Start Your Own Clothing Store
Startup Guide for Children’s, Bridal, Vintage, and Consignment
This new startup guide from Entrepreneur Press explores how to plan, stock, open, run, and market all different types of independent clothing stores.
Book Review:
Start Your Own Clothing Store.
Children’s Bridal, Vintage, Consignment
Entrepreneur Press
Charlene Davis
978-159918125-7
188 pages
$15.95 U.S.
If your sense of style is nearly as strong as your nose for business, you might have a good chance of success operating a clothing store, according to the newly revised edition of Start Your Own Clothing Store by Charlene Davis and Entrepreneur Press. The book begins with a brief summary of the fashion world before launching into practical advice about what you need to know, need to do, and need to have in the bank before attempting to open any kind of clothing store.
Starting a Small Business is Hard Work
Davis warns would-be store-owners that initially it will take 12- to14-hour work days with difficult tasks and low income before the money starts rolling in. Eventually, however, owning a clothing store can result in a creative way to express your style, a rewarding means of meeting customer needs, and a thriving, lucrative career.
Start Your Own Clothing Store covers all of the basic information needed to begin: analyzing the competition, spotting trends, finding a mentor, branding and franchising, overhead costs, location considerations, sales tactics, organization and decoration, equipment and accessories, advertising and public relations, magazines and newsletters, signage, finances and record keeping, online stores, and dozens of other crucial elements you’ll need to think about before launching your business. Davis also devotes entire chapters to women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing stores and specialty boutiques (including vintage, consignment, and bridal).
Everything You Need to Know
Clearly explained and logically organized, the information contained in this book should help any potential clothing store owner to decide if this is a career they want to pursue. In addition to chapter breakdowns and subheadings that delineate specific ideas, helpful additions such as boxes containing statistical facts, clothing trivia, warnings, checklists, and an appendix make Start Your Own Clothing Store an entertaining and informative read.
Based on the expert advice of clothing industry insiders and her own extensive research, Davis presents facts, suggestions, and related information about the fashion industry – essentially everything you need to know before hanging your shingle and opening your doors. While the book considers artistic store displays and fickle customer tastes in fashion, it focuses mainly on practical matters. The message “You cannot run a successful apparel store without savings, a bank loan, or a trust fund” resurfaces throughout the book as a frequent reminder to keep your dreams (and spending patterns) realistic. Written for people wanting to open a new clothing store or take over an existing one, this book will help any entrepreneur get off to a great start.
For more information about clothing, read Tips for Starting a Clothing Store and Clothing in the Movies and on TV.
