Today I took the day off to clear my mind and just hang out. When I need some "me" time, I like to visit friends and shop. So, I did just that. I headed over to Rockwall and visited with some of my friends in the local shops. I had a great time seeing friends that I haven't seen in awhile. We talked about family and caught up on all the "goings on". A lot of time was spent  answering the question "what are you doing now and why did you close your store?".I always thought I would own a "home" store...and I have a couple of times...but I just cant seem to make it work monetarily and it's frustrating to me as a creative that is really passionate about her work. I LOVE all of the behind the scenes stuff that goes into a store like the hunting and gathering of merchandise from antiques to bright new finds, and creating lovely vignettes with the new found treasures. I really LOVE that stuff and I miss it when I am not doing it. Like right now, I feel sort of lost without my store because I really think it's who I am and where I do my best work. BUT...it's a business and businesses have to make money or they're just a hobby, (I keep hearing this over and over in my head). It's the darnedest thing that I actually have to make money running a store, it just takes the fun right out of it! LOL

So, what will I do with my beautiful building you ask? 

In the past six months, I have started teaching design workshops and they are really going well; all good things take time :) I am looking positively down the road when every class will be full.(help me spread the word). I am really looking forward to filling every seat in the Fall with my brand new "hands on" workshop featuring "Amy Howard One Step Paint". It's going to be so much fun! For more information go here. I will also be retailing all of the Amy Howard Paint and Refinishing products and can hardly wait to receive them in the studio! So look for the studio to be open a few days a week this Fall so that you can get your hands on this great new line of furniture paint and refinishing products and sign up for all of the upcoming workshops!Back to the business of my store, when I think about Kim Hoegger HOME, I see a lifestyle, I always have and it seemed to come so naturally to me. I see a very simple way of living life and I want to share that with others but, the hard part is determining how to translate that lifestyle into a store that actually makes a profit so that it can continue to inspire it's followers? I am determined to find the answer to this question as I really feel a retail store is where I am suppose to be. For now, I am praying about the future and how God wants to use me to share these gifts with others. I know he has a plan and I am content waiting on it to be revealed. :) For those of you that might be considering a retail store, here are a couple of things I have learned over the years. I hope you will find them helpful:1. Golden Rule No. 1 - You always hear "Location, Location, Location". And it's true...location and demographics have everything to do with the success of a retail store. It has been my experience that a demographic area will dictate a store's merchandise over time, like it or not. I can say that with the grandest of confidence because I have experienced it in my own businesses over and over again. A store will evolve to fill the needs of the area if it is to survive; a restaurant that sells French Cuisine in an area that only wants hot dogs won't survive very long unless it introduces hot dogs to the menu. It's just the way things work!My passion is in antique and vintage furniture and accessories. I am not someone who desires to have a gift store as gifts tend to clutter the tops of my furniture which in turn doesn't sell because no one can see it! LOL. Time and time again my stores have evolved into stores full of gifts because that's what customers in the area were buying and I had to pay the bills. Demographics and location will determine what sells in your store. It's just how it goes. If you open a store in a town where customers tend to shop for apparel and gifts, it's going to be tough to sell furniture. It's just a fact, take your idea where it will sell and save yourself the headache.2. Golden Rule No. 2 - Whatever you think it will cost you to open your store, triple or quadruple it. Seriously, it will take way more than you think to start a retail store and keep it running for the first two years, possibly three. And if you are planning on taking a pay check from the business, well...you may need to be the ONLY one working there because there will be very little extra income initially to pay anyone. It takes time to build a following and to get to know your crowd and a new store requires that most of the money goes back in to the store the first couple of years. Again, it's just a fact.3. Golden Rule No. 3 - Don't over buy at Market - it's soooo easy to do! You do not need 24 of anything except maybe Christmas ornaments but even then be careful because you lose money if you have to sell it on the half price table!  Keep your inventory low unless you have determined that you have a "best seller" on your hands; a word to the wise, trends come and go, nothing lasts forever. The life cycle of a trend these days is really short due to online exposure. Keep the minimum on hand and special order if need be. Customers are growing more and more accustomed to waiting on special order products. Don't be afraid to have them wait and don't be afraid to be out of something. In retail, supply and demand is the name of the game and if you "always" have stock, your customer may not feel the need to purchase as often but if they know you only have three...you get the picture :)4. Golden Rule No. 4 - Customer service and satisfaction should be of utmost importance because without it, you won't last. No one can please everyone all the time but you should try, lol, no seriously, try :)Retail is a service business - and if you are not in it to "SERVE OTHERS" then you do not need to be in retail. That does not mean that you operate without policies and procedures, you must have those in place to protect all involved, but try and look at the business of retail as a "service" to others and think about how you would like to be treated if you were your customer. Happy customers who feel you care will be your greatest advertisement. Be sincere and have integrity too, it all comes back to you I promise :)You would think that with all of this knowledge of "how to operate a retail store" I would still have mine...DEMOGRAPHICS and LOCATION...I tell you, DEMOGRAPHICS and LOCATION are everything in retail.

So, what to do with my beautiful building?

Probably not another retail store by typical retail standards anyway. I will open Kim Hoegger HOME - The Studio, in the Fall of 2013 with Amy Howard Furniture Paint and Refinishing Products to sell, along with a few other "rare finds" (but no gifts, lol) and continue to offer design and creative workshops. However, I can't see trying to do Kim Hoegger HOME - The Retail Store as I have presented it before in my current location because I simply do not want to sell gifts and apparel and that particular demographic dictates gifts and apparel. I have a passion for French furniture, gorgeous belgium linen, tole painted trays and trashcans, alabaster lamps, vintage garden urns and statuary...and that's the lifestyle that I want to spend time creating and inspiring others to live. I will open Kim Hoegger HOME - Antiques and Interiors somewhere soon but I have yet to find the perfect place. When I do, you will be the first to know I promise! :) XOXO,Kim