sidewalk retail

It's a beautiful October day and it has just occurred to me that my sidewalk retail days are numbered. It's time to drag out all my vestiges of Christmas past with the hope that I can eat a decent dinner tonight, the ramen noodle thing is growing old. The benefit or detriment of my profession is the accumulation of items used in past displays. I have one of everything and sometimes 2 or 3 or 5 or 7 or 9,...hold that thought time to pitch a potential customer...I'm back ...SOLD! a pair of french doors and she was thrilled that they were the right size...Excuse me again, the hood is happening today, lots of strolling, seems that trying to write and sell wasn't such a good idea. It has calmed down now and I'm 100 bucks richer. I've been creating weekend sidewalk sales since the bottom dropped out, on a sunny day you can shop card table boutiques all over Philadelphia. The recession has forced us all out into the streets, there are 3 on my block alone. I generally poke my head out on Saturday morning to see if my neighbors have started their outdoor display process, we always make more sales when we are all out at the same time, the better the selection the more traffic we can stop. Throughout these sales I have re- learned many of the rules that I apply daily to my customers. Practice what you preach. DISPLAY DOES MATTER even on the low level that I am presenting my goods. I arrange my stuff in 'stories' like "Neo shabby chic" or "Atomic age retro' and a good deal of the time "My God what was I thinking" stories, Don't laugh it works...It's the most basic rule of display create a "look" even if the items are junk. I've always said that the first 5 seconds that a customer enters a store are the most important, in my case they are traveling at 40 m.p.h. so I have almost no time to make an impression, nothing makes me happier then to see them pull to the curb...because DISPLAY WORKS. Another hour has passed and I am up 75 bucks, real good considering I've been selling cheap Kinko's copies mounted on foam core..It never ceases to amaze me how movie star portraits sell, [in black and white no less] I am fortunate to live in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood brimming with art students and pioneering couples. The art kids are my favorite, excited to be on their own in a urban environment, I was like that once upon a time, [now I can't wait to get out ] you can see it in their fresh suburban faces as they gleefully dig thru my castoffs. " I've just moved in down the block and I have nothing" is the mantra they all chant "Well step this way I have everything" is my reply. The one thing they do have are worried parents making deposits in a checking account to cover their purchases. Many are return customers arriving to scope out what that "old guy" has put out this week. It's now 30 minutes later, I smiled my way thru a tedious story of how the neighborhood used to be, blah, blah, blah, delivered by a cousin of the former owner of my building, [this occurs at least twice a month]. Everyone around here is related somehow or another so to maintain tranquility in the hood be polite and appear to listen, then tell them you have a call to make, she left. I can now relate my second big secret for successful sidewalk retail. Put out the juicy stuff that you have no intention of selling, at a price no one will pay and be prepared for that one customer that might be willing to say, "I'll take it" The look of your "stories" will benefit from a glamorous "shill" object and if you don't want to sell it you can always tell them it was just sold and the buyer is picking it up later. When you see the disappointed look on their face simply lead them to a bargain that they can afford....Be right back this might be a sale... here I am again, just sold a chair 30 bucks not bad, had to help her get it in her car, Sidewalk service with a smile. My total for the day was 200, hardly a days receipts at Barney's, but at least there is a good dinner for me tonight. Bon Appetit