I was really inspired by the January issue of Real Simple magazine because I thought their shopkeeper profiles in Meet the shopkeepers: Five women who are following their dreams ? and selling great stuff along the way was just great. Did you catch that yet?

Lovely ladies: top left clockwise – Kim, Shannon, Amy, Nancy, and Diane.

For int’l readers and others interested, I’ll recap. They featured Nancy Laboz of Parcel, Sage owner Shannon Kitchens, Diane Campbell of The Candy Store in San Francisco (I first read about her via Daily Candy, how fitting), Amy McCawley from The Livable Home, and finally the lady behind Outdoor Divas — Kim Walker.

What encouraged me about each of these spirited ladies is that they’ve each built a successful business primarily around negative emotions they were feeling – frustration due to a need that wasn’t being filled in their local community. Of course, other reasons cited had to do with a desire to follow a childhood passion or the urge to share something they’re into with others, but again – it was all about filling a need.

Nancy wanted to do something with all the collections that she and her husband had since both love to scour flea markets and found that they ultimately needed to do something with all the great things that resulted from their hunts.

Kim was tired of shopping several stores in Vail, all with inexperienced staff, to find sporting gear so she created a customer service driven store carrying woman-specific gear.

Shannon was fed up with only finding trendy clothes in boutiques that also flaunted hefty price tags. Her goal was to open an affordable boutique and Sage in Atlanta was born, now with two locations.

Diane has loved candy since she was a child, selling it out of her locker at school, so her business was born out of a love of candy and a desire to share the sweetness on San Francisco’s Russian Hill where she wanted to live her dream and again, fill a void.

Amy is an Interior Designer who was sick of being covered in dog hair from her 3 fur kids. When clients wanted to see her home, she felt embarrassed by the overwhelming “fur factor” and would cringe at the thought of having them over. This resulted in forming The Livable Home, a business focused solely on furniture with fabrics that are guaranteed to stand up to the demands of owning pets and having young children.

Again, see a pattern here? These ladies turned a negative situation into a positive one — filling a gap. If you don’t have access to a particular product you love, well complaining won’t change that. View a void as a call to action – if you see something is missing, step up and change it, right? Being innovative isn’t about copying the idea of someone else and then just rolling it out with your name on it, it’s about finding a need, filling a void, and actively seeking to fill that need through your business. That’s how decor8 came about. And if you own a business, you may think of your roots and see the same beginnings – you built your product based on what you weren’t seeing – but desired to see.

Whether that’s a storefront, a website, a blog, Etsy, DaWanda, Ebay, Trunkt, etc. there’s really no excuse to not listen to your voice nowadays with so many platforms that exist where you can get started. If you’re frustrated by lack, rise to the challenge and turn that lack (negative) into a business (positive).

No summer indie market in your city like Renegade or Felt Club, well look into starting your own. Can’t find a blog that targets your passion (floral design, gocco printing, etc.), then do some research and start your own. Freak at the thought of attending yet another craft fair only to see mostly booths packed with jewelry and handbag designers when you want to find some good vintage stuff? Talk to the market owner about renting a space and sell vintage finds yourself.

What frustrates you? Can you do something about it? Find a need, fill the gap. It’s really that simple.

(image taken by holly becker for decor8)

11 Responses to “Real Simple: Shopkeeper”

1 Uncle Beefy commented:
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:38 pm

I generally only pick up Real Simple from time to time. Probably would have missed this. I’ll take all the inspiration I can get.

You’re gittin’ me all fired up, Holly!
2 Melissa de la Fuente commented:
January 3rd, 2008 at 6:12 pm

Hi Holly,
By the way….Nancy’s shop(Parcel) is out here where I am and is absolutely gorgeous. It is most definitely worth a trip if anyone is near New Jersy…..it is a wonderland which can’t be done justice on paper. You have to see it in person. Also, Nancy is very nice and helpful. Just thought I would mention this in the spirit of supporting and encouraging small business. Nancy’s shop is in Montclair,NJ.
xo
Melissa
3 moline commented:
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:33 pm

Great article! My whole crafting business started because I could nort find appropriate things. When my first child was born I wanted to have baby blankets and patchwork things but they were too awful or too expensive so I tried making them myself. Did the same with doll clothes for Pauline and the kitchen for Moritz. If you are frustrated with what is on the market or you are short of money to buy things on the market you have to be innovative and make your own. And I love it when somebody has the guts to open a shop, to take a risk and to put new ideas to the market.
Like you I try to convince friends who craft to expose their things on Flickr, etsy, Dawanda but they think I am talking nonsense and want to be nice to them. But I don’t give up!
4 Kim Gobbi commented:
January 4th, 2008 at 3:02 am

Holly, as usual, I love your shop girl posts. As a shop owner they always hit home and get me thinking! My shop came about for similar reasons, I wanted to promote organic fashion and indie design in a market that I find increasingly filled with mass produced clothing and jewelry that all looks the same. Boutiques are such a great way to support indie and more and more women are stepping up to fill this niche. So great to be part of such and inspiring community!
5 Francis commented:
January 4th, 2008 at 3:52 am

Hi holly – What would you say is your biggest source of revenue from your blog? I’m interested in starting one but not sure how I can create cashflow. Thanks!
6 coco+kelley commented:
January 4th, 2008 at 4:46 am

I hardly ever pick up Real Simple anymore – but I love little inspirational pieces like this! (And I think you just made it that much better). It’s all about turning the negative into a positive. You’ve started the new year with a wonderful perspective, and I just wanted to say THANK YOU!

~ cassandra
7 Angela commented:
January 6th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

Thanks for sharing this! Like other people who commented, I don’t always pick up Real Simple. But this article sounds like a great read!

I definitely started my “side project” out of frustration with my day job and a desire to return to my creative passions.
8 chrissy commented:
January 8th, 2008 at 6:14 pm

Holly,

Thanks again for more inspiration. I’m currently sitting in what some people might see at the cat bird seat – I have a job as a visual merchandiser with a successful gallery and just received a call from a major publisher asking me to interview for an editor position. Sounds great, but what I really, really want to do is open my own Rare Device/Reform School right here in Iowa. I would love, love, love and be forever in your debt (lots and lots of ads!) if you could squeeze as much practical advice as possible out of these wonderful women. I bought Craft, Inc. and am using it as a jumping-off point, but i really want to know stuff like whether to go thru SBA or find investors, how much it really takes ($$) to start, can one actually afford $2,000 rent selling cards and gifts in the town’s touristy area – stuff like that. What comes first, second and third. I’m not afraid of failing, I just afraid I don’t know how to get started. Thanks a ton for all your work and especially what you’ve shared so far this year – inspires us!
9 avrilloreti commented:
January 10th, 2008 at 5:09 pm

Holly,

Thanks for such a motivating piece! I’m going to have to pick up the Real Simple Issue as well now!

With the beginning of the new year there’s a lot of us that are starting to get some new initiative going and it’s always important and exciting to hear of people who took that scary leap to step off the beaten path and follow their dreams… and then best of all, they have succeeded!

2008 is going to be a great year!
10 AnastasiaC commented:
January 24th, 2008 at 11:26 pm

im definetely going to look out for that issue…we’ve still got the Dec07 issue on the stands here in Australia – i love reading about women entreupeners!
11 metro home style commented:
February 10th, 2008 at 6:06 pm

Thanks for sharing this article – I might have missed it totally! I opened my store because there just didn’t seem to be many stores in our area that offered products that were designed well, made well and priced right!

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