The new year is always a great time to go through your inventory. If you have a small business, you may be like me and organizing your work- space takes the back burner. There is too much to do when you run the entire show and it falls to the bottom of the list.
In the past two years the focus of Blue Egg Brown Nest has turned towards more Refinishing Services and Online Interior Design Services. This means that I don’t carry as much inventory. I used to buy & sell much more. It’s just how things have worked out. If I am slammed refinishing I don’t have time to hunt for vintage pieces to sell. Carrying stock is really hard, especially when it is furniture. My garage is completely full of furniture and it’s still not enough space!
I spent a bit of time looking around at my garage last weekend. I pulled out a few tables and touched them up. I had DH fix a few older pieces. I even decided to repaint a few things.
This brings me to an important question for us all.
What do you do when something has not sold? Do you repaint/alter or do you hold it?
It’s a really common question I get. Holding onto a piece means that you need to store it and that means you have to have excess room…somewhere.
How important is space to you? If you have your own shop it’s probably really important. I know a seller that if it does not sell in 4 weeks then she repaints the piece. Because of my lifestyle, I let it sit for much, much longer because eventually every piece finds a home. I know that this is not do-able for many.
However, having a piece not sell can be a mental challenge. It can become like writer’s block almost. You want to see pieces moving in and out of your work space to keep momentum going and feel like you are really productive and successful. If you need some motivation and to clear a block then it may be time to bite the bullet and repaint a piece that has not sold. Maybe the color you chose is too bold, maybe it is too soft. Maybe it would look better in a neutral where a client can visualize it in their room/s.
Repainting is no defeat. It is moving a piece. Don’t let your pride get in the way of a business decision. Just like our minds and our bodies, our businesses are always moving and in flux. Nothing ever stays the same and we must adapt and be flexible. Easier said than done, I know.
I really needed to read this today! I recently got stuck with a clients order because she has “dropped off the face of the earth” so to speak. I located a piece for her, painted it the color she wanted. Completed the project and voila! Nothing last I heard was an excuse as to why she couldn’t pick up. Has this happened to you? I never ask for money upfront. Maybe that’s my problem. Please help! SOS!! Lisa….
Perfect timing. I am struggling with the same thing right now…..can’t figure out why a neutral piece doesn’t sell when most people stop and say how perfect it would be in this room or that. It’s impossible to know what color someone will like or what knob they will like. It always makes me want to grab it and change it right away but what do I change it to?? Difficult. I think having a one month or two month rule might work for me….storage is an issue with me too. But I’m a beginner and really love the business and believe I have God’s blessing on it….so I’ll figure it out. But your thoughts always help me. Thank you!
So funny that you posted this! I can totally relate. My garage and basement are always FULL, and I have a wait list for custom projects. It’s hard to do it all. Recently I painted a bunch of items for a pop-up show happening this weekend. I took everything to the location and finally had the chance to clean up my space. It looks great now (relatively speaking for an unfinished basement studio/workshop that is supposed to double for a teen’s hangout space), but I am finding I want to “fill it up” again. Yet, I don’t know if anything will be coming back to my space after the event this weekend and I also have several large items that haven’t sold in my booth. Sigh! Love, love, love your work, style and posts! Thanks for the inspiration!! xo, Debbie Green from Green Nest Decor