Beginnings

Ahhh . . . innocence!

Opening my first antiques shop in south Florida was a dream come true.

 I loved to hunt . . .  and gather pieces of history, and bring them together to tell a story.

 I wanted to immerse myself in the beautiful timeworn patina of the past.

I wanted to present these delightful treasures to others who would love them as much as I did!  

I wanted to open a charming place where people could come and relish a bit of their time, away from the hustle and bustle of the ordinary.

My little dream came true.

There is something to be said for barging blindly into the business world with absolutely no idea of what you're doing . . . 

(When I say I made it through by the

 Grace of God,

picture a kitten deciding to cross the interstate at rush hour.)

Folks who are savvy, educated, experienced 

and certainly better capitalized than I was

 have failed to succeed.  

Stats will tell you 67% - 75% of small businesses fail within 3 years of opening.

I believe it was meant to be.

Enthusiasm and passion and loving what you do can seemingly create an energy of their own.

I signed a lease and decorated my shop and ordered business cards and designed window displays and placed ads in the local shopper newspapers and opened my doors.

My little shop was in a busy strip center at a major intersection of Fort Lauderdale.

It was unique at the time - there were no other shops

 specializing in 'primitives' anywhere in the area.

It was across the street from the brand new Broward Mall

which was the largest grossing mall in the country within 2 years of opening.

I was discovered by the "going to lunch and shopping for the afternoon ladies".

They told their friends.

Soon

my little shop was a phenomenon.

My accountant asked questions.

"How have you done this?" he asked?

I shrugged . . ." I guess I don't know" I answered.

"If you can figure it out and tell me, we will bottle it and make a fortune!" he said.

And through all these forty years

 I have studied and noted . . .  recorded and graphed . . .  strategized and experimented.

Forty years of small, retail business have taught me that there are key elements that are necessary
in building a successful venture.

Those elements, (call them rules), are universal and work for retailers anywhere.
They are simple to understand and critical to implement.


There is more to come . . .
at
Antiques By Joy

A Rose By Any Other Name

I began my business back when I was barely old enough to sign a legal document.

I walked right in and signed a complicated 30 page, five year lease that might as well have been in Greek for all I understood.  

It didn't matter that the rent was more each month than the total I had in the bank.

It didn't matter that this huge, empty storefront was so big that all the inventory I owned or could afford to buy wouldn't fill half the space.

I wanted an antique shop, and I was on my way.

I was excited . . . I was ambitious,

I was eager . . . 

 I made just about every mistake a girl could make.

When I was a child I had a voracious reading habit and read everything I could get my hands on. 

 I was thrilled by independent women and women who took charge of their own destiny.

I was going to be one of those women.

I also had a great talent for memorizing what I read, 

and a penchant for memorizing epic poems and things like 

The Declaration of Independence,

 and so many lines of famous literature.

When I decided to open this antique shop,

 I wanted the emphasis to be

  linens and quilts.

It made perfect sense to me when a line from Robert Louis Stevenson's poem came to mind and stuck in my brain.

'When I was sick and lay abed

I had two pillows at my head 

And all about me dale and plain'

The pleasant land of Counterpane.

Now, in our family, we knew what a counterpane was.  

(Doesn't everyone?)

The word is Old English.

It was the bedspread that topped your bed.  It covered all the blankets and sheets and was purely decorative and was often the "fancywork" showpiece made by a bride to bring to her wedding bed.

I decided to call my shop The Counterpane, and to always have the most beautiful quilts, coverlets and bedspreads among my antique treasures.

It was a lovely, romantic notion.

Remember that I was the oldest daughter, of the oldest daughter, of the oldest daughter, of the oldest daughter of the oldest daughter.

Five generations living in the same town, sharing history and stories and vocabulary.  

My great great Grandmother Evans could tell stories of her great great grandmother.

We had words and expressions and memories from more than 150 years of women,

 passed down and cherished.

Duh.

Apparently

I was the only living person, (beside my family members), in South Florida who had any idea what the word meant.

I sort of shot myself in the foot before I even opened the shop doors.

"Huh?  What kind of a shop is that?"

People must have been truly baffled. 

Months after I opened, a shop owner in the mall asked me why I had chosen such a dumb name that had no meaning for anyone.

(His shop was called The Artful Framer, a play on words from Dickens' Artful Dodger.)

I blushed and told him he should broaden

his reading skills.

The good news is that the shop flourished and grew and prospered and enabled me to achieve many of my other dreams in life.

But, no thanks to the handicap I had placed upon it from the start.

One of the keys to a healthy business start-up is in the name.

A name tells potential customers who you are and what you do and gives them a reason to walk in your door.

A name shouts out from your signage that you exist and are open for business.

A name defines the business . . . telling the world you have goods and services they desire!

My name sounded like maybe you were going to be injured when you came to the counter!

Not an auspicious beginning Joy!

There was one advantage to this ambiguous name . . . 

I'll never forget the day a line of ladies were checking out at the counter . . . 

One said, "My husband is beginning to wonder why your shop is listed for every other check I write in our checkbook."

The lady behind her remarked, "My husband asked the same question . . . I told him this was the deli where I get his lunch meat."

These husbands were going to be shocked when they found out who I was.

All this to say,

 there are easier ways to succeed in business and

there are harder ways to succeed in business!

I can recommend many tips for success based on my early days of trial and error!

Stay tuned as Joy continues to explore business!

Think You've Got What It Takes?

You think you've got what it takes? 

This isn't for the faint of heart.

If you've been following along, you know I'm talking about finding your

R E A L   J O Y

in life,

namely,

 getting to do

every day

what you love

most.

For me, that's retail.

The wonderful world of seeking out,

gathering together,

displaying,

presenting

and

selling

the incredible ideas, products and services

that your

customers 

desire.

Watching them come back

again and again

and invest in you!

My specialty is in retailing - in a brick and mortar storefront

and 

building an incredibly loyal customer base

that loves what I can do for them.

If you've been dreaming about being in charge of your life,

of being your own boss

and

creating your own lifestyle

then follow along.

While retailing is not for everyone,

it just may be that you have what it takes.

Did you recognize yourself in the first two posts in this series?

Did you nod your head and think, "yep - that's me"?

Did you score well in the test on the previous blog?

You may be ready to embark on the most wonderful and exciting journey of your life!

I hear you - "it's intimidating, scary, overwhelming, a really big step" . . . .

IT IS!

There's no denying it - the energy and resources you'll invest will be greater than you've ever imagined.

That's why you shouldn't try it alone, or with less than adequate training and guidance.

Like flying a jet full of passengers,

you will have more success with the advice and coaching of an experienced professional.

When you have someone who's travelled the path successfully guiding you through the process,

it needn't overwhelm or defeat you.

Perhaps you've been in business for a while and are floundering . . . 

wondering why some shops are flourishing while yours is merely existing.

Sales may be lagging, customers lethargic, the competition looking fierce.

You have an opportunity to follow along and examine a multitude of ways you can improve your level of appeal, traffic, sales, business revenue, satisfaction and customer loyalty.

We will explore it all!

There's a

 R E A L    J O Y

in doing what you do so well that your customers recommend your business to their friends and family.

There's a 

R E A L    J O Y

in having testimonials from your customers - every day.

There's a 

R E A L    J O Y

in meeting  lots of "first time" new customers every day.

There's a 

R E A L   J O Y

in knowing your business is growing and thriving

 and you can breathe deeply and feel 

truly blessed.

If you think it might be time for you to take a step toward your 

R E A L    J O Y

follow along. 

Today, we're going to examine your 
CONCEPT
Lets talk about what you think you have to sell the world.

Who are you?
What's your concept?
Who cares?
What research have you done in this area?
What makes you think that you should open a shop?
Who else sells this same product/service?
Have they succeeded?
How will you do it better?
Who would become your customer?

Let's hear your answers.
Really!
Get out your pencil and answer these questions before you go any further.

This is the way I started out, nearly forty years ago:

Who are you?

I'm Joy, and I love antiques and history and home decorating.  I've studied and practiced what I love, and people say I'm good at it!

I have a penchant for turning the ordinary, boring, run of the mill room into a desirable, WOW space that people are excited to call their own.  

What's your concept?

Everyone who likes home decorating is looking for something that expresses who they are and how they want the world to perceive them.  They're bored with shopping the existing home furnishing and decor stores, because these venues don't offer enough items that are unique, original or exciting.

Who cares?

People I'm talking to have expressed an interest in sourcing unique, exciting home decor like they've seen in my home and in the homes I've helped style for family and friends.  The problem - They're not finding what they want, or can't quite envision what they can do to give their house a vibrant and "one of a kind" look!!!!

What research have you done in this area?

I've visited scores of home decor stores, large and small, chains and 'mom&pop' shops, and conversed with shop owners and salespeople about what their best selling items are and what customers are seeking that they can't find anywhere.  

What makes you think that you should open a shop?

Friends and family, and owners of and guests in the homes I've styled, have asked for my contact info, because they want me to help them restyle their homes.  They want to get that special look.  They say I should have a shop where they can come and purchase the sort of unique items I've procured.  They love what I do and wish they had access to my style.  When I mention what I do, people clamour to learn more and they ask for my advice.  They love the items I'm showing them.

Who else sells this same product/service?

Interior Designers provide a similar service, but on a one on one basis - and they can be a little intimidating and more pricey because of the time they invest.  Antique shops are often filled with great old things, but not with an eye to what their customers are seeking.  No shop exists in my area that does what I want to do, on a personal level.

No one around has a retail shop where interesting antique items have been chosen for their originality, personality and usefulness.

Big stores in the area try . . . but . . . 

Have they succeeded?

They can satisfy a lot of people, but not the niche group that I'm focused on.  The big stores have ignored this strata of customers, because it demands personal searching which is more time consuming and customer oriented than they can be.  They can't stock a big store with the hand picked antiques I'm talking about.

How will you do it better?

I've got a knack for identifying and sourcing one of a kind and antique items that create excitement and desire with people in my area.  I want to get to know my customers and then buy the things that express their personalities.  I want to offer more personalized service.  I want to share the story behind each piece I have for sale. I love to bring history to life, I want to cherish and re-use and bring new life to old objects.

Who would become your customer?

I believe a large number of the customers who shop in the local home decor super stores are less than satisfied, with service, product quality and choice of merchandise.  I believe half of them would prefer the chance to shop in a smaller, more personal environment and to deal with the owner.  I think antiques lovers will become my customers, as well as home decorators.  I believe people of any age or income can appreciate what I want to present.


Apply these questions to your concept and think about your answers.
Do you have a great concept?
  
Stay tuned for the next installment
of
finding your
R E A L   J O Y

Who's Going To Tell You?

 Who's going to tell you when you're growing up that you can explore the desires of your heart 

and  create your own business

and

do anything you really want to do?

And,

if someone does tell you

are you going to remember it

and take it to heart?

We are more likely to be pressured into choosing a major in college,

and then,

following through on that because,

after all,

all that money was spent on our education

and we 

NEED

to be doing something in whatever field we chose to spend money being educated.

Or,

we grow up and get married and begin creating our home and family

and

get a little bogged down 

with the daily stuff that makes up life...

and when we look for a job,

we take the one that fits our schedule

and is easy to drive to 

and

oooohhhhh

so many other parameters that make sense at the time.

And so it goes . . . 

the artist is doing data entry

and the dancer is working for a bank . . . 

and

 YOU KNOW 

what I'm talking about here!

So,

we dream a little . . .  and wish we could jump careers

and be what we always wished we could be.

We ponder and we scribble a plan on the back of an envelope

and we talk to our best friend about how we really

wish

we were able to live our dream

but . . . 

"maybe in a few more years . . . "

But we've grown up to be responsible adults with people depending on us and reputations for being reasonable and dependable and careful.

So,

we keep on keeping on

and 

count the years till retirement and pension.

Maybe

 THEN

we will take off and lead mountain climbing expeditions

or

open that Bed and Breakfast

or

antique shop.

Even then we look at the things that bring us our real joy

and know that there are

  perils and dangers and risks

oh my!

There are statistics about how many people start businesses and see them fail in the first two years.

We don't know where to start.

We aren't certain we can do it.

What if????

And so . . . . we don't.

We weigh the pro's and the con's and let the naysayers tell us we are too inexperienced

or too old

or too something.

I'm here to encourage you.

I'm here to cheer you on.

I'm here to lay out before you the questions you should ask yourself

if

you're debating whether

 you can follow your heart,

if

you dare to dream

if

you can begin to do the things you've always wanted to do,

if you can find your

 real joy

Let's take a preliminary quiz to see if you have the entrepreneurial spirit : 

1. Have you daydreamed about the thing you'd be doing if you didn't "have" 

    to be where you are?

2. Have you taken pencil to pad and actually tried to sketch out the desire of your heart?

3. Have people told you, "you should be doing" that certain something instead of what you                

    ARE doing?

4. Do you find yourself sharing this interest/dream with other people?

5. Do you teach others what you know?

6. Do people ask you to teach them about your interests?

7. Do you get energized just thinking about this desire?

8. Would you rather be doing this activity than anything else you can think of?

9. Are you an expert or set on becoming an expert in this field?

10. Are you hesitating because someone has convinced you you can't succeed?

11. Are there fears about the mechanics of proceeding?

12. Are you a problem solver?

13. Do challenges weary you?

14. Do people like you and enjoy being around you?

15. Do you have a reputation for being honest and trustworthy?

16. Can you work long hours?

17. Do you have a need to prove that you're right, or can you concede a point with grace     

     even when you know the other person is wrong?

18. Are you good with money management?

19. Are you willing to wash the windows, sweep the floor and clean the toilet in addition to  

      doing what you love?

20. Are you organized?

21. Are you a smiler or a frowner?

22. Can you keep your personal opinions to yourself?

23. Do you have a knack for reading people's body language or verbal clues?

       (are they healthy, depressed, sad, happy, anxious, scared, excited?) 

24. Are you a happy, vivacious, outgoing person?

25. Are you a good listener?

I don't think I really need to give the correct answers - but 1-9, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 18-20, 22-25 should be a happy, vivacious YES!  

13 and 17 should be a resounding "NO"!  

10 and 11 are designed for contemplation. 

 I hope 21 is "smiler" - cause that's what people are counting on from you!

If you took this preliminary quiz and feel you have most of the marks of an entrepreneur, then I think you're on your way. 

Continue on our journey

 and learn more about finding your

Real Joy

Confessions Of A Non Organic Type Girl Who's Trying To Repent

Subtitle:

Joy's Most Simple List Of How Life Will Begin Improving In 2014

(Because it wouldn't let me make the title above any longer.)

Okay . . . 

Confession #1

so I've

  never been a

 real successful,  long-term, granola eating, organic type,

 health food kinda girl.

I've had my moments - notoriously profound and always relatively short lived,

 of getting my act together and eating 'right', 

doing lots of home cooking and taking plenty of vitamins.

Truth is, 

I'm totally busy loving my two wonderful antiques shops, styling homes, travelling around to buy antiques, being a voracious reader, teaching a class and loving social media, 

not to mention family, church and friends.

I keep occupied.

There are things I let slide.

Filing, bookkeeping, dusting, cooking.

Junking,

(I mean antiquing), 

is much more interesting than a lot of other things!

Confession #2

I prefer to keep up with the things I like doing, and

find justification for not doing other things.

Besides, healthy cooking and eating just sound soooooo boring and time consuming

 and as if 

potato chips and bacon could be prohibited!!!!!

Can you relate so far?

Can I hear an 'AMEN'?

However,

2014

is slated to be my year to do some things I promised myself I'd accomplish in 2013.

(And 2012 . . .  and 2011 . . .  and . . .  you get the picture . . . )

I'm NOT going to go crazy gangbusters and flash in the pan right off the bat.

(Is that wayyyy to many colloquialisms in one sentence?)

I AM beginning in a moderate way,

to improve.

I'm a simple 

'one step at a time' 

kinda girl.

I have to prove to myself that this will be worth the 

time, money and effort it will involve.

and that bacon will not become a thing of the past - just saying . . . 

Confession #3

I truly

 don't care to hear one peep

 out of those who already have found nirvana in eating everything organic.

Or those of you who cook everything from scratch and bake your own bread 

and make your own butter.

Love you girls . . . but I don't need ANY pressure here.

(Read "encouragement" or "suggestions" or "recipes".)

This blog is by a successful, professional, leadership type,

(stubborn, hard headed, firstborn,

gotta do it my way)

 sort of girl

who has just taken the first simple step and will proceed at her own pace.

Confession #4

That said, 

if you want to read along and hear the pitfalls and progress of what I'm trying,

then

 welcome to my world.

I'm going to share some 

V E R Y

 simple ways to make life better in 2014.

Simple.   

Repeat: Simple.

Confession #5

I hate a hard sell.  

I detest salesman trying to push products. 

 I abhor friends and family members conning me into something they're sold on.  

I hang up on telephone solicitors.

-I'm a nice person - really I am - 

I was helping my daughter in the kitchen on Christmas day

 and reached into the fridge for milk for my coffee,

 and found 

a GLASS milk bottle. 

 Like from the 1950's.

It read organic. 

 I rolled my eyes.

 She's healthy . . . they eat real food . . . she writes a blog . . . 

okay -she's perfect.

I only have cream in my fridge.  For coffee. 

 I don't tolerate milk.

I mean, my digestive tract doesn't tolerate milk.

I spent too many years being force fed milk as a kid, and was ALWAYS suffering.

Who knew in the 1950's that people couldn't digest cow's milk as well as calves can?

Anyway, I took note while rolling my eyes.

'Door to Door Organics'.

She tells me they really deliver to her door.

"Not just milk mom - all the groceries you need."

"We go to Costco occasionally for some things, but basically, these guys do the bulk of our work for us now."

I ask, "doesn't the milk spoil while the food sits outside your door all day when you're away from home?"

(Can you hear my doubtful tone and sarcasm?)

"Nope - they pack it in ice and you can leave a cooler in a special place and they follow your instructions!"

I think to myself, 

it sure would be nice to not have to go grocery shopping.

End of thought process for that topic.

Later on I thought,

I get into trouble choosing groceries, NOT because I'm stupid or uneducated about what's good for me - but because I am tired and hungry and want immediate gratification and don't want to stand around cooking after Ive been on my feet for 10 hours.

**Please note - this is NOT an advertisement - just the facts of what I'm learning this week - about a bunch of things, including myself.**

Confession #6

Several days later, after a terrible bout of my lifelong diverticulitis and feeling generally miserable, 

I thought to myself,

"you need to get healthy and stop eating all the junk food and processed garbage that you exist on".

Boring!

Time consuming!

Expensive!

The end of the foods I love!

I'm too old to change!

I don't want to!

were my responses to self.

Can you just

 see

 the two little shoulder sitting creatures - angel and devil - sending messages to my brain?

Back to work, 

and my daughter and I are in the shop together

 and she's online during a quiet moment,

 ordering her weekly delivery of Door to Door Organics.

I try to peek over her shoulder in a nonchalant way to see what it looks like, 

but she's done in a flash 

and 

I get nothing.

Hey - I'm not so proud.

I ask what that's all about and she brings their page up and shows me the simplicity of the weekly package,

in which I can swap around

 and substitute items I like for those I wouldn't eat,

and order anything I want from their list of about 1,000 groceries.

(and they have sales - like in your regular grocery store.)

I sit down to check it out. 

 I try a mock order - (you know) - just to see how

 complicated and tasteless and expensive and annoying it will all turn out to be . . . 

and she gives me an "invitation" code that gets me 50% off my first order on the basic box.

What can I say . . . 

I'm progressive and experimental and open minded . . . 

It arrives tomorrow.

I am thankful that my dear daughter is so smart.  I don't know where she gets it from!

Confession #7

Meanwhile,

don't preach at me

to do a clean sweep of my pantry and freezer.  

I will eat my bacon and my chips and my Paul Newman pepperoni pizza and all the other non organic goodies I have in the house. 

 I may even buy more if I feel like it!

In my delivery tomorrow I'm getting:

3 sweet potatoes

3 Roma tomatoes

green kale

1 avocado

garbanzo beans

almonds in dark chocolate and sea salt

ah haaaa!

broccoli

1 large orange

1 anjou pear

2 granny smith apples

2 bananas

2 pork chops

stew beef

half & half

raw sugar

butter

whole wheat bread

asiago and parmesan cheeses

olive oil

sea salt

all organic, mostly local or Colorado,

some Kosher

tada!

It's a small beginning . . . taking a step toward the good life.

There are wonderful recipes and meal suggestions for simple cooks like me.

I have a link to 100 ultra healthy crock pot meals from some health food nut online, so I can be inspired to have supper ready when I get home.

Not just soups and stews and mushy things either. 

I never knew I could bake and brown a whole chicken in the crock pot! 

I'm gonna blog through this and be frightfully honest with you.

So that's my beginning and so far . . . 

it couldn't be easier!

*January is "white sale" month - linens are on sale at the best prices of the year.

Take a quick look at yours and see if this is the time to replace any!

* Stamp prices go up on January 26th - so you may wish to purchase more "Forever" stamps at the old prices before the cost goes up!

* Did you know that laughing out loud burns lots of calories?