Hemmed heritage and nylon nostalgia
By
Michelle
Hatcher
There is no doubt about it, there is money to be made in this industry, but where that money channels itself and how you are able to jump on the merry go round it engineers is another thing.
There are ways on capitalising on this wave of hemmed heritage and nylon nostalgia, and like with most things worth having, there is a key. There is always a way.
It is, as a friend said to me recently, this is now a saturated market. You can’t walk down the street without falling over a pair of kitten heels or Chanel suit. So you have to be quick thinking to stay ahead of the competition. One of the key secrets I found as a former trader myself, was to people watch. Take an afternoon out and go to a Lou Lou’s or a Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair. I promise you, if you can’t get up to Camden, Spitalfields or Portobello, then these mobile fairs are the best ones to go to, and watch the customers.. Stand back, and look carefully at your
Reputation these days is everything. When we, as businesses, rely so heavily on social media, it is paramount that any successful business will have made it up to the clouds by gathering an excellent social media following.
As a customer, you are more likely to buy from someone on the net who appears to have made good relationships with previous customers. Think like a customer and ‘shop’ around on line and find the traders with the biggest following. What do they post? Do they promote stock? Do giveaways? Competitions? Are they interactive with customer posts? Promote videos? All these things draw engagement from the followers.
Note down what you see and apply it to your own internet image and branding.
market, as indeed it is. Watch not only who buys what, but guess their age range, are they a student? Older person? How are they dressed? Do they have children of their own? Watch your market closely and see what people stop and look at. You won’t need to dress in a mac and pretend you work for GCHQ, but I will tell you this, these fairs are dynamite. They draw in the most eclectic crowds in all shapes and sizes. You will find it easier to tailor your market and add to your customer research list.
Stall holders, when they are not snowed under are chatty. In fact, if you spot someone who has a queue, wait for a gap and then talk to them. They are a world’s worth of experience and knowledge, and they will share that with you, so long as you don’t come across as being pushy or blocking their customers getting to them.
The word ‘vintage’ can't be harnessed and expected to encompass all. This week, The editor goes in search of the elusive niche.