Well, so this is interesting. I’ve been offered a three-month pop-up slot at the Berwyn Shops (the next tier up in Berwyn’s Project Homegrown, that Sprout is also part of).
These are bigger spaces than I have at Sprout — adorable little sheds, and closer to Oak Park too, so more likely that my OP neighbors will shop there. And Oct-Dec is a prime time to do a pop-up, as we go into holiday shopping. And the bigger space would make it possible to put more of my larger items on display, like the tables. And I have enough stock at this point that I wouldn’t have to scramble to fill the store. It would be a great chance to try out a larger store concept, and one closer to Oak Park. So all of that is good?
(Though on the negative side, I wonder how many people will go to an outdoor store in Chicago’s December…)
I’m honestly completely unsure whether this is feasible for me. In the first year at Sprout, I’ve essentially broken even on costs (setting aside my time) — I make enough from sales to pay for the $225 monthly rent, my continued purchasing of art supplies, and my part-time assistants. Not much more than that. So taking this on would probably mean risking some of our regular budget money, which there isn’t so much extra. I’ll need to discuss that part with Kevin.
Costs — $575 / month for rent + start-up costs for furnishing the shop (although I have a fair bit of stuff in the house I can bring over, so that might not be so much).
And staffing — this is the big one. They’re only open Friday (11-6) / Saturday (10-6) / Sunday (11-5), but I’d have to have that fully staffed. I’m teaching Tues / Thurs this semester, so it doesn’t conflict with teaching. And I don’t mind hanging out in the shop — when it’s slow, I can get a lot of work done.
But there’s one weekend when I’m away at World Fantasy, and there’s a holiday pop-up in October that I was about to commit to, and there will probably be other days that I will have other priorities (Nov and Dec are big for holiday pop-ups). I’m allowed to staff it as I want, so I can just hire someone, but if I pay $20 / hr, that’s $160 just to cover a Saturday. The weekend I’m at WFC will cost $420. (Berwyn has some interns who might be able to cover some? I’m asking about the details on that.)
It’s tempting to pay Kavi for the weekend days, which at least keeps the money in the family, but she also has a very busy fall, with a ton of AP classes and college applications to write. I don’t really want her to feel like has to be up and at the shop by 11 every Saturday. (Anand is just turning 15, so too young.) Kevin could cover in a pinch, but he would hate it.
I could also, possibly, offer other local artists the opportunity to fill a wall in the shop for the day and staff the store that day. Some logistical things to work out going that route, not sure any
one would be interested…?
I don’t know, honestly. It’s so hard to predict sales — I think I need to go there this weekend and talk to the vendors and ask how their sales have been. Are people actually shopping there in significant numbers?
To give you a comparison point, I did $400 in sales during one day at Garage Galleries, and a little over $300 in sales during the entire month of August at Sprout. People buy my work — I’m not worried about that. But they have to actually see it first.
Gah. I’m honestly tempted to do a little sale in the next week, or set a Patreon goal — if I can sell $1000 in advance, that would go along way towards taking risk out of the equation.
Initial thoughts. More to follow, I’m sure. Would love to hear your thoughts, esp. if you’re someone who crafts and sells, and double esp. if you’ve sold at local events / shops.
More info on Project Homegrown: https://www.berwyn.net/project-homegrown
