Comments on: Starting a Skateshop – Tip 02 – Have Enough Money

By: guy

guy — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:14:48 +0000

I’m currently the buyer for a skateshop that’s been open for 14 years, and I’m about to open my own shop.
Here are some things you should all know:

Don’t just jump into a shop, work somewhere in the industry first. The relationships you build with reps are what’s going to make it/break it for you. Shoe minimums are rough. You need to know people who are willing to break some rules for you.

If you’re trying to keep a low inventory, or can’t open accounts with companies, try to open up with a middle-man style distribution i.e. eastern or south shore. Your margins won’t be as good, but at least you will be able to get pretty much anything. And as long as you’re willing to pay the shipping you can special order stuff for people, and you’re able to say “we don’t have that today but I can get it for you in 5 days”

Order less and order a lot! People love to see new shit. Small frequent orders are the best way to do it, even if that means you’re taking a hit on the shipping. Pay attention to your reps emails and build some good relationships, you’ll probably get free shipping here and there anyways.

That being said, building relationships is a recipe for success. Loyalty in the skate industry is a pretty big deal, and reps are usually real nice guys. They will take care of you.

By: Sean

Sean — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:56:04 +0000

To save a little extra money is it legal to live in the shop for a while,? For example, if you have a little extra room in the back, and the other basic necessities. At least until your established and start making a good profit?

By: craig

craig — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:04:29 +0000

i want to opening a retail boutique specializing in the sale of athletic footwear/state style and street wear fashion for the young and young at heart. This store will be like no other store located in ‘spoiler’. It will be the only true lifestyle stores in ‘spoiler’. The store will emphasize the sale of limited athletic shoes and an assortment of men’s and women’s clothing and accessories. We will provide consumers with technical aspects on the proper make, model, fit and style of athletic footwear for their various needs. The store will be the only street wear boutique of it’s caliber with quality, and knowledgeable sales help in this city of 2.2 million people. Our goal is to be the headquarters for the cities street wear, lifestyle fashion and art. being one of the largest city in the U.S, which has over 2 million people within a 600 sq area, fashion and a sense of identity plays a major role. Alongside having a strong business plan I also have a superb marketing plan that spans across the state.From being in the fashion industry for over 4 years I have learned the interior and also exterior of the industry. I am certain this would be a prosperous and lucrative venture for the investor and myself.

1.i have such a solid idea but no money really.how in the world do i get a loan/money for 120-300k
with nothing to offer?everyday i wake up with this idea and people saying i should do it,but i don’t have they money.it’s as i created the wheel or the ipod,but don’t know how to get the funds to produce it.thanks in advance

By: Joshua

Joshua — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:55:25 +0000

Sure, here’s a suggestion, why not get approved for $50K in credit cards and max all those out, borrow another $150K from family and friends and spend it all, fail to pay rent for several months and rack up another $30K there, fail to pay your suppliers and rack up $70K of debt there, and then go out of business and have to work three jobs the next 20 years of your life to pay off the debt you owe to everyone? Or…save up the $300K first and then if you blow it all, at least you don’t spend the next 20 years living through hell on earth. Plus if you spend your own money rather than that borrowed from others, you tend to make better decisions and you might end up being successful instead of going out of business.

By: william e

william e — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:42:42 +0000

yo how the hell u exspect teen agers like me an all the other kids who just wana sk8 and have something to do with skateboarding to make 300k befor we go homless like for real any sugestions ???

By: Jordan

Jordan — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:33:11 +0000

I am looking to open up a shop in Long Island on the North Shore where there is hardly any shops or skateparks for that matter. Although there is a lot of bored suburban kids and skaters. I think a skatehop could add a lot to the community here. I was wondering if it is a good thing that there is not a lot of competition here or a bad thing. I am in it because I love skateboarding and want to support it as an outlet for kids but I am also wondering if I can in turn make enough money in order to survive?

By: James Mankin

James Mankin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:21:26 +0000

Thatslifeskateshop.lefora.com

myspace.com/crazyskatesomerset

By: Joe Maguire

Joe Maguire — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:27:28 +0000

Hey my name is joe, thanks a lot for the tips! im looking into opening a shop in brooklyn in about a month. i was just wondering how much profit on average shops make? how much inventory cost compared to what its sold for, for example how muchwould 50 pro decks cost?
thanks a lot

By: Jay

Jay — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:05:57 +0000

Grafjam,

Didn’t see your e-mail address listed. Please post it so I can get in contact with you.

By: Truthiness.

Truthiness. — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 05:17:46 +0000

There’s a local shop near me and they’re so unprofessional it’s embarrassing. I actually made a conscious decision not to do things with them anymore based on how bad they are at business stuff. If you walked into a store and saw someone wasted drunk at 3 in the afternoon would you buy from them? Doubt it. And they leave unprofessional and childish sounding messages to reps and are shocked when they don’t hear back. Their response is “I guess they (the rep) don’t want to make money!” But when they do get a rep that calls them they get caught slipping and don’t know how to act. You should do a post about not letting your shop be a clubhouse. And making sure you have a competent and professional employee who cares about the business even half as much as you do.