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rainbowtoys · Jul 29, 2009, 07:48 PM

Dear friends,
I am writing to ask your kind help. I have worked in toy field for six years and especially know many about plush toy. Now I want to start a toy store by myself, the aim age is 0-12. But I worry about whether I can choose a good place, please give me some advice how to find a good place for my store and what I should do before the store starts. I am looking forward to your reply. Thanks a lot.
Sincerely,
Shirley

N0help4u · Jul 29, 2009, 07:54 PM

One of my biggest complaints about stores that are not in shopping centers or malls is the street parking. If the streets are full of cars all the time and there is no small lot then I would avoid those stores.

rainbowtoys · Jul 30, 2009, 12:27 AM

Originally Posted by N0help4u

One of my biggest complaints about stores that are not in shopping centers or malls is the street parking. If the streets are full of cars all the time and there is no small lot then I would avoid those stores.

Dear friend, many thanks for your precious advice. I will choose one of the nearest shops to Walmart. And please suggest what I should do before the store starts. Do I need make a market survey? Or some advertising? If yes, what are the best questions for the survey and the best methods for the advertising. Of course , the best is they are not expensive. Thanks again.

mudweiser · Jul 30, 2009, 12:50 AM

I would suggest driving around the city and taking note where there are more children around playing.

I believe the more children there are in the area the better the business.

Just a thought.

Sarah

rainbowtoys · Jul 30, 2009, 03:05 AM

Originally Posted by mudweiser

I would suggest driving around the city and taking note where there are more children around playing.

I believe the more children there are in the area the better the business.

Just a thought.

Sarah

Dear Sarah,
Thanks for your great tips! So I think the place around school will be the best choice.
I would like to watch close and make some survey. Come back to you soon.
Best regards!
Sincerely,
Shirley

SmallBizExpert · Aug 19, 2009, 07:16 PM

Good location is key. It must have good traffic, but you must also make sure the rent is affordable. I would suggest looking at several sites that you like and then depending on the terms choose one of them. Having kids in the immediate area is a big help, but you must also decide if there is too much competition also.

You want to open your store with a bang. Have some kind of special event that deals with children such as a storyteller, magic show or have a contest for the cutest baby or child. I prefer post card advertising the best, because you know at least your info was looked at. Many letters or newspaper ads never get seen.

Make sure you build a mailing list from day 1. You can have them fill out a form and have some kind of drawing to encourage customers to leave their info. Also, having a short survey with a few questions can help you tremendously with your business.