Whether flowers are your fancy, hats your madness, or paper your passion, you can open a store selling the things you love. To thrive in a shop of your own, however, requires myriad skills best learned from those who already know. Victoria introduces a group of women entrepreneurs who, with little inventory and big dreams, created a rewarding niche in the retail market. Their triumphs and failures, practical advice and insider secrets, provide invaluable lessons for fledgling shop owners. Here's just the right advice to take you from getting establishing credit to choosing a space to developing a solid partnership with vendors. Find creative and inviting ideas for displaying your wares so customers will linger longer, and smart ways to get the biggest bang out of your advertising dollars. The profiles of female shop owners will offer inspiration and provide invaluable role models.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
For many women who love to shop, running one's own boutique is the ultimate dream. In this coffee table book-turned-entrepreneurial guide, Victoria magazine's editors offer readers practical tips and realistic advice to help them realize that fantasy. Highlighting gift shops and stationery stores, gourmet emporiums and millineries, the authors carefully explain how to launch a venture, establish credit, choose a space, create a solid partnership with vendors, arrange one's wares, advertise and more. The pretty color photographs show how women entrepreneurs have set up their own stores, offering advice on making customers feel welcome, avoiding failed partnerships, creating innovative displays and attracting the notice of passersby. Savvy readers will recognize some of the featured businesses, which include Eileen Fisher, Barefoot Contessa and Papyrus. Acknowledging that being in charge can mean worrying when things are slow or financially uncertain, the authors also agree that when you're an entrepreneur, "days are never boring" and owners get to spend "time with the things they love, making people happy in the process." The visually pleasing book will appeal to serious readers with concrete plans to open a store and those who are just plain curious about the behind-the-scenes processes of their favorite shops. A resource guide lists appropriate books, magazines, associations and Web sites.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
All about women, retail, and being your own boss, this offering from Victoria magazine will help readers understand what it takes to open a business--and thrive. This is not about high finance, real estate, and merchandising--after all, there are enough MBA-like instructional books extant--but about personality, perseverance, and the ability to bounce back from adversity. Three chapters center on the ABCs of getting started, finding success, and managing people; detailed profiles of female shop owners follow, along with interior and exterior color photographs. Quick tips, lessons, and helpful instructions are abundant, like a location checklist, ideas for finding support, and professional rules of the road (e.g., rent a site that's on the shady side of the street and in the coming-home commuter traffic pattern). Best of all are the profiles--real-life examples that anyone can relate to. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well written, pratical advice, illustrative photos - Love this book!,
This review is from: A Shop of One's Own: Women Who Turned the Dream into Reality (Paperback)
I really love this book as it was a break from the word overloading of most business books. It had lovely colour pictures of actual products, services, interior designs, branding, packaging, etc. These illustrations backed up the information on building your small business.The book is divided into 3 parts: 1. Getting Started - Government regulation; Keeping Records; Establishing credit; Dealing with vendors; Finding a Space; Negotiating; Security; Insurance 2. Planning For Success - Inventory; Setting prices; Merchandising and Display; Publicity and Advertising; the Internet 3. Dealing with People - Building Staff;p Training; Delegating; Problem solving; Expansion I must stress that this book is an addition to your business collection; not a one-stop shop. This book does not provide the in-depth coverage of issues you'll need to start your business. But especially if you've got most of that already covered and you are looking for ideas or personal stories that can help to streamline your particular service, this is a great book to read. It is an easy, enjoyable to read plus beautiful to flip through and I got a ton of ideas. I can see myself coming back to this book again and again as I start my business. Thanks Victoria Magazine.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Pictures; Great for an Upscale Boutique,
This review is from: A Shop of One's Own: Women Who Turned the Dream into Reality (Paperback)
The pictures alone almost make it worth purchasing this book. It is easy to read. The book is most useful for someone trying to start an upscale boutique (ideally clothing). If this is you, buy this book. The pictures and the ideas are very much worth it. This will be a great resource.I was helping plan a semi-upscale souvenir shop and found the ideas only somewhat applicable. That said, there are a few guidelines that I found really useful. I made sure to photocopy those few pages for my reference.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read for every entreprenuerial spirit!!,
This review is from: A Shop of One's Own: Women Who Turned the Dream into Reality (Hardcover)
Half way into the book, I started shopping for studio and retail space. It will motivate you to be brave!!
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