| SkullandBonesSkateboards.com Forum Index » BUSINESS, SHOPS & RETAILERS » Bottom Line! What does it cost to open a skate shop?!? |
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| polock |
 Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 2:19 am |
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ORDER OF THE SKULL
Joined: 19 Sep 2002
Posts: 7583
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| I have been wanting to open a shop for 3 years and was wondering what it might cost to open one. I would like to have a good location, maybe in the mall since it has lots of traffic, even though most mall shops suck ass! I also would like to have a good inventory to start out, about 200 decks, trucks, wheels, clothes, etc. Is $75,000 enough or would it cost more? My wife's dad is LOADED and thinking of asking him to be a silent partner (put up the funds!!) Any input on this would e great! |
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| ThrashCan |
| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 3:05 am |
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Joined: 16 Mar 2004
Posts: 1331
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Im not positive, but I'm pretty sure it will cost more than that to stock and operate a good shop.
I'm thirsty. |
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| ericsktbrdr |
| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 2:30 am |
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Joined: 22 Nov 2004
Posts: 5
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| $75,000 is so much money!!! I guess it depends on where you live and stuff. Try a small shop, around 500square feets maybe alittle less, you could probably get away with doing that size of a shop for about 20,000 if your rent is cheap enough. |
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| houston |
| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 12:23 pm |
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Joined: 30 Jan 2004
Posts: 127
Location: Tejas
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| 75K is more than enough. 200 boards is a lot of stick. I would make sure you have the market to move 200 boards otherwise many of them will end up on sale and outdated. Boards aren't wear you make your money. Also beware of other shops giving the cockblock on accounts. |
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| ThrashCan |
| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 4:08 pm |
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Joined: 16 Mar 2004
Posts: 1331
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i guess it is enough if you dont get snowboards and or surfboards. Alot of companies have minimums you have to meet. Shoes, decks, surf, snow, buncha clothes and random crap + rent and such........puts a hole in your wallet and can make you want to put one in your head. (but dont do that)
I dont own a shop but my good friend does, so this is all just second hand smoke. |
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| polock |
| Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 11:25 pm |
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ORDER OF THE SKULL
Joined: 19 Sep 2002
Posts: 7583
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houston wrote: Boards aren't wear you make your money. Also beware of other shops giving the cockblock on accounts.
Where do you make the money..Clothes? That is what I am guessing. This is just a thought about opening a shop. I am still in the dreaming/planning stages! |
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| rbphenom15 |
| Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 2:38 am |
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Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 789
Location: Alabama!!
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shoes are where the money is at.
me and the wife have always talked about opening a shop ourselves...75 grand would be killer. |
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| oldskoolrulz |
| Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 10:34 pm |
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Joined: 05 Sep 2002
Posts: 706
Location: here and yonder
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75 grand would get you set up pretty nice on stock, may want to set aside some of it for advertising and getting your name out there...
your biggest hurdles will be opening accounts with everybody, best thing to do in the beginning is get set up with a distributor like south shore, eastern skate supply, etc as they can handle about 90% of your hardgood needs...
yep, NO money to be made in the wood, margins suck on the name brand stuff, i make better margins on my shop decks and they are honestly as good if not better that the elements and zeros of the world. i sell 'em for $37.95, make a better margin and feel like i'm giving the kid a better deal all the way around...
no doubt the money is in the softgoods! one of the hardest things about this though is there are a TON of companies to choose from when considering the brands you're gonna carry, the best advice i can give you is research local kids and the brands they like or would like to see in your shop, this will take effort but may save you some bucks in the long run. worst thing in the world is to get a certain brand in the shop to see it sit there until you have to mark it down just to get your $ back out of it...
lastly, and this is SUPER important in my opinion, go above and beyond when it comes to customer service as that is about the only thing that distinguishs you from the rest of the shops in town. i honestly believe that customer service will make or break you, it's the little things that you do for people that will make them remember you and come back to shop again and again...and giveaways like posters and stickers will freak kids out everytime!
best of luck if/when you decide to make the plunge, all i can say if it's a dream of yours then you need to go for it!!! |
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| auragreg |
| Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:16 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 2382
Location: Highland, Michigan, USA, Earth
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I think I'm in it for about $45K right now. It all depends on how much you have to do to the space too, once you get in.
I dont have a lot of stuff ... a little of everything ... snowboards took a lot of the startup $$$.
And yes ... getting with reps is the biggest pain. But there are skate distributors that make it easier. Smoothill is great.
Also - keep in mind that next to nobody will give you credit to buy anything .... so you'll end up paying cash/credit card for all of your inventory at first. |
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| Cowboypunk |
| Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 10:03 pm |
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Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 29
Location: Simi Valley, CA
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