Cindy's Cupboard is Open for Business!

I completed my business set-up this week and signed a lease for a booth at a Jenks, OK antique mall.

My shelving and inventory were transported to the mall this afternoon and I finished unpacking just as the mall closed at 5:00pm. I never would have accomplished it without my sister's help. Thanks, Ang!

Welcome to Cindy's Cupboard, booth #59 in the Antique NV mall located at 102 South First Street (First & Main), Jenks, OK.

View #1

View #2

Tomorrow morning I will return to "stage" the contents to better display everything.

If you live near Jenks, I would love to have you visit Cindy's Cupboard. If you do visit, drop me a note at cindyscupboard@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

I would also love it if you become a follower of this blog and also follow this adventure on Twitter and Facebook.

Thanks!

New Merchandise in Inventory

Hello to my few readers! What have I done lately to open this business, you ask?

• I've located a potential booth space in Claremore, OK. It's a little farther than I want to drive, but I've got it on my list as a potential site.
• I've found a new display shelf.
• I found a few items to add to my opening inventory.

Do you need a Sebring USA bowl?

 How about a Canonsburg deviled egg plate?

 Do you have your glasses for the 4th of July?

It's never too early to plan your Christmas decor. Here are a few lovely holiday cross stitch pieces. All were done by a person named Lois.

I hope to have my booth set up very soon. I'll let you know the details so you can come and shop!

Yes, I'm Still Here!

Hello!

I'm sorry it has been so long since I've posted. We have house projects in progress and they have taken a considerable amount of my time and energy.

I have, however, continued to make progress on building inventory for my booth. I have 175 items in inventory at this moment! Probably 3/4's of them are from me culling items from the house and the remaining 1/4 are from my purchases at sales and thrift stores.

At home we own four bookshelves that, once they are cleared, will form the nucellus of my new booth. I'm currently working to empty them and get them located next to the booth inventory.

If I could ever get the house projects finished, I could then devote time to seeking out the perfect booth in my area. I think within the next couple of weeks, I will be able to devote significant time to the search. Wish me luck!

My Second Step

Progress has been a bit slower on Cindy's Cupboard than I expected because I've had a couple of projects (one very unexpected) around the house to manage.

What have I accomplished since my last post?

• I have the paperwork to complete for my tax exempt number. MUST. SIT. DOWN. AND. DO. IT.
• I have added more items to the booth inventory by opening my cupboards, as well as purchasing a few things. Every item was checked for cleanliness, photographed, inventoried, tagged, wrapped and packed into storage/transportation bins.
• I have identified two new sources for inventory.
• I found a mall with an available booth and inexpensive rent, but it's a bit too far from home. 

What do I plan to do next?

• Complete and process the tax exempt paperwork.
• Consult with my talented niece on a logo design for use on printed items (signage, price tags, business cards, etc.)
• Add to inventory.
• Perfect inventory organization and storage.
• Paint shelf and bookcase. Both items will be for sale in the booth, but initially will be used for displays.
• Find additional items to use for displays.
• Investigate more malls in the effort to find a home for Cindy's Cupboard

I'll be back next week with another report. Hope to see you here!

My First Step

What, you ask, was my first step towards opening an antique mall booth? Why googling "how to run an antique booth" of course! There is a wealth of information on this topic on the internet.

I also purchased the e-book "Selling in an Antique Mall: A Beginner's Guide" which I thought was an excellent value for the $9.95 cost. This book contains information from how to select the right antique mall to how to set-up your business.

What have I accomplished so far?

• I have created an Excel inventory tracking system
• I have created a system for photographing items
• I have begun to build an inventory of items by pulling things from my cupboards 
• I have created the booth's social media presence (Twitter, Facebook and this blog)

What am I planning to do next?

• Obtain my Tax id
• Continue adding to inventory
• Identify antique malls to visit 
• Develop list of questions to ask mall operators 
• Review merchandise price points when visiting malls 
• Create a mock booth in the basement and practice styling it with merchandise

I'm approaching setting up this business in a very methodical manner. Hopefully this approach will minimize any stress associated with starting a new business and ensure its success! 

Let Me Introduce Myself

Hello. My name is Cindy. I'm a collector of things. Dishes, linens, glassware, decorative items, holiday items, books, jewelry, you name it.

I use everything I own by decorating my home to reflect the current seasons or holidays and creating lovely tablescapes. My motto is "There is no reason to own it, if you don't use it!" However, I have recently decided it's time for me to let some of my lovely things go to other homes.

This blog will document my journey of preparing to open an antique mall booth and the operation of said booth.

I hope you will join me on this trip!