If you had an LNS...

When there is a good one in the area word passes speedily through the Guilds and let's face it, that's where ninety percent of the compulsive stitchers are hiding out ! When we did have a good LNS in Metro the last thing she could have said was that she lacked business. What that particular person lacked was business sense ! By the time she was gone, the moment had passed and online was growing. For awhile Mary Gillies in Mahone Bay did well but eventually she found being an hours drive away made it too difficult.

Now there's a thought - when the said Mary opened her first LNS in the comfortable basement of her house outside of Mahone Bay on fashionable Indian Point, she also opened the house as a B&B. So you could go there and stay the weekend surrounded by all the trappings and sift through it all bit by little bit while being ensconced in comfort and excellent cooking lol Sort of a live in LNS !

We're down to one shop now -- it'll be interesting to see if the new owners take it in a different direction than the previous ones who never advertised and didn't have a mailing list. There are several within an hour's drive of here; most take ads in our yearly membership directory if someone remembers to ask them.

Has he read Paul Theroux's book about his journey round the coast?

Joyce in RSA.

If you're going to have only samples available, make sure those sample books have an "ample sample" so you can do a floss toss and actually be able to *see* what looks good. I'd say a good 12-18" square of fabric or 12-18" length of the floss or, in the case of variegateds/ overdyes, at least 2 lengths of the color ranges. Those "sample books" that only give you a 1" square of fabric are fairly useless, imo.

Yup, just my opinion! Joan

Not as far as I know - neither have I. He`s probably watched a really good programme here called "Coast" which is on every week, where two or three presenters go all around it. I would love to have done it. Maybe I`ll get the Louis Theroux book for him for Christmas!

Pat

Sounds similar to the "Atlantic Britain" series. They came up here for a recording which is now on YouTube

Do you think most people in our area would tend to stick with their online suppliers?

Louisa

I think that's a good idea. A substantial sample is always much more helpful.

Louisa

'No, I know most Guild members would far rather have an LNS - that's why we are still shopping from Moncton, we call in an order and are fortunate that one member regularly has to drive through Moncton. She goes in and comes out with bags of booty lol

There was a LNS in the 80s and it did very well, was down on Almon Street, but unfortunately the woman was the wrong owner and in the end she went out of business. Not for lack of business, she had plenty but she 'got ideas above her station' - hired expensive nannies and bought a huge house and the business was too young to support it all. While she could have had a good living from it, she wanted instant luxury living and it wasn't there.

Conversely Heather McCumber who was in Truro did well for years but wanted to retire and travel with her husband. She never wanted for business.

I know that Stuart Stitchery, my dear departed LNS, was successful and closed because Jackie, the owner was tired and wanted to retire.

Lucille

Yes, I think if the person running it is friendly and approachable, they will have a success (particularly in an area where there isn't another LNS under a three hour drive) it doesn't take too much but it does take a lot of hours. Heather McCumber found it hard to find good help (knowledgeable help as well as reliable) but she put in long hours herself and also taught lessons, her shop was full of exquisite stitchery she had done herself, so she could sell it to you, and be there to help if you floundered.

I was wondering if you knew why she closed as opposed to selling? No interested buyers, or could interested buyers not get financial backing?

Louisa

Even frugal me would buy from a good local shop instead of an online one with a few exceptions. Unless a reference book was really crying out 'take me home now!' I'd see if I could get it cheaper online. Tools and accessories might be purchased in coupon-dispensing big box stores.

Personally, having suffered through managing a shop, for a slightly ditzy owner - talented, but..... If you're only going to carry popular colors, or a selection within lines, then I think a shop should have a full set of the designer rings for that item. One example, RG has tons of different specialty threads, lots of colors - a shop would go broke carrying them all

- particularly as each thread color comes in a 6-pack. But, you can order sample cards - which are pretty inespensive for a shop, and by putting those in a binder of some sort, customers (teachers) can browse and be sure if they want to order a couple of things. OTOH, some companies sell the entire color set at 1 or 2 skeins each - which is a good way to get in something like ThreadWorx. But, for the silks, it's expensive - so again, I'd try to get a godd sampling. Caron actually offers info so you can order the most popular or the earth shades or groupings....

With fabrics - I'd try to carry a good percentage of different lines, and again, have the swatch book - and then tell customers the truth - we order monthly from these specialty vendors - so they'd know it might be 4 weeks for something. Or give them the option of paying additional shipping.

It's hard to balance enough to sell, and show - without having too little, or way too much in inventory. Hardest of all for some shopowners - separating personal hobby taste from what will actually sell - in a reasonable time.

Ellice

Anchor has a book. RG does cards wrapped with actual thread - they are about 2" by 11" and by each thread line. Most of the others - have color photos on the web, but no books. You can order designer rings from some of them - like WDW. Designer rings are tags with short sections of the actual thread - enough to tell what the dye looks like. And Vikki Clayton has a book of that type. Au Ver a Soie has a sample book in a binder. NP Inc - color cards - not real thread. Most of the others - too bad. Caron does a color brochure that designers/shops get.

There is such a thing. The distributors have large binders with plastic sheets like photo slide holders that shops & designers can get - which have samples of all the fabrics, with the ordering numbers. I've had customers look through for something special. And Lakeside, PTP, R&R also have swatch books. My wholesaler for canvas sends me swatches of colors when I'm ordering, or ask for them.

Ah, there you're wishing. Most shops if they're ordering what isn't on hand

- may not meet that. Because, there are minimums for a lot of companies, or at the least limits that affect the cost of shipping. It really cuts into a shop's operating costs if they are doing a lot of frequent mid size orders because they're always paying shipping. But, when I was handling special orders, I was confident that I could keep track of things properly enough to get things within 2-4 weeks - sometimes sooner. Some distributors get the merchandise to a shop within a week, others - like the specialty fabric houses or some of the hand-dyers - could be many, many weeks - without particular explanation - maybe waiting to do a particular batch.

Ellice

I agree in principle. Certainly a basic question, help getting supplies - even if the project was bought elsewhere are common sense, good business, and may help you gain a customer. But, OTOH, there are a lot of people who may come in and take LOTS of time - who bought everything elsewhere, and don't actually want to pay for your services. So, many shops have gone to the policy (at least for LYS & LNS) of "if you didn't buy your project here, we'll give you some help, but if it's more than a few minutes to address your problem - then we're happy to book you for a consultation. My LYS does a $10 for 30 min, we would do $15 for a basic hour, more advanved - about $25 for an hour. Because, honestly, if you spend an hour helping someone who hasn't purchased, and isn't going to buy more than a couple of skeins of floss - if that - you're likely not helping some other customer, or doing all the myriad other things that need doing in a shop.

ellice

LOL - in some areas that would work. In DC, a "famous" to use needlework designer is hardly a local celebrity. But, you can get little blurbs in the very local area weekly papers. And a great thing is to advertize in the local guild newsletters, even do a small ad once in a while in one of the stitching magazines. At the trade show, I took a class on successful shop operations, and one of the clever ideas was to optimize relations with shops that might cross-over some customers. So, if there's a knitting store nearby - but a basket with some stitching stuff, some flyers, etc - in that shop, and conversely in your LNS, have the same from the knitting store.

Ellice

Isn't that a great book. It covered some totally off the beaten track including some little village that I would visit 'cause a friend had his vacation cottage there. Right at the total, complete end of the train lines!

Ellice

She wanted to retire, her daughter had gone to live in Wales and she wanted the time to travel and be with her without worrying what was happening back here.

She had a good spot, right opposite Margolians. The Truro Guild is huge, second largest in the Maritimes so there must not have been anyone interested. Perhaps they all saw Heather working so hard !

She had a back section to the store where she gave lessons, I attended some even though we faced an hours drive there and back. She was a skilled teacher and stitcher herself.

The other character who had the one in Halifax received all sorts of favours and credit from DMC and the like because her parents own an LNS (or did) somewhere in NB. She had zilch common sense about running the place though. She couldn't stitch but did attract good stitchers like Pat Kent to teach Hardanger etc. She finally went bankrupt and then amazed us all be reopening up in Bayers Lake, silly brother put his good name behind it. That was supposed to be an LNS with a big framing section and also some accent on other crafts, not just needlework. Same results.

I was totally turned off by her as I started a project to use up lots of left over tapestry wools, but it did require a constant background colour. I bought about a dozen skeins and specifically asked her if she had plenty aside in case I needed more, I would know for sure in a week/ten days when I saw how it progressed. So when I 'phoned looking for more, she didn't have any, though she had told me she had 'drawers full' of it. Finally months later I managed to get some myself from Elsa Williams in Boston, it was a kindness to me because they are really only wholesale.

When she went belly up there was a sale and woman over on Oxford Street bought a great deal of it and planned on opening a store. Unfortunately it all happened as she became seriously ill and I think in the end her sister just sold the lot to someone else in the Valley, probably the woman who ran the LNS in Greenwood. That's gone too now.

I know there is some sort of partial LNS on Argyle but I can't be bothered with the parking woes etc. in that area. I hear they have some things but not what many Guild members are looking for.