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This may, in fact, be the worst listing ever.
Profile ID: xxxxxx
Title: Local Consignment Store
Project ID: xxxxxx
Category: Writing, Editing & Translation
Description:
Finders Keepers Consignment is a locally owned and operated family business. By offering customer consignment, potential customers have two ways to shop with our company. Our business also provides community support by reselling locally owned merchandise at low prices and by offering a way for people to resell their gently used items in order to earn a profit. Due to the current economic climate, the small population and location of my business, Finders Keepers Consignment has prospered and gained momentum since opening to the public in January 2009.
The idea for opening the consignment store was born out of three problems I myself was facing. First, by being a stay-at-home mom of two children and my husband being the sole paycheck earner, money was and is tight. I knew that by having a yard sale, people would expect yard sales prices for items which were still in very good shape and that I had paid top dollar for. A yard sale typically lasts for 2 to 3 days; then you are still stuck with the merchandise that didn’t sell. So I had all of this stuff that I had no place to store, did not fit and/or toys my children no longer played with. Also, with holidays and birthdays and the children consistently out-growing their clothing, I knew that I would accumulate more “stuff” as the years pasted by. I talked with other mom’s around our town and was reassured that I was not the only family with this problem.
Second, at the time I was contemplating opening my store, the price of gas was at $4 dollars with the threat of rising even higher. The location of the consignment store is located off the main 82 highway and the town of Gordo is located between the cities of Northport/Tuscaloosa in Tuscaloosa County and the slightly larger towns of Reform and Carrollton in Pickens County. I also receive customers from the smaller community towns between Northport and Gordo such as Echola and Coker. Due to the highway being the main road traveled through the two counties and also between the two states of Alabama and Mississippi, I also receive customers traveling through the state. With all of this traffic, I am never at a loss for potential sales despite only being open for three days a week. Since the price of gas was at that time surging, I knew that I could offer a local business that offered quality merchandise to buy and also save customers travel time, gas mileage and money and save almost 60% to 70% on items by buying used. I also pride myself with offering one-on-one customer service, short lines at check-out and by getting to know each customer personally; which are not offered in the larger department and chain stores in the larger cities.
Third, and lastly, the problem that I need to address is the inability to offer employment. With all of my personal money and profit going to store supplies, I am as of yet unable to provide myself with a paycheck or hire new employees. Gordo has a very high unemployment rate because of the lack of open job positions available. If you are not a student at the Gordo schools or work at the local Peco Center, then you commute to a part-time or full-time job to Northport or Tuscaloosa in Tuscaloosa County or drive an hour to Columbus, Mississippi. The car commute to Northport and Tuscaloosa is anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, one way, anywhere from 5 to 7 days a week depending on your job. If I could expand my business and hire two more employees, my business would have the necessary employee power to grow. I would be able to take in more merchandise and price the merchandise at a faster rate; therefore offering more merchandise for resale to give the consignors, my employees and myself a profit. As of now, only my consignors and my credit card are earning a profit.
When people walk into my store, I have designed my business to reflect an at-home feeling. I want customers to feel comfortable browsing through the store. I have a room designated for clothing sizes 2T Toddler (boys/girls) up to sizes 3XLarge in Men and Ladies clothing as well as size infant to adult shoes size 13. I offer jewelry, Ladies and children’s purses, hats, socks, belts, adult and children books, kitchen items, fabrics, knick-knacks, home-décor, movies and music. I also have furniture for sale but I do not have a local place to display the large items. Due to the diverse catalog of the consigned items, I believe that I have something for everyone but I am unable to display all merchandise for easy customer browsing. I believe I have a solution.
On Main Street, in Gordo, there are three lots on each side of the street. With a business grant, I could buy three lots on one side of the street and incorporate them into a huge two story consignment center. Each of the buildings would be connected with a centralized walkway throughout; but each building would house a specific merchandise décor. For example, one building could house infant clothing, toys and nursery bedding and furniture. Another building would have teen and adult clothing, shoes and accessories. The last building lot would have 2T Toddler to Tween boy/girl clothing sizes, shoes, accessories, books and toys. Upstairs would be for larger pieces of furniture, art and house wares. I want the customer to walk downstairs and upstairs and feel like they are walking into someone’s home. If a customer sees items in a “home” setting, the customer is more likely to picture the item in their own home and make a purchase. The last upstairs space would be for storage of unpriced clothing and unpriced house items as well as a large work, cleaning and pricing area.
I also have the plan to set up a large rotating belt from the outside back-lot at ground level so that customers could drive around to the back, unload their furniture, boxes and bags of consignment items onto the belt. The belt would move in a circular pattern, like on a treadmill, and lead from the ground up to a roll-top door located on the second-floor of the storage/work area. That way, with the flip of a switch, the merchandise would slowly, steadily and safely be moved up to the second floor and be transferred easily into the storage space until the items could be priced. The customer and the employee’s backs are protected from carrying the merchandise from their car to our upstairs storage. Plus, the customer’s currently shopping inside the store would not be disturbed by the incoming unpriced merchandise.
The new location would still be a plus due to Main Street connecting to Hwy 82 by the only red light in the town of Gordo. For advertising, I could put up a billboard on Hwy 82 and direct potential customers down Main Street and help bring Main Street alive again. Our town needs a breath of fresh air in our business district and I believe that by relocating and expanding my business, Finders Keepers Consignment could be that fresh breath.
I also have to address the need for better store security. Due to the tight enclosed area I currently work out of, several items have been stolen. Not only am I losing a potential sale and profit; but the item’s consignor has lost his or her profit as well. A business grant would help me with store security by providing camera’s for deterrence and more eyes with the new employees for real time customer viewing.
In conclusion, a business grant would help expand my business by relocating to a larger area, hire new employees, provide designated rooms for merchandise with open floor space and offer a new upstairs storage space and work area with the moveable belt which will provide safety for employees and consignors. Finders Keepers Consignment would be able to price more merchandise and price items faster in order to get the items out on the floor for resale. A business grant would also provide a way to advertise with a larger store sign, highway billboards and utilize our local newspaper. With a business grant, I could offer a more productive and user friendly store atmosphere for customer shopping and continue to build one-on-one personal relationships with my customers. A new larger, more diversified store location and larger merchandise areas would benefit Gordo’s neighboring towns and state, Pickens County, my community, my consignors, my customers and my family.
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As I read this, it struck me that this “proposal” is the Gooroo equivalent of having some lunatic sit next to you on a long, long bus ride. Can you imagine what this person’s friends and family go through on a daily basis? Oh, the horror.
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