How to Open a Fashion Boutique

These are the first steps you will need to take in order to start a fashion boutique. You will want to start at least six months before the actual opening of your store, and a big part of the reason why is because buying works so far ahead of the season. For example, buying for fall closes in April, holiday closes mid August, and Spring closes at the end of the year before.

Create A Business Plan
This is a given. Be sure to think about everything you'll need to budget for; supplies, advertising, services and of course merchandise. It never hurts to inquire about advertising prices and what not ahead of time. If your store is brick and mortar, you'll need to get with a real estate agent and start looking for a location. And be ready for paperwork galore! You'll need at least a wholesale license, EID and business license before you begin.

Get the Merchandise
You'll need to decide what brands you want to carry. However, the catch is that just because you want to carry a brand doesn't mean you'll be able to. A lot of this depends on where your store is located (even if it's online). On top of that, some labels are just very picky and protective of their brand. So be sure to have a long list of lines that you like, and inquire before settling your mind on anything.

Once you have your shortlist, get in touch with the lines sales rep. The sales rep is usually the one who you'll do all your buying through, and there are different reps depending on where you live (usually East Coast and West Coast). If you're on the West Coast, take a look through the LA Fashion Wholesale Index to find out who the rep is and how to get in contact with him or her. It's also good to look on the labels official website for sales rep, wholesale or showroom info. Once you have the information on hand, email the sales rep and ask for a linesheet (it's good to include a bit of info about the store as well, even if it's new). The linesheet will show you all of the styles for the upcoming season as well as the wholesale prices. From here you can plan your merchandise budget and choose which labels are best for your store.

Eventually make an appointment with the rep to see the clothing in person. This is usually done during market week, which comes up about every three months. The biggest market is in New York, followed by Los Angeles as well as Atlanta and Chicago. There's also MAGIC in Las Vegas, the biggest fashion tradeshow in the country, happening twice yearly.

Prepare the Store
Now it's time to start buying a lot of the things you added to your budget. This includes store supplies, fixtures, and possibly even advertising. If you plan on having a website it's a good idea to start looking for ecommerce packages (Yahoo Small Business and Monster Commerce are good ones) and finding the right graphic designer to create a unique look for your store, and perhaps a coder to customize a few things. Chances are you'll need a photographer as well. It can take time to find people are who are truely skilled and reliable at these things, so it's never too early to start looking. Web developers especially can be quite fickle, so that's one thing you'll want to get started on as quickly as possible.

It's a good idea to take a look at other boutiques, both brick and mortar and online (if you're doing both) and see what their stores look like. Then you'll need to decide how you can do what they're doing but in your own unique way, and better.

Get an inside look at how to start a fashion boutique from an actual fashion boutique owner at Kimberly's blog OohLaLuxe.net.

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Shop Easy With An Online Boutique

There were days when you had to rush to your nearest boutique to check out the latest spring collection. You certainly couldn't help it if the nearest boutique was 40 miles away from your home.

However, now there are easier and better options. If you have a computer and an internet connection, then you are going to save yourself a lot of money and effort and time.

All that you need to do is log on to an online boutique and shop away with a few simple clicks of your mouse.

An online boutique is a virtual counterpart of the boutique in the offline world. You can do everything from browse through the catalogue, add things to your shopping cart and even get it gift wrapped.

Buy everything

Most large brands today have an online boutique. Apart from that you also have boutiques that have several brands listed in one. In these boutiques you can shop for clothes, accessories, leather bags and even for designer wear.

For each item, there are detailed photographs and specifications listed. This makes it easy for you to find the right fit. You can search by color and even by size. Some online boutiques have also added a budget related search so that you can find items that suit your budget.

Get some great deals

Most online boutiques have frequent offers and discounts. You can find clearance sales and festive offers galore. If you do the right amount of hunting then you will definitely find an unbeatable price at an online boutique.

When you decide to shop online, make sure that the online boutique uses the best security features that protect you from hackers. The last thing that you do want is your identity to be stolen online.

For more info visit : Online Boutique Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rama_Krishna

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Boutique - Online Business Vs Retail Shopping

Have you tried traditional means of selling with little to no success? Do
you have a product driven, home based business that you would like to grow
nationally or even internationally? Are you unsure how to successfully
advertise your web site on the Internet? Does your web site get limited
traffic? Have you been a vendor at various boutiques but want the
continual yearly income that is generated from your loyal customer base?

Retail shopping has been the general source of selling and purchasing
products for decades. With the expansion of the Internet and other various
creative avenues, business owners have been able to grow their business
substantially in less time. Boutiques that have a physical location have
been popular over the last 15 to 20 years. They are extremely enticing to
the growing number of women who enjoy scrapbooking, home decor, holiday
crafts, gift ideas and much more.

Listed below are 8 reasons why an online boutique could increase sales and
grow your business.

1. Year round income: Not only would you have a physical location for your
customers during various times of the year at boutiques, but they would be
able to easily continue to purchase your items year round.

2. It will bring shoppers to you: Retail stores spend hundreds or thousands
of dollars marketing their business. By advertising your online store when
you are a vendor at a boutique, your customers will have an incentive to
purchase additional products later.

3. Linking web sites: If a vendor from a boutique has a web site, the
online boutique can link to the vendor's web site. This will generate
traffic to the vend's web site thereby gaining exposure and sales.

4. Reclaiming old customers: For customers who have not attended a boutique
for years, they could look online to see what is available and either come
back to the boutique or shop on line.

5. Extra income without extra setups and tear downs: Physical boutiques
can be a successful means of establishing and growing a business. It takes
time and effort to set up and take down a booth each show. Once a vendor is
joined into an online boutique, it stays available to the customer night and
day without much added effort.

6. Not enough online boutiques available: A study recently done found that
70% of online shoppers would like to purchase more boutique like items.
There are very few on line boutique sites available.

7. Substantial growth: A person can grow their business without travel
expenses by selling online. National and International growth is possible.

8. Increase sells up to 70%: Some of the most successful business owners
contribute their success to selling online.

9. Eliminating cost of rental space: The average of cost of a rental space
at a virtual boutique is around $125.00. This is usually for a 3 day
exposure time. An online boutique is day and night, everyday, for a minimal
monthly fee.

It is rare today for a business not to have a web site. If done correctly,
web sites can be an invaluable tool for any business owner. The perfect
solution for businesses that do not have a web site themselves, however, is
the ability to tap into the online boutique web site. It is critical to be
educated and informed on the latest marketing and sales tools available.
The competition can be overwhelming without education and progressive
action. Not only will online boutiques become a fun and easy way for people
to shop, they will become a lucrative source of income for many vendors
wanting to expand their business.

Bio: Terri Grace, nineteen years of experience in boutique sales and marketing. Successful business owner of a boutique for the past 5 years. Owner and entrepreneur of an online boutique. For more information on boutiques go to: http://www.terrisbluegooseboutique.com

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