AIBU to want to give it all up and start a shop on the Main Street in our village.

[Plumviolet]

Sitting here listening to all the doom and gloom on the radio about brexit and the cliff we are all going to fall off in a few months and it’s got me dreaming of a life reboot.

I’m returning to work after a maternity and I just can’t face the horrendous commute, full time away from the kids, au pair/full time nanny taking all my income and the day to day drudgery of working in a soul destroying office job for someone else to profit. (And I’m likely to lose my job anyway if all the hype is for real).

I live in a lovely little town around 30 minutes from Belfast. We still have a busy Main Street where people do actually shop still as we are remote enough.

AIBU to want to pack it all in and open a little shop?

I have a fairly major problem though... I don’t know what to sell. In your dream country village what shops would you like to see?

I know starting a business and getting it profitable is a hard slog but at least it will be for me. We’re all going to have to buy local as we won’t be able to afford to import things anyway!

I wish I had an eco goods shop close by. One that you could take your own jars and containers to fill with flour and sugar etc. It would also stock lovely bar soap and environmentally friendly washing products.

My nearest shop that does this is 25 miles away and I have to negotiate a hellish ring road and pay £10 for city centre parking.

In your dream country village what shops would you like to see?

Well, in my village I'd love to have a basic village shop and post office back, but it sounds like yours has probably got that already.

Thinking back to a smallish town I used to live in, I'd say an old-fashioned hardware store. The sort of place you can buy a small paper bag of pick&mix nails rather than having to get several overpriced plastic-packaged sets from B&Q, but also sells essential crockery, kitchenware, packets of seeds...etc. I've still got quite a lot of miscellaneous really useful things bought there. This shop could sell the non-food 'eco' products too, of course... but it will, inevitably, acquire that distinctive smell which I believe is mostly zoflora.

You don't live far from me Plum.
What are your interests ?
You'll be miserable running a hardware store if you hate hardware.
A friend of mine packed in her job to have a boutique , she's doing brilliantly, I think she's been lucky though , well established boutiques around Bloomfield Ave which was once known for these shops are almost all closed now.
It's a good time to get a cheap lease though.
Can you budget for not making a profit for a year?
You will still need childcare, it's unlikely you'll have money for staff straight away.I
Why retail?
What other skills do you have?

The eco shop could work, but you'll need lots of people with that sort of mindset nearby, perhaps within walking/cycling distance and it will probably either have to be comparable in price to supermarkets or you'll need lots of well off customers who able to pay higher prices for the eco credentials.

You need to take quite a lot of money to cover rent, rates, utilities, stock costs, shop fitting costs, plus pay yourself even NMW so it will be hard going if people are coming in to buy 50 pence worth of oats.

A 'little shop' is a lovely idea, but not the road to riches or even a half decent living for the vast majority of those who run one.

I like the eco idea. I've had similar fantasies recently (eyeing up an empty retail unit around the corner) but my neighbourhood is quite well served already. We have a post office, a couple of bakeries, newsagents, hairdressers etc. The only thing there isn't in my area is a butcher but as I'm vegetarian I don't think that would work.

arts and crafts supplies and maybe courses or cafe at the back

jewllery supplies beads etc or unique jewellery

pet clothes and accessories

fabric or knitting

quality kids toy eco friendly wooden type and book store for kids

soap or candles, spice shop and unusual foodie ingredients

ethical clothes and accessories

gems and crystals, fairy and alternative stuff

hair accessories

Why not children clothing and toys, etc, plus gifts and make it a welcoming space for parents and children with activities going on? Something like this near where I live? thehungrycaterpillarcafe.co.uk/

It does, of course, depend a lot on the likely demographics of potential clientele. If its the sort of village people go for an afternoon out then you might be able to think about some of the more esoteric possibilities. But if you'd mostly be serving a local community then you'd need to stick with things those people actually want, year round. Mostly or commuter belt? Much excess income?

A sweet shop! The old fashioned kind where everything is in jars and you weigh them out. If there already is something like that I wouldn't want to do it though.
Gift and card shop. A book shop. A game shop selling board games and gadgets. A toy shop selling wooden toys. Really depends on what there already is tbh.

'Mostly or commuter belt? Much excess income?'

That was supposed to say 'mostly rural or commuter belt'.

Where are you, Plum?

I don't shop on the high street enough , but I shop in person for kids' birthday presents, birthday cards, skincare and lunches during the working day.

The shops still going near me include an old fashioned hardware shop, a jewellers, school uniform shops, opticians, plus lots of cafes and beauticians. There's been a resurgence of shops selling vinyl (as in records, not flooring) but I don't know how long they'll last.

Having recently got a puppy, I’m discovering the endless joy of pet supplies/gifts/food/accessories/chews/treats.

Undercut Pets at Home price wise (not hard!) or just get some slightly different locally sourced products in, and I’d be down your shop EVERY DAY.

I would love a bakery/deli/sandwich shop. Actually preferably I'd like a shop that was all of the above - a place to stop for good coffee and yummy home made where you could also buy said yummy home made stuff to take home.

Failing that maybe a shop where I could buy gifts for both children and adults (I always seem to have forgotten to buy one in time and it would be nice to be able to buy stuff locally). If it was a crafty shop you could also do toddler mornings and pottery painting?

I think an eco shop would be a good bet, more and more people are looking for alternatives.

For me personally I would love a children’s book shop with storytimes and craft sessions and weekly book clubs. It would sell drinks and cake too.

We have a little row of about 4 units in our local garden centre. They are all currently empty and up for rent. Things that have come and failed are:

Hairdresser
Lingerie
Fruit and Veg (organic)
Butcher (high quality)
Boutique
Craft shop
Frozen food (where you take your own containers and fill from freezers)
Posh wine shop

All failed. I'm wondering if a bargain booze might work

Are you in the touristy Game-of-Thrones-trail bit of NI or is it more local shops for local people?

On holiday in Germany this summer I went to the loveliest little cafe/bookshop, but you might not want the extra bother of food. If I was going to open a shop though I'd move to the picturesque village nearby with a big National Trust attraction and open one of those.

In the small market town i used to live in there was a shortage of shops with good childrens clothes. I don't mean expensive, but not tat like some market stalls sell.

Including basic school uniform, underwear, tights, hats, gloves etc. School bags.

Using no plastic bags if possible.

You could also sell hair bobbles, hair slides, small gifts like a few books, purses, bags ... little teddies ...

I'd love to do something like this, it's my dream to have a shop one day but I wouldn't know where to start.

Could you survey people who live locally to see what sort of shop they would use?

I'm also half an hour from Belfast & have been dreaming of similar of a while - my friend and I thought a fine wine and whisky shop, but realistically, what I think would work well is a business that caters for events for 2-4 year olds pre-school or nursery age as parents are always wanting something to entertain them.

I also think I'd be pretty good at selling birthday/Christmas gifts as I like to find unusal things but again, its a bit niche and certainly not profitable! I would like somewhere eco friendly that I could buy loose grains etc without the plastic & I think a locally made non toxic cleaning spray would sell well if you had refillable spray bottles too. Let us know if you go ahead with anything & I can come and visit!

I love the idea of opening a little shop!

Do you have the basic knowledge already, or would you teach yourself how to?

I second the hardware store idea.

Once, on holiday in Scotland, I saw a little shop that seemed to have anything one might urgently need before the next shopping trip to the big city - I remember sewing needles and yarn, but there were a lots of bits and pieces that you'd have to go to a lot of different shops, usually, to get.

A wide variety of goods would also enable you to easily change what you offer when you notice that some things sell better.

I personally love bookshops and adore the idea of a bookshop and cafe, but I also know not everyone loves books.

I guess it entirely depends what is already on your high street?

I disagree with child-centred businesses, however, or anything catering to families with young children. You will have no end of pisstaking CFer parents trying it on for discounts and, believe it or not, lifters and damage to the property and not very high margins. DEFINITELY true with cafes.

Personally, having run a successful commercial cleaning business, I'd stay away from shops and wouldn't pack in secure work until I had the side business up and running.

Sorry, but it's not a very good industry to be in just now.

Something that can be developed beyond just the shop. Arts & crafts would be good. With a craft area where you can hold regular coffee morning events for the community, hold birthday parties, bring people together. And somewhere local crafters could sell their own creations.

Doing this has appealed to me for ages!

Can you turn it around OP and tell us what shops your high street already has?

I live in a village we have several restaurants, local co-op, five hairdressers/barbers, (yes 5!) card/gift shop, bakers, newsagent, 2 coffee shops, chemist, beauticians, opticians, dog groomers, cobblers and a florist.

I would love a traditional sweet shop, a babies/children clothing/supplies and toy shop, a hardware/homeware shop.