20% Discount
Jan 9th, 2012 by Isa2
As we consider the wisdom of continuing with our store found at www.africanfabricsales.com we none the less start the new year with our store wide 20% discount sale.
The web store was created to continue a business under THIS name that I was no longer pursuing in person at fairs, festivals, and quilting & sewing conferences. While I have seen some growth each year, the sales overall have been lower than I had hopes of achieving.
This is partly due to the primary problem that really small business owners face: under-capitalization. It’s hard to make a business such as this grow when one is hampered in purchasing enough inventory to keep the store enticing.
Then too, I also live in the boondocks, and while there are a number of wholesale fabric websites where I can shop, I don’t really like buying fabric that I can’t touch. Perhaps you are also like this. But in my case, most of my suppliers have a no returns policy. None. So that if I do not like the quality of the fabric that arrives at my store room, I’m stuck with it. That’ll slow you down, when you receive new fabric and immediately discount it into clearance.
I have also shopped in person in New York, at warehouses, boutiques and outdoor markets, but with the cost of fuel now, a trip to NY can nearly double to cost of my inventory if I don’t have too much to invest in the first place.
And being able to afford to travel to Africa is quite simply out of the question at this time, never mind the costs of inventory, shipping, demurrage and brokers.
So we’re starting out with a discount sale for the month of January. If we do well, maybe we can get to New York and keep on keeping on.
Best Wishes,
Isa2
