Business At A Glance
Startup Costs: $10,000 – $50,000
Online Operation? No
Business Overview
Heading into the new millennium, specialization is the buzzword forretail ‘bricks and mortar’ businesses, and opening a lingerie shop fitsthe bill perfectly. Get started by selecting a highly visible storelocation for your business.
Malls and strip malls are a good choice(though you’ll want to make sure there’s no “big name” competitors) andyou will only require less than 1,000 square feet, so the rent shouldbe reasonable. Next you will want to establish accounts with lingeriemanufacturers and distributors. Harness the power of the Internet tolocate these companies. The rest is pretty straightforward; you stockyour store and sell your products.
In addition to selling lingerie fromthe storefront location, also consider hiring sales consultants to hostin-home lingerie parties as a way to bolster sales and profits. Adirect mail campaign and mail-order catalog can also be used toincrease revenues. You can also specialize by stocking hard-to-findplus sizes, maternity lingerie and specialty items.
The Market
Your customers are women looking for lingerie and men looking to buytheir wives and girlfriends lingerie. (Though don’t leave the menout–you can also stock silk boxers and similar items.)