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!

There are boutiquey sort of places that do well down Ards Peninsula direction. I can think of the pottery place in Millisle that has a very expensive coffee shop attached and also The Crafty Fox in Kircubbin direction. There is also a wool place that has opened from someone's home (she had a shop/studio before) that does well, she does classes and workshops that seems to be fully booked.

I'd focus on pets...

I have a very indulged pet dog, but his staple food is bought online, treats can be bought in quantity from a supermarket, bones come for free from the farm shop butchery. If you saw me with my dog you'd think I'd be a prime customer for a nice local pet shop but in reality I'd spend two fifths of bugger all once in a blue moon there.

I'd focus on pets...

That's why I said I'd focus on a service . I'd provide a service, anyhow, and did. We offered commercial cleaning.

Ooh ooh, I still say pets is the way forward , but maybe offer additional services then - team up with a dog groomer or trainer and run classes.

Hold puppy socialising events!

Hold puppy socialising events!

Only if you know what you're doing, have appropriate training and insurance.

What about a cat cafe? They are booked up for months in advance in other cities.

Dog grooming? There's one near me that's been going for ages.

Thinking back to a smallish town I used to live in, I'd say an old-fashioned hardware store. We have one of these in our town. It's legendary. It has everything you could possibly need to keep your home running.

I used to run a 'craft pottery place' as referred to up-thread. It was HARD work! Dealing with customers in a much more hands-on way than 'normal' retail; managing the technical side of things (if only it was just a case of putting them in the kiln to make them go shiny); being very hands on with all the babies who came in to do hand/foot prints; dealing with the delight that is a party of 25 6 year olds; a LOT of cleaning and tidying - and then all the usual retail stuff (stock management, banking, admin, marketing etc etc).
It can be a good earner at peak times - we were always PACKED at half terms, before Father's Day and throughout November and December, but who wants to paint pottery on a cold wet Thursday in January, or a boiling hot Saturday in August?!

I made a living out of it (with one part time staff member), but after 6 years I realised life was much easier when someone else was paying my wages and I could take paid holiday and have weekends off!

I've got lots of friends who own small retail businesses, and times are tough on the high street right now. The competition from online is immense, footfall is low and there is an expectation of discounts/sales and lack of value in proper customer service and knowledge/expertise of the person running the business.
I love to shop local, and support small businesses, but the reality is that too many people don't.

I think if you don't have a passion for bringing a particular product/service to your high street, or an amazing business plan, it's very, very hard to make it work.

Ooh, who's that @anneofavonlee? I know there's a new wool shop in Bloomfield avenue in Belfast but hadn't heard of another one Ards direction.

The pottery place near Ballywalter couldn't survive without the cafe I suspect. They do nice quiches and ok cakes.

Pet supplies shop including horse feed?
I live near a town which has a thriving High Street. Shops that have survived for decades:
Cafes
Pubs
A delicatessen
Shoe shop
Boutiques for the older lady
Hardware store
Hairdressers
Estate agents
Dog grooming
Ice cream shop
Indian and Chinese takeaway
Fish and chip shops
Butchers
Fishmonger
Bakers
Haberdashery
Baker

Things that fail: Fancy gift shops

It can't harm to try op, but have you thought about the costs involved in just setting up the shop, that's before you have even started making money. Would you be working all the hours yourself? If not you will need to find, train, retain and pay staff. Many new start ups can take a while to turn a profit and on some occasions owners take a minimal wage for a while until the finances of the business settle.
If you do have staff, they will have statutory rights, as the business owner you have none and if anything goes wrong, you need to step up.

I can understand you questioning your current working environment, but there are pro's and con's on both sides and try not to just see the benefits of working for yourself. Depending on your life style and the business you run the pros and cons can vary quite a bit. The money you can make, staff retention and demand for your service can also vary dramatically and what seems to be a good idea may not actually work.

Sorry OP but I have done both, currently running my own garage and have done so successfully for the last 9 years, I can enjoy the benefits but truthfully, if I could go back to being an employee with the knowledge I have now of running a business I would do it at the drop of a hat, I now long to be employed. Why? I am now sick of the responsibility, not having the right to leave, sick pay etc, having to constantly worry that our fortune may turn, having to deal with staff. The list goes on I'm worn out.
I have even on occasion came from my sick bed to cover a staff member calling in sick and also had to take my toddler in to.

God I do make it sound bleak!!!!

The grass isn't always greener.

Good luck though with what ever you choose to do, either way.

Go for it if you can! My husband was made redundant 2 years ago, he loves loves whiskey so 2 years later we now own and he runs a whiskey and Gin shop in our local town

I live in a small rural town 30 mins from our nearest Big City. We have lots of cafes of every niche variety you can think of (posh one, cheap one, the deli, the good breakfast one, the one with the view etc etc) they're all packed at weekends and over the summer.

We also have lots of shabby chic gift shops though there's a real gap in the market for mens gifts. Local, specialist, artisan food is also a big thing.

'There's no such thing as a day off when you run your own business'
As someone who is employed and has a sideline working independently, I can absolutely agree with this.

I used to sell knitting wool from home. I made loads! I also used to hire a village hall once a month and have a sort of pop up shop thingy for 2 days.

I stopped because the wool was taking over my house (and creepy caretaker guy a the village hall was getting quite menacing) but I'd had enquiries from other islands asking if I'd go there, and the two days a month alone made me about £2000. Lots of my customers knitted for the tourist trade and they bought a lot of luxury yarns, plus is was great craic!

If you have a passion or skill you start with that.

It's really hard to make money from shops. Unless you are based somewhere that people will spend stupidly and you can open a pricey nonsense place like a Cereal Bar or a Crisp Sandwich shop, make a fortune and then close.

I did this @Plumviolet , jacked in the fairly well paid day job in early 2017 and started my very own pottery painting shop (there are a fair few suppliers who do day courses to learn the basics).

It was one of the best things I have done! Although since my DH has taken a job abroad and I've sold up (which was fairly successful as it was profit making in the first 12 months). Which did break my heart, but I know I can always start from scratch again!

Be prepared for hard work, long hours and lots of dull but necessary jobs such as bookkeeping, cleaning etc, but it is sooo rewarding knowing that every decision you make counts and helps in your businesses success. Also make sure you can cover your rent/rates for at least 6-12 months on the assumption your business make take time to build a following and support itself. Location wise my shop was in a fairly small (but well known) town which has a university campus with a couple of miles, which helped enormously with its success.

Good luck with your decision, hopefully whatever you do it'll be right for you and your family.

I did this 18 years ago. I'm still going but have just had a horrendous 10 years of tough business times, barely keeping my head above water and getting into debt (now almost paid off). My top tip would be to keep an open mind. What I stock now varies hugely from my opening day stock. The market changes so much and so quickly. Neighbouring shops mostly adapt and change their stock as the years pass. On that same note don't be afraid to compete. If another shop is doing well (in another town or city) there's no reason why you shouldn't go after the same business (this happened when a neighbour with more buying power went after my brands and finished off what was left of my original business but it was high time for a change So what seemed like a devastating blow at the time was actually the final necessary shove to change direction). Take advice and help when it's offered.

You will be working long hours. And Saturdays and you may end up paying staff more than you took in a day, which stings. Good staff are worth their weight in gold though.

Look into any grants and free support offered by local authorities.

I want to open an old-fashioned sweetshop, but can't afford high stress shop rental prices. 🥺

In my village, a shop that sells decent food, not just findus type ready meals and Happy Shopper stuff.

But I can't help wondering why we don't have this. Is it not profitable or do people assume it isn't?

I saw a shop on Hairy Bikers Comfort Food yesterday which does groceries but also homemade ice cream and a coffee shop. It should be on iPlayer.

I am in the process of doing what you are planning! I am moving 250 miles to start a holiday let business. Currently sitting in my corporate office feeling impatient for my new life to start!

A woman I know left a high flying job in the city and now works for minimum wage in a fudge shop! Says she is much happier now.

How about a dress agency type thing?. There's one in our local town and it does very well, selling good quality, second hand clothes (men/women/children/shoes/accessories etc). It's the go-to place when you've a wedding/party to go to. They take the clothes, display and retail like a normal clothes shop and pay the donor commission on the sale once the item is sold, so they don't even need to buy in their own stock. I know they also buy in stock from sources such as eBay to sell on at a profit. Could be a nice little earner ....

OP if you’re in a touristy type area could you open a B&B with a tea room?

For me it would be a book shop which also sold lovely stationery with a cafe at the back selling homemade cakes.