Opening a vintage store in Spain - need help

V

Vanesa

Registered Guest
Hi all!

My name is Vanesa and I am here cause i thought that maybe you that are experts on vintage and most of you are running your own store maybe can help me.

I am working right now on a project on having my own vintage store here in Spain. Vintage is getting a little more fashion here now, but little by little, people in Spain is very influenced by Zara, Mango and all the industry babel, but i think that if i do something good can go well. I am so excited about my project.

My idea is a quality vintage store very feminin ( only woman ) but not expensive, selling mostly dresses, and complements, also i am thinking on the idea of renting dresses for special events.

I have a lot of questions but of course i would be grateful if one you of can give me some advices of how to start getting the clothes for the store. I now that you have to know very well this industry but i will do everything to learn. How can i start? wholesale providers? thrift stores? leaf markets? how do you do it? in the fairs?

I would appreciate any collaboration, all is helpful. Do you exchange your clothes, do you collaborate together?

How do you do for taxes? you buy clothes sometimes without invoice right? then what you do?

As you see I am very green ( spanish expression) on this.
Thanks a lot for your help.

I am going to Frock me next month to know more, you go? yes of course right?

Thanks to all. I love vintage and all what you do.

Vanesa
 
I don't have an actual shop but I can help with one of your questions.
You are right sometimes I buy things without an invoice at yard sales or some church thrifts that don't have a real accounting system. What I do is write down the date, what I bought, the cost and the address I purchased it from. If it is a yard sale I will clip the little add from the newspaper and put it in my ledger for the address area.
Also have you considered Ebay as a place to buy inventory? You might have some luck with that plus you can shop from home.
 
Hi, Vanesa, it's nice to see you here! I love Spain, I lived outside Madrid (in Majadahonda) and later near Puerta del Sol, in the late '90s, and I'm looking forward to going back for a visit.

Have you thought about where you want to have your store? The city needs to be big enough to support the store, and the residents need to be the kind of people who will shop in your store (or, looking at it from the reverse, you need to sell the kind of clothing the residents want to buy). You also need to think about exactly where your store will be located in the city.

I think most of us buy stock where ever we can - eBay, flea markets, yard sales, etc. I suspect eBay will be cost prohibitive as a source for you, because so much of the vintage clothing is in the US and shipping costs to you will be rather high. Many of us put ads in the paper, and you may have some good luck with that. SegundaMano might be a good place to start.

Laura
 
Laura and Lucy,

Thanks for your quick answer!

Laura, you were living in Spain, good! What you say Laura is right about the location of the store, it is mostly the most important right now. And vintage is not that common here, so this is why i am really working doing a lot of research to locate the store and the kind of people resides there, it´s essential. What i absolutely know is that clothes will be wearable and mostly from 50s to now, and a big percentage of complements. Little by little. Let´s see.

Thanks for all!

Vanesa
 
Hi Vanesa,

Frock me is a good start - there is a massive choice of merchandise there. You need to decide exactly which periods you are going to concentrate on and don't make the mistake of only doing cheap. Buy some pretties to give colour and be stylish. Though having said all of that you will drift into a style anyway.

Come over to Portobello on Saturday - I assume that you are coming to England for the weekend. Admiral Vernon Arcade is good to check out - lots of clothes and lace and textiles. See you there. Good luck.

Margaret
 
Thanks Margaret for your help too, you are all very nice.

The periods I would like to start are from 50s to 80s, before that I think it is a little risky, also i need to specialise myself on that periods too. It´s true what you say about having pretties to give colour and stylish, that is important to. Thanks.

The fairs are a good place to start yes, but I can buy there?

About the prices, I guess you price according the era, the time, and how it looks like and its conservation. It´s actually difficult this. Providers give you always the margin, but here you stablish your margin I guess, what makes it more flexible then. It´s good.

Ok, thanks to all for this big help. Good sunday!

Vanesa
 
Just my two cents...

You do not mention whether this idea is the first business you have ever had, or if you have successfully run other businesses and want to run a vintage one.

If this is your very first business, I would not dive in to opening up your own storefront just yet. What you need to do first is market research, and you need to find out if running a vintage shop is really for you. A lot of people dream about it, but when they have their first down season, or their first customer who rips a dress because they are too big for it, they decide that they hate it.

Firstly, I would open up an online store or I would sublet space in another shop.. Don't try to sell international customers with the website. If they buy, great, but you want to market yourself to people in a certain portion of Spain. Once you have it built, stocked, and decide what your policies will be, open. Then advertise it in papers and magazines that would be relevant to the area you would like to open in. See who buys. Do your customers live or work in particular areas? And what do they buy?

Also, another step would be to sublet space in an already established business. You must decide whether you want and have the ability to appeal to collectors, or fashion oriented people, or frugal people. If you truly have access to the items and the expertise to go after the collectors, sublet a small area in an antiique store. If you are targetting fashionistas, try a boutique. Or if your message is that vintage fashion is econmical, then put some things in a consignment shop. This will give you also some idea of what people buy. It will give you an idea of what people are forgiving of and what they aren't. (do people expect the clothes to look "NEW" or are minor repairs acceptable? )

If you can survive and thrive the first year with borrowing space and perhaps online - though busy times and slow times, and think that with the increased square footage, that you will be able to make a success of it - then, by all means, open a store.
 
Thanks Patentleathershoes!

Well, yes, this is my first business i have ever had. I have been working for years as a Export Manager or International Account Manager, and degree as a International business, in companies related to cosmetics, photography, and other matters, but never fashion. But I have always in my mind to run my own business and right now i am doing my business plan together with professionals are helping here in Barcelona, but still i would need to know the market. You know, after working so many years for other people i would like to have my thing, and I love vintage, and i think now is my moment.

But, it´s true what you say. Initially i was thinking to do a online vintage store, but here in Spain, unfortunately is still hard for people buying through Internet and also buying clothes, " secondhand". People, in clothes, prefer to go and try and feel, and touch, and see, you know. So i was thinking to do something nice in a store, and this is why I am here now, working on this project.

The store will be located in Barcelona.

Anyway I am so happy for your help really, and really thinking now what you say about start first by a online store.

Thanks to all!

Vanesa
 
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