How do you go about opening a clothing boutique for your own creations?

Answer 1

The best routes to take are to research the process of starting a business as well as the industry you're interested in.

I recommend checking out the SBA, Entrepreneur, The Start Up Journal & Nolo. All 4 are great informational resources for the new/small business owner. I posted links for you in the source box.

Associations may be a good avenue to explore. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* Start Your Own Clothing Store (Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Up) by Entrepreneur Press
* Start and Run a Profitable Retail Business by Jim Dion, Ted Topping
* Retail Business Kit for Dummies by Rick Segel
* Specialty Shop Retailing: How to Run Your Own Store Revised by Carol L. Schroeder
* So You Want To Own The Store: Secrets to Running a Successful Retail Operation by Mort Brown

There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 2

You have to have a good clientele do do that. Otherwise, you'll need to sell other company's clothes as well or you won't make enough money. Have you tried selling to established boutiques? Wholesaling at trade shows? These are other ways for a clothing designer to earn a living.

You need to contact an organization of senior, often retired business people. I forget the name (I think it's SCORE) but they are on the internet. They give FREE and very good advice.

Otherwise, get a mentor - a successful business owner - and follew his/her advice.

After reading the comments below, I would stress the fact that you need to make sure that your product sells well before going into this venture head first. Business plans, entrepreneur advice - it's all good. But the bottom line is: will it sell? The market is extremely large and competition is tough.

I am certainly not suggesting that your designs won't sell. You just might be the next big thing. I just want you to do it in a way that won't sabotage your potential success.

Opening a boutique selling your own designs is quite different than selling other people's stuff. When you sell other people's stuff, you know how well they sell; they have a track record. But how well would your designs do? Believe me, we all tend to think that our own designs are better and will obviously sell well. But only customers can decide that and more often than we think, it doesn't work as well as we thought.

When I first started my own business designing baby clothes, I was going to take on the world (or so I thought). The reality is it TAKES TIME to build a clientele.

My best advice is to engage your money WISELY at first. Do not spend too much on the following: fancy decoration, fancy ads, large room. Keep it simple and of good taste. Be very conservative: do your own accounting, get a small/not too expensive place and FOCUS ON SALES SALES SALES. Be greedy but in a wise way. For example: a fresh coat of paint can do wonders in a new store - do not buy fancy shleving and presentation stands just yet. Try to buy used: eBay is good for that. Engage each penny in an intelligent, money-generating way and you will be on your way to success.

Even if you view yourself as a creator, money is the keyword here. No money, no more creative job. It's the harsh reality. The more money you generate, the more you can concentrate on creating.

I also suggest that you double your efforts with a website. This is a low-cost way to make a few extra bucks and to advertise (looks good to have a website). Use a ready-to-use template, a cheap host and again keep costs low (you can register a name and host for less than 20 dollars + 10 a months to keep it up).

I would not suggest eBay. I personally think it makes one look low-end. But that's just my opinion.

Keep an eye for regional trade show. Go to small ones at first (less expensive). YOU SHOULD NOT PUT YOUR ALL YOUR EGGS IN THE SAME BASKET: try selling wholesale. Through trade shows OR be your onw sales rep: call stores in your area and show them your creations. You sell your creations to them and they re-sell them. A few more bucks in your pocket. And who knows: your store may not do well (the reasons can be as diverse as a bad location or a too expensive rent) but your wholesale may boom.

Be wise, be intelligently greedy, diversify, take it one step at a time. Believe me: if I had listened to the advice I got when I started, I would not have lost so much money learning that this advice was right on.

Now you can start to think about a business plan (oh, that's a pain in the butt - but it needs to be done. Realistically).

Good luck!!

Answer 3

Best way to start is ebay. Then you can go from there. It will build a bit of business for you, then you can lead them to a web site where you do your own from there too. Good Luck. What do you make? I am curious.

Answer 4

I recommend that you read Kathleen Fasanella's blog at http://fashion-incubator.com . She is the author of the book "The Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing" and her blog is full of answers to questions on how to start a clothing line

Here are some articles on starting a clothing line

Starting a Clothing Line or Apparel Manufacturing Business http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol66/clothing.htm
How to Start a Clothing Line http://www.style-source.com/how-to-start-clothing-line/index.asp
How to Start a Clothing Line http://www.fashion-incubator.com/mt/archives/how_to_start_a_clothing_line.html

Here are some articles on starting your own clothing store:

How to Start a Clothing Store http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,287057,00.html
Starting a Specialized Clothing Retailing Business http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol89/specialized.htm
Starting a Retail Clothing Store http://www.cbsc.org/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1102419629706&pagename=CBSC_SK%2Fdisplay&lang=en&c=GuideHowto

One of the first steps is to prepare a business plan. Even though you may not apply for loans from financial institutions, the process of business planning can help you think through your business. It can help you decide on the type of store, determine the costs involved, how to get suppliers to sell to you, how to market the store, expected profitability, etc.

Here are sample business plans for a clothing store that you can check out:

Retail Clothing http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/business-plans/Business-Plans-Volume-01/Retail-Clothing.html
Men's Clothing Retailer http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/business-plans/Business-Plans-Volume-04/Men-s-Clothing-Retailer.html
Special Needs Clothing Store http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/business-plans/Business-Plans-Volume-07/Special-Needs-Clothing-Store.html

For in-depth information, you may want to read the following books :

The Official Step by Step Guide to Starting a Clothing Line
Start Your Own Clothing Store (Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Up)
The Business of Fashion: Designing Manufacturing, and Marketing
The World of Fashion Merchandising
So You Want to Work in the Fashion Business? A Practical Look at Apparel Product Development and Global Manufacturing
The Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing
Fashion: From Concept to Consumer

You may also want to check out the resources of the following associations:

Professional Apparel Association http://www.proapparel.com
American Apparel Producer’s Network http://www.usawear.org/
Worldwide Responsible Apparel Manufacture http://www.wrapapparel.org/
American Apparel and Footwear Association http://www.americanapparel.org/
National Association of Fashion and Accessory Designers http://www.nafad.com/
Fashion Group International http://www.fgi.org
Apparel News http://www.apparelnews.net/

As for manufacturing sources, I suggest you check out the manufacturers listed in the National Association of Manufacturers http://www.nam.org/s_nam/index.asp

Answer 5

I would start with a website, or an eBay store.