5 Pillars of Arts & Crafts Retailing

Arts & crafts retailers have a unique place in the business climate of retail. For starters, your clientele is different from the clientele of most other retailers. You cater to the most creative element of society and, therefore, have much to offer the retail sector that can’t be had in many other places.

So what makes a valuable arts & craft retail establishment? ChainDrive offers the following five pillars of arts & crafts retail:

• Unique products for creative individuals – Art & crafts retailers cater to creatives. Your ideal client not only appreciates art, but likely produces it. That means you’ll carry products in your store that the arts & crafts practitioner likely can’t find anywhere else. These are specialty items that can only be found at a specialty store like yours. Operating in that environment likely means less competition for you, but it also means that the competition you do have is stiffer. Be proud of that.
• In-store events – If you want to foster store loyalty, the surest way to do that is to host in-store events for your clientele. That could mean art contests, art and craft classes, or other events such as speakers and art shows. Get your clientele to your store with an event and they will go shopping.
• Consignments – You may or may not sell art or art supplies on consignment. If you are considering it, however, you should know that consignments can be an extra source of income for you. If this is something you’re considering, you should have a system in place that helps you manage consignments.
• Value appraisals – Another way to increase your revenue and to provide extra value to your customers is to provide appraisal services. Artwork can go in the millions of dollars, but if you deal with local artists, you likely aren’t dealing with super-valuable items. Nevertheless, local artists can still produce items of high value. An appraisal service can help you establish yourself as a competitor in your niche.
• Warranties and certificates of authenticity– Managing warranties is very important. If you sell artwork, then you’ll need a way to manage warranties and certificates of authenticity. A retail software solution will give you the tools you need to manage every aspect of your arts & crafts store.

If you are starting an arts & crafts store or already manage one, consider a retail software management solution that will help you with the nuts and bolts.