MA Gear Store Discussion (Split from "Excited to be getting a uniform")

[JR 137]

My thinking is alterations wouldn’t cost me anything and I wouldn’t profit much if at all from it. Whatever my aunt or a similar person would want per item would be the price I tack onto the uniform. So if the person charges $10 for hemming pants, then it would simply be the cost + $10. They’d come get the items and use their own equipment. Or I could drop off and pick up. If she can’t get involved I have someone else in mind that runs their own place. I can even learn what they want done as far as getting the length right. Beyond a simple pants and sleeves length thing, I refer them to the appropriate people. Things get thrown off when taking shrinking into account though. I guess I would measure them with the pre-shrunk stuff and use those measurements with the new stuff. That’s really a minor detail that’ll work itself out later on, but I think it’s one that’ll make an impression on potential customers.

I’m just picturing what I would want if I walked into a store and am trying to see if I could realistically make it all happen.

Edit: I don’t know if a seamstress would rather do the work on site or elsewhere. If there was enough demand I could buy a few basic things like a sewing machine and scissors and the like. It all depends on demand, cost, and profit. I doubt the demand would justify it, but you never know how it’ll really end up. I definitely wouldn’t do it at the start; it would only be done after some time if the demand dictates it.

To begin with it would definitely be “wash and machine dry warm X times then get it altered.” I’d also say I know a person that’ll do it for $X” and see where that gets me. If they want it measured and altered before that process I could have that done too. But I really think we’re dealing with very few here, but I could be surprised. That’s one of those we’ll see when it happens things.

 

[JR 137]

I think I’m getting ahead of myself with the storefront idea. The more I think about it I should probably get started with commercial sales first then branch out into a storefront.

But the storefront is what gave me the idea in the first place. And a storefront will also bring in casual business that commercial ales wouldn’t.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

My thinking is alterations wouldn’t cost me anything and I wouldn’t profit much if at all from it. Whatever my aunt or a similar person would want per item would be the price I tack onto the uniform. So if the person charges $10 for hemming pants, then it would simply be the cost + $10. They’d come get the items and use their own equipment. Or I could drop off and pick up. If she can’t get involved I have someone else in mind that runs their own place. I can even learn what they want done as far as getting the length right. Beyond a simple pants and sleeves length thing, I refer them to the appropriate people. Things get thrown off when taking shrinking into account though. I guess I would measure them with the pre-shrunk stuff and use those measurements with the new stuff. That’s really a minor detail that’ll work itself out later on, but I think it’s one that’ll make an impression on potential customers.

I’m just picturing what I would want if I walked into a store and am trying to see if I could realistically make it all happen.

Edit: I don’t know if a seamstress would rather do the work on site or elsewhere. If there was enough demand I could buy a few basic things like a sewing machine and scissors and the like. It all depends on demand, cost, and profit. I doubt the demand would justify it, but you never know how it’ll really end up. I definitely wouldn’t do it at the start; it would only be done after some time if the demand dictates it.

To begin with it would definitely be “wash and machine dry warm X times then get it altered.” I’d also say I know a person that’ll do it for $X” and see where that gets me. If they want it measured and altered before that process I could have that done too. But I really think we’re dealing with very few here, but I could be surprised. That’s one of those we’ll see when it happens things.

I think you're looking at the right approach to start. Give them good instructions and a reputable place to get their alterations - someone who can really get good at dealing with those heavy sleeve cuffs and such. I think you could manage to keep the math handy for pre-shrinkage alterations for a few high-end items, but it would probably not make sense to try to do it for all uniforms. Maybe a premium thing for premium products.

And off-site seems easier, unless a bunch of people start coming to you for alterations, beyond what you sell. Maybe in the long run having a partnership with an alterations place housed in the same facility (next door or some such) makes sense. The issue with bringing it in-house is that you then must always have at least one person who can do the work. That's a specialized position, so you probably won't have two, and if one quits, you're scrambling.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I think I’m getting ahead of myself with the storefront idea. The more I think about it I should probably get started with commercial sales first then branch out into a storefront.

But the storefront is what gave me the idea in the first place. And a storefront will also bring in casual business that commercial ales wouldn’t.

Another thought on that - maybe a deal with a retailer in the short-term. Rather than funding a whole storefront (and full staff) you could lease space inside a store that is somehow related, but doesn't do MA stuff (so you're not competition).

 

[dvcochran]

I think I’m getting ahead of myself with the storefront idea. The more I think about it I should probably get started with commercial sales first then branch out into a storefront.

But the storefront is what gave me the idea in the first place. And a storefront will also bring in casual business that commercial ales wouldn’t.

Well you know, ales can bring in a lot of business!!!

 

[dvcochran]

I think you're looking at the right approach to start. Give them good instructions and a reputable place to get their alterations - someone who can really get good at dealing with those heavy sleeve cuffs and such. I think you could manage to keep the math handy for pre-shrinkage alterations for a few high-end items, but it would probably not make sense to try to do it for all uniforms. Maybe a premium thing for premium products.

And off-site seems easier, unless a bunch of people start coming to you for alterations, beyond what you sell. Maybe in the long run having a partnership with an alterations place housed in the same facility (next door or some such) makes sense. The issue with bringing it in-house is that you then must always have at least one person who can do the work. That's a specialized position, so you probably won't have two, and if one quits, you're scrambling.

And an employee, even part-time in the same location add to overhead and insurance costs.

 

[JR 137]

Well you know, ales can bring in a lot of business!!!

Great idea. I’m a big fan of ales. Pale ale, porter, and stout. Too much red tape though. Maybe do something like a speakeasy in the back room

 

[JR 137]

And an employee, even part-time in the same location add to overhead and insurance costs.

I’d have to build up enough demand before I’d have someone on payroll specifically for that. It would have to be a profit outweighs the cost thing. Until that happens, it would be a paid by the job thing to a handful of people I know. To be honest, my aunt, mother, and mother-in-law are all capable of doing them and have equipment. They’ve all done a professional quality job on my stuff, and my aunt has run her own shop. I’d give them whatever I charged the customer and buy them stuff like thread and needles.

If it grew beyond their control a friend’s mother and sisters own a tailoring shop not far from my home. I don’t think it would be hard to work something out with them where I dropped off and picked up. I forgot all about them. I’ve dealt with them before, so I’m not some random guy their brother dragged in off the streets.

I don’t foresee the alterations being a huge part, but I do see that as a selling point of the service and one stop shop I’m trying to accomplish. Hard to explain, but I guess you can say it’ll be like a family friend’s independent Apple store - right before the iPod Nano came out that everyone went crazy for a while back, they reluctantly stocked it. They didn’t like the fact that they only profited $1 a piece. What they didn’t foresee was everyone came in looking for the iPod and left carrying out a computer along with it. While this won’t be on that scale, it’s the same principle in my mind - let them know you’re offering genuinely good service and they’ll come back. And they’ll tell their friends. I’m not looking to profit from alterations, I’m just hoping it’ll be one more thing to get people in the door and liking the place.