Page 185 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

meant by the term “specialty” store? In the usual sense of the word it means
the little shops that dot every Main Street—the shops that specialize in
lingerie, corsets, costume jewelry, $1.88 hats for women, novelty shops, etc.
But there are hundreds of other specialty shops which have not yet penetrated
all parts of the country.

Some of these are: Tropical fish shops, pet shops, exclusive hosiery shops,
little shops that sell nothing but nuts and nut candies, bridge shops that
specialize in bridge supplies and prizes, necktie shops, fountain pen shops,
vacuum cleaner stores, washing machine (new and used) shops, portable
typewriter shops, drugless drug stores, gift shops, butter-and-egg stores, milk
depots, stamp shops or exchanges, potato chip stores, pop corn candy stores,
greeting card and novelty shops and a score of other unusual stores.

Your previous experience, your likes and dislikes, your personal preferences,
all should be taken into consideration when thinking of opening a specialty
shop. Then there is the matter of finances. How much can you invest? How
big a business do you want? Do you want to go into business on a fairly
pretentious scale, selling on credit, delivering and handling a large stock? Or
do you prefer a small shop which you can run with the aid of one assistant,
with no delivery or credit expense? Take all of these factors into careful
consideration before you decide what kind of store to open.

There is another factor too. What kind of people do you know? Do you have
a following and acquaintance among factory workers? Then pick a store with
merchandise they can buy. Or do you know the community’s wealthiest and
most stylish folks? If this is true start a store catering to them. Make use of
every advantage you possess. Do you know automobile owners, or have you
served them in some capacity in the past? Then perhaps you will want to
consider a tire store. Whatever your past experience may have been, you
should try to capitalize on it when you open your store.

There is another way to determine what kind of store to open. Find out what
the people of your community must go out of town to buy. Suppose you were
thinking of starting a fishing tackle store. Contact a number of fishermen and
get them to tell you where they buy tackle. Do they have to go to some out-