Do I See a SPROUT?!?!

Yeah, I do! This thing is REALLY taking off! This is a seriously tenuous stage we are in. It's all in the balances now. Too much or too little of anything could have a devastating effect. Still, we are in it. We are emerging from the ground ready to stake our claim in the sunshine! Ready to push up through and gain strength. It is a shame that I didn't start taking pictures of our grapevines, because they are at that buds to bloom stage, with visable growth each and every day. I'm damn sure documenting it NOW! It is actually directly in line with what's happening in the life of The HodgePodgery.

Today, as I see more and more Followers through Twitter, and other WoM I feel it is time to address issues that our PiCs will need to know from the beginning. Ready, kids? Here is the lay of the land as it stands right now for consigners. ALL COMMENTS WELCOME!!

This is a CONSIGNMENT shop. Standard consignment is 40/60%. That means, The HodgePodgery earns 40% and the Consigner earns 60% of each piece sold. When I first researched this I thought "Wow! That seems high...would I, as an Artist/Crafter want to give 40% of my sales to a shop owner?" Well, the reality, as I see it from working on the business plan, is that the shop has a substantial amount of overhead. The rent alone is hefty, as will be the insurances, utilities, advertising etc. Yes, the 40% makes a lot of sense to me now. After all is said and done with basic expenses, Jess and I still need to pay ourselves at some point. We will be doing a LOT of work with this. We will be working part time jobs as well as the shop, just so we can survive the first few years. Thankfully, our part time jobs as well as our significant others will help to support us until we actually start making a living.

Our goal is to pay WEEKLY commissions to our artists.

Our shop will start with a 10-7 Tues-Sat schedule, adjusting as we go on.

It will be a WORKING shop. We will be doing our own things right there, and maybe be able to provide workspace to others' as well.

EVERYTHING (well almost everything) in our shop will be available for purchase. We want furniture, display pieces, decor, EVERYTHING to be a piece of Functional/ Recycled/Repurposed Art. We want the space open so it can be ever changing, ever evolving.

There will be a host of benefits we will offer our Artists and Craftspeople. We want our peeps to be able to come and hang, have a cup of coffee, or tea, exchange ideas and teach others. We want to be a collection area for the bits and pieces you need to make your projects.

PLEASE Ideas and comments are welcome. I just felt the need to address the consignment thing right up front. I'm sure many of you know this as standard practice, but it still makes me feel better to have that right out there.

Ay yi yi...back to the Business Plan

~~~Dawn