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Have you ever dreamed about how wonderful it would be to own your own doll shop?  Now you can live vicariously through my diary, where I share the real "ins and outs" of starting and owning a doll shop.  The following is a true account, with names and places changed to protect the innocent.

April 25, 2001:  The Doll Club Meeting

I go to my monthly doll collecting club, expecting the usual doll fun and chatter.  Instead, the following conversation takes place with a club member, who is also my friend and a local doll shop owner:

Me: Hi, How are you?  What's new?"
Local Shop Owner "Suzy":  Well...you're going to be really bummed out, but I'm retiring to the cool coast and I'm closing the doll shop.  The going-out-of business sale takes place in a month.
Me:  No!  You can't close the doll shop!  Its the only doll shop in a 90 mile radius!  I can't report on dolls if I can't SEE them, oh, heck, I can't even collect them if I can't see them!  Oh, this is awful...it can't be true...
Suzy:  Yes, I knew you'd be upset.  But....I was wondering...I heard about your recent job slow down, and I heard you were looking for something else to do...so, I thought maybe you'd want to buy the shop from me?
Me:  Oh, gosh, that would be great but I couldn't...I'm still too busy, and my husband would never agree to it, and I don't know how to run a doll shop, and its located too far from my home.....

April 26, 2001:  The Phone Call

RING!

Me:  Suzy?  
Suzy:  Hello, Denise?  My gosh, I haven't even gotten out of bed yet--oh my, its only 6:45 am!
Me:  Oh, gosh, is it?  Well, I couldn't sleep.  You'll never believe this, but my husband thinks that buying the doll shop from you would be a good idea--ok, well, he called me insane but he didn't say no.  Can I come up and see you today and discuss this further?
Suzy:  Ok! I'll put a pot of coffee on, and I'll call up the advertising firm to tell them to hold up the going-out-of-business ad (YAWN!)
Me:  Thanks, Suzy, you're a peach--I'll see you in an hour!

May 1:  The Decision Is Made

Well, after much discussion over one week's time with Suzy and my husband and friends and neighbors, I decide to buy the inventory and fixtures of the doll shop and find a location for a doll shop in my town--I'm going to own a doll shop!  Moving the store to my town makes the most sense, since commuting to my friend's town would take 40 minutes each way, AND my town has a larger population and is without a comparable doll shop.  This brings about a whole set of issues--such as WHERE to locate the shop, and can I find and afford a decent location.  

First Two Weeks Of May: Finding a Location

Since Suzy needs to be out of her present location during June, I need to find a shop location and fast, unless I want to move the entire inventory to my home until a location can be found.  First, I check downtown, where there is great foot traffic, and beautiful, historic buildings, with luxurious wood floors and beams and great brick walls--just perfect for a lovely doll/bear/gift shop.  I immediately find out that all of the beautiful, historic buildings with good locations have waiting lists for leases, and I could maybe have a spot in 3 to 5 years.  This is NOT going to work.

Then, I check out the large malls.  The rent is sky-high, the stores don't have the right feel, and they demand that you be open LONG hours, 7 days a week.  Again, not going to work, since I am going to be able to afford minimal staffing for my store, if my dollar projections on how MUCH money you can make from a small doll/bear/gift shop in a small "urban area" of about 95,000 people is at all accurate (actually, to get to the 95,000 population figure I think the census counters counted a few cows).  My current budget calls for a staff of ONE (me) plus whatever help I can wheedle out of my family.

Next, I check the local strip and mini malls.  Most are ugly.  Really ugly.  And, I just can't imagine being located between a grocery shop and a dry cleaners.  Of course, the rent is MUCH better than either downtown or the big malls.  

Finally, in desperation, I DO find a small mall that might work.  Cute mall, with pretty classical music playing and a lovely fountain.  Nice, wood-front shops.  In the same mall, a scrapbook store and a crafts mini-mall have JUST opened up, AND there is an educational toy and supply center.  In other words, a female shopping nirvana.  There is a nice, vacant little spot, about 1,100 square feet (larger than Suzy's location) with a cute layout.  This looks promising, so I call the rental agent, and....the rent is reasonable as well.  I am concerned that the shop is tucked in by the fountain, so its not very visible from the parking lot (LOTS of parking!) but, its also a plus to be by the fountain where people sit and have brunch and lunch from a little restaurant.  SO.....I toss and turn a few nights, and decide to try to negotiate a lease for this spot.

Second Two Weeks of May:  Negotiating the Lease and Naming The Store

The lease negotiation is arduous and intimidating, but I won't bore you with the details here, except to mention that the minimum rental term was for 3 years.  The best news was that the lease was quickly negotiated, and I was given the keys to the shop on June 1st!  During the negotiating process, I also had to pick a name for the shop.  I have had a doll business for several years, focusing on vintage and antique dolls, which I call "Denise Van Patten Dolls."  Great for the Internet, but NOT the right name for a local store where I want to bring in shoppers that are not ONLY looking for dolls.  So, I sit down with my family and we put various thoughts, names and titles on paper, and play "find the right name" for well over a week.  We have various family names--Denise, Katherine, Van Patten....and various imagery names....House, Collectibles, Corner, Cottage...etc etc.  The family lands on Katherine's Cottage (Katherine is my daughter) since it fits with the location and the imagery I want to put forward.  SO...holding my breath....I need to see if a DBA is available for that business name in my area (it is!!) and JUST as important, I need to see if the URL for a web site is available for that business name (it is!). SO, we now have a store name and a location--next we get the inventory and have to make a lovely store out of the location (it was formerly a Home Mortgage Office!)....

In  the next installment of "Diary of A Doll Retailer"-- entries on "The Move", "Renovating and Painting the Store", and the "Ant Invasion"!  Go to Diary of a Doll Retailer Part II!

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