Group Shop Logic

I have space in a couple of group shops where I have had some rewards and some frustrations. One shop that I currently have space in is in the process of a getting a new owner. The old owner told people that he had had enough. He also had some personal issues that would probably overpower anyone. It will be interesting to see how the transition goes from old owner to new owner.

I am re-evaluating my thoughts about group shops in general and as a pretty active buyer and seller I thought I might talk a little about what I think makes a good shop from the dealers perspective. 

The good shop does not compete with it's dealers. This means that the owner recognizes  

that their core business is to support the dealers not to compete with them. Too many shops are owned by dealers that use the group dealers to pay their rent. What often winds up happening is the shop owner loads the shop up with his or her merchandise steering potential sales away from the dealers to their own merchandise. This creates a septic environment that should be avoided. My preference is a shop that is run by an owner that does not buy or sell  antiques but profits by running the shop instead. 

The good shop is well curated. To me that means that the owner maintains a good aesthetic by keeping the vendors to a consistent standard. No imitations, no crap and insisting on a frequent rotation of inventory that keeps the shop fresh. That also means that the owner enforces rules about cleanliness and booth appearances. This is extremely important as a shop can get stale very quickly. Too many shops become secondary storage for the collector/dealer and fill up with stale merchandise.

The good shop advertises. Some the shops I have been in see advertising costs as a competitor to their personal profits. They put a small ad in a trade paper and that is the end of it. They never try anything new and they don't measure the effect of their ads. Also many shop owners are skeptical and even hateful of the internet. I think that this is because many of them blame eBay for "ruining the business". I also think that many shop owners simply are intimidated by computers, seeking comfort in their old stuff and what might have worked 20 years ago instead. Whatever the reason a good shop will use traditional methods of advertising as well as new media.

The good shop has enthusiastic help. There is nothing worse than having to deal with lazy,

unenthusiastic help. Entering the store and seeing the shops help with their nose in an iPad playing games or reading a book is a big turn off to most people that walk into a shop. An enthusiastic greeting to new customers and a named greeting for known or returning customers is standard protocol for most successful retail businesses. There is no reason for a group shop to ignore these simple industry accepted behaviors.

The good shop has consistent hours. I had hoped that I did not have to even mention this but I don't know how many times that I have passed my primary group shop and they were either not open on time or they closed shop early. This is completely unacceptable - especially when I am paying rent and "buying" time from the group shop I expect the hours to be well documented and consistently adhered to. Customers will quickly change their shopping habits to avoid the group shop that has inconsistent hours.

The good shop avoids front counter cliques. A customer that walks into a shop to be greeted by a gang of gossiping dealers (or customers) can feel intimidated or unwelcome. Shop owners should strongly discourage the help from spending time in the front of the store behaving like a bunch of yentas. Politely moving the cliquey conversations to their personal time should be strongly encouraged.  

The good shop promotes an "appropriate store vibe". No loud or inappropriate music or

news stations playing. Good lighting over every booth and in the main store areas. Clean restrooms, fire extinguishers and clearly marked entrance and exit signs. 

To most retailers these are well understood standards for doing business but for some group shop owners they seem to be missed or ignored. Of course lending a personality to the group shop is important but one must recognize that the real reason that the lights stay on is that customers are comfortable coming into the shop and transacting business.