This past weekend I had the chance to set up a table and sell locally in the Lebanon Valley Mall. The mall was hosting a vendor fair for the weekend, and since it was inexpensive, we decided we would take a chance and set up to sell. I have always wanted to test the local market for my retail business, Addicted Geeks, and though the mall is a mostly dead area with hardly any stores and very little foot traffic, it was a cheap opportunity to give it a try.
We took a selection of items that are bestsellers on our website, along with all of the keychains and jewelry we had, including items that are not yet available on our site. We were unsure what to expect, hopeful that we would sell a lot of inventory, but expecting to sell very little simply because of the area and the lack of shoppers.
The event was Saturday and Sunday, with the option of setting up to sell Friday evening. We had planned on all three days, expecting Saturday to be the busiest of the three. Sundays in Lebanon are typically fairly dead, except for restaurants right after church services. The area is heavily religious and many stores and services are simply not open on Sundays here.
Friday evening at the mall was a total waste for us. We sold absolutely nothing, which left me feeling discouraged about the rest of the weekend. Saturday went better, though we still saw very little compared to what I am used to for a retail business on a Saturday. We opted to skip Sunday entirely due to busy schedules, which was fortunate because my oldest cat was having one of his bad days, creating a lot of stress for me with trying to get him to eat.
Overall, we did make enough profits to cover the cost of renting the space and table. We did not make enough to cover the cost of supplies purchased for in-person sales, such as bags and price stickers, but since we have them to use for the next event we attend, it was certainly not a waste.
As I suspected, our smaller items sell better in person, likely due to the lack of shipping costs. We did sell a few plush toys, including a great discount I gave to a mother whose daughter could not decide between a pink or grey axolotl. What is the point in owning a business if you cannot make people happy? I wanted the little girl to have both, so I made it happen. I barely made anything on the sale, but that little girl was so excited that she could get both of those toys. That is why I went into the geek/toy business: to make people happy.
What we really need is the local comic convention, Paranoiacon, to come back next year. I have even offered to help in any way I can to make it happen. It sounds like the organizers want to do it, but are hesitant because of busy personal lives and lack of time. Other local comic cons are a little out of our price ranges this early on, and the Lebanon one seemed to be the perfect fit for our business, so we can only hope that it returns again next year.
I am fortunate that my two "employees" are volunteers at this time, wanting the business to succeed without expecting payment in return. If I can compensate them at all, I always do, but most of the time they expect nothing out of it and only want to see the business grow. One of these employees is my mother, who receives enough free tech support in exchange. The other is a friend I met when I worked at Joann. The dream is that someday Addicted Geeks will make enough to not only support me, but to also pay him a living wage.
I really need that dream to become a reality someday. This whole working-for-corporations is not something I can tolerate for long. So many rules and odd business tactics that go against my natural business instincts. I just need to work for me, and I know I can succeed...if I just had the money to get it started.
It might be slow to start, but we are steadily getting there.