff.
So my mom and i had the idea of offering to take over the whole thing from her (she is older, travels a lot, doesn't get around so good with two bad knees)and convert the entire thing into a "old-timey" country stuff store.....a farmgril's paradise. Of course, I would NOT use the term "Farmgirl", as that is a MJF exclusive! We'd just call it country stuff. Or something. This in addition to my bake shop. (I used to do baking for an Amish store; so that is kind of what the bakery would be)
I am afraid it won't go over really good around here........... I don't know of any other farmgirls nearby who would be close enough to patronize it, and if it doesn't have promise to make money, I don't know if the owner will agree. Advice? To try, or not to try?????
I would do sales of stuff online, as well. Your thoughts? |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Farmtopia |
Posted - Jul 19 2009 : 09:09:07 AM
I am with Winona on this one. Why not just start of as the bakery and see how business does? Once you have a feel, you can move forward. Hope all goes in your favor, either way 
~*~Dream all you dreamers~*~
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| Hosanna |
Posted - Jul 17 2009 : 11:24:31 AM
Thanks girls. Luckily, she is totally unwilling to sell the place; it's her "baby". I would just be taking over the entire management of it, marketing of it, and working in it. I would either get a % of the $$ made or a salary from the deal. I am going to approach her about it anyway; and see how willing she would be to give the place a farmgirl marketing makeover!! I will keep ya'll posted if I do it or not. Thanks again for the ideas/support/feedback! |
| Greyhound Mom |
Posted - Jul 17 2009 : 05:40:35 AM
Hosanna...you have gotten some excellent advice here! And everyone is right, it is a risk, especially in the time that we are in now! Having said that and having had my own shoppe with my daughter, you don't know until you try! It doesn't sound like the owner is ready to part with her family legacy yet, though and it may be better to start off slower. Try offering your own line of baked goods on the weekend in that retro kitchen atmosphere. People love 'the good old days' and going back to that nostalgia is the thing to do today! Find your specialty and offer some retro goodies that we (I mean my baby boomer generation) grew up with! But it has to be different than anyone else in the area sells! When my daughter and I started our jewelry business, we created things that no one else thought of yet! When we opened our shoppe, Enchanted Wings, we didn't take out any huge loans or go crazy with spending money on frivolous things. So when we closed the shoppe this year, we didn't have any debt. Our line is very well know in our area and people recognize our logo and style. That's important...our overhead was only our rent/utilities and the supplies we bought for our jewelry. Good luck to you! I am sure you'll make the right decision!
Barbara ~
www.EnchantedWings.com
www.FairyLaundry.com
"The earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth, and we have a sacred duty to protect her and return thanks for the gifts of life." |
| Tapestry |
Posted - Jul 17 2009 : 02:31:41 AM
I think it sounds like something I would love to do if I had the money and a nice place to do it. To me personally what would make me not want to purchase something from a quaint country store/bakery would be prices. I think one draw back might be that people are feeling the pinch in their pocket books right now so if you can make a mortgage, give them a yummy piece of pie and offer shopping that isn't too "boutiquey" priced you'll be a stunning success. I'd make a list of pros and cons. Check the market and make sure the owner is really interested in selling the building and what is inside of it. She might sell the building but have the inventory marked for heirlooms for family members? Even if she says no to your ideas this may have given you and your mother an avenue of dreams to work towards.
Happy farmgirl sister #353
Look for rainbows instead of mud puddles
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http://tapestrysimaginings.blogspot.com/ |
| goneriding |
Posted - Jul 16 2009 : 3:33:15 PM
I'm not a biz person (ask me about horses and I can tell you almost anything but not a store biz!) but it seems to me to try the bakery first, get a feel for how it works, what you could do better or streamline and then take a next step. I don't know whta the next step would be but if you're in tune with the project, you'd probably 'know' what to do. Sounds interesting to me actually.
Winona :-)
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| Amie C. |
Posted - Jul 16 2009 : 11:23:10 AM
Well, if you're already committed to being there on weekends anyway for the bakery...would you need to invest a lot of money in the other stuff, or mostly just advertising? |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Jul 16 2009 : 10:07:46 AM
Well, the owner and her husband are quite well off, with several homes. This is a part-time home for her (she lives next door in a huge- like 18 rooms - house.) The store is just a thing. She got it from her parents so she just put antiques in it for something to do. She doesn't rely on it at all for income.
The business is not so booming; she hasn't advertised or really been very concerned with it of late. She is currently open Sat. & Sun. There is a quaint pizza parlor, a couple more antiques stores, an art studio, and an art gallery down the street. Sorry but I can't get the link I posted to work! Google it instead: Milton, NC.com
I would have to do a "open under new management" advertising push. The great thing is, the inventory is already in there; it just needs to be marketed correctly! |
| JessieMae |
Posted - Jul 16 2009 : 09:43:48 AM
The Farmgirl movement has a lot of followers, even if they don't call themselves "Farmgirls." Look at retailers like K-Mart and Target; even they have started introducing more vintage-looking items. Martha Stewart's lines at K-Mart and Macy's are downright homey! I think a country store would do quite well. Not to mention, I know of very few Farmgirls (myself included) who would turn down a store with a pie shop inside it!
Jessie Mae
Farmgirl Sisterhood #134 |
| CherryMeDarlin |
Posted - Jul 16 2009 : 09:28:03 AM
I agree with Amie, Hosanna. It it's a well-established business with a strong client base, you're already ahead of the game. I have a friend who just started a bakery in a little town and to be honest, I didn't think she'd survive the first month. But she's doing GREAT! I think the state of the economy is turning a lot of people towards more simpler times and what's more simple than the farm life of past generations! Across the country, more people are gardening for the first time and preserving their food for the first time. Bartering is becoming fashionable again. I think this is a trend that's gonna be around for a while and now might be the very best time to get in on that. The very best of luck to you!
~~Cherry~~
http://cherrymedarlin.blogspot.com
"A thing is as simple or as complicated as you make it." --TT Murphy |
| Amie C. |
Posted - Jul 16 2009 : 08:42:15 AM
It's such an appealing idea, it's hard to know whether it makes good business sense or not. I'm too distracted imaging the photo spread in a magazine like Country Home.
What's your sense of how well the business is doing now? It sounds like it's been there a good while, but how much does the owner rely on it for her income? Would you have extra expenses that she does not (like if you bought the building from her, you would have a mortgage)?
Just on the face of it, it sounds as though you would be continuing something that's already well-established and has a following built up. That's a big plus. |
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