New Shop - A continuation

Sorry for the off road diversion but recovering from a planned medical procedure has somewhat restricted my writing and I wanted to finish up with the bad group shop - good group shop series. I made arrangements to rent space in a new shop before I decided to leave the old shop. I went to the new shop today and paid the first months rent and made some measurements to make some preparation decisions. Under doctors orders I cannot lift anything too heavy so I plan to get some lighter stuff in tomorrow and wait for help with the cases and larger furniture.

The numbers are as follows: the old space was 8' by 8' the new space is 12' by 9'. This means that I am going from 64 square feet to 108 square feet. Approximately an increase of 64% more space. The difference in rent annually is $1,440.00 or a total increase of 53%. So to recap - 64% more space for only 53% more rent - a deal! Plus, the new shop washes the credit card sale expenses (at cost) the old shop charged 5% of the sale. On $1,000.00 per month in credit card sales this should net me an added $20.00 per month or $240.00 per year actually making the new space an even better deal.

Other equally important attributes of the space are high walls. I now have a full 8' wall on three sides. The back walls are built on an external steel studded wall with full code 1/2" sheetrock. The side walls are 5/8" sheet rock framed on 2 by 3 wood studs. The side walls are braced with a double 2 by 4 in the front and a double 2 by 4 across that top. This means that I can hang large mirrors and pictures without worrying about the load on the walls. 

The booths are well lighted and there are real security cameras that are (actually) recording constantly. Each booth has a 4 plug outlet centrally located in the rear of the booth. The floors are sealed concrete that do not need rugs. I might put a rug down for appearance later but the floor is nice enough that it is not necessary. The building is well insulated so when the winter changes to summer the owner will not go broke keeping the space comfortable for customers.

Battered Cabinet

Most importantly, the new shop has an energetic and engaged owner. The vibe in the shop is overwhelmingly positive. It is reflected in the way that the shop "feels" when you walk in. People are always greeted at the door and acknowledged. The place is clean and according to the owner traffic is up significantly despite the snow battering we have taken over the past month. In the few hours that I was in the shop cleaning and stocking, there were always 3 to 5 people walking the space - a very good sign.


The overall product mix is eclectic but with an average quality to high quality offerings. A nice item from another booth.