Running an Antique Store

This guide was written for those who are thinking about starting an antique store. Starting an antique store is quite different and more complicated than running any other normal retail store. The process of running an antique store is quite time consuming. It involves doing detailed research on most of the antique items. Every antique item has a unique history due to its age. Antique stores can be exciting and something fun to do. The only drawback is that it is very time consuming.

Where to find Antiques for your retail antique store?

Inventory for an antique store isn’t something you can just order from a warehouse out of a catalog. In order to find really unique antique items you have to looking for them. You can find antiques at flea markets and various estates. Some owners of antique stores go to antique auctions that sell specific antiques just to antique retail stores for a special price. You’re not suppose to restore antiques because it makes them less valuable. Make sure an antique item you get from a auction or flea market is a unique antique. Beware of some people that do make fake new antique items that is just suppose to look old, but it isn’t really an antique.

Consignment

You can also have consignment options available in your store. Consignment is when people bring items into your store for you to sell for them and you get a certain amount of commission from the sale of their item. Consignment is a wonderful way to get a variety of antique items in your store. It will help you save money and also help save you time. It will also help spread the word about your business even more.

Advertising

You have to be more picky about where and who you advertise with since you specialize in antiques. You would to reaches senior citizens and other various type of collectors. The Internet is also a wonderful place to sell antiques on your business website or perhaps on a on line auction site. A website for your business with pictures of your antiques would bring get some customers from all over the world. Mom and Pop type of shops are only limiting themselves if they don’t have a website on the Internet too.

Inventory

Put a price on antique is sometimes difficult to do. You have to do some research in order to find the price value of some of the difficult to find antiques. You can also hire an antique appraiser to look at your store inventory and tell you how much something is worth. You can also buy books that tell you the price for most common antiques. You need to take pictures of every antique item that you have in your store.

Insurance

It is difficult to find an insurance company that will write you an insurance policy for your antique store. Most companies won’t write an insurance policy for antique businesses due to the price value of the old antique. It is smart to take pictures of all of your antique items just in case anything ever happens to them.