Do you think it would be a mistake to open a scrapbook store

No way would I open a LSS. You have to sell a crap ton of paper to make the rent and I just don't see it as possible with so many online stores that can carry everything. It is impossible to compete with online stores when you have to pay rent, pay employees, etc. Overhead will kill you before you even start. 

I own my own small business (not scrapbook store) and it is a tough gig. Taxes are a huge issue as well.

Another thing I have learned is that you can love a hobby but as soon as you open a store doing that 'hobby' it no longer is fun. Its work and it sucks the joy right out of your hobby,

No. The foot traffic you’d get is not worth the overhead cost. I don’t think you’d make your break even every month.

Opening a store online? Maybe. I think the key to this industry right now is differentiation via new product. If you aren’t designing new product, there are plenty of other competitors just selling the same few scrapbook lines right now that are doing the exact same thing.

No, I don't think it would be a mistake but I would consider these things:

Asking the Small Business Administration for help with start up info and then look hard at all the financials. Figure out how you are going to staff the business. Will you be the only person in the store all of the time? Can you afford a part-timer? Look at all of this realistically not best case scenario.

Ask people, lots of people!, what they like best and what they like least about brick and mortar scrap stores. Take lots of notes. Can you implement those comments? Can you keep it going while you build your client base? How will you build your client base? Will you advertise? How? Will you offer coupons? How? Coupons really bring in customers especially since you will be fighting Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc.

The closest scrap store to me (it closed a few years ago) used to make me nuts with the way they did a few things. First, and this is a big one!, the staff used to act like they were doing everyone a favor by even being open. I mean the attitude of these women was just too much. The owner was always in the back at her desk and not out front talking to the customers, even just to say hi. The value of being nice and friendly cannot be measured in dollars and cents, but is integral in the success of a small business. Like most people, I'm more likely to shop at a store where I like to spend time browsing. I like to spend time browsing in stores where the people are friendly.

Second, the store offered crops but they were always, always at the same time. I asked if they would consider offering them at a different time just occasionally and was told no. It would have been nice to have my request not cut off so quickly, but I already said they weren't so nice. But the thing is, for every one person that asks for something, there are lots that aren't asking but want the same thing. My point is to try to be flexible with crops and classes to accommodate lots of schedules. And offer some in the daytime!

It's hard for small scrap businesses to rival the online offerings but it's important to keep fresh stock. Have a plan for what you will do with stock that is not moving. Consider focusing on certain lines if necessary and foregoing others. This would be best discovered with customer surveys or just asking every customer or potential customer what they'd like to see in your store. (The store near me ended up having stale stock. New stuff came in at a snail's pace.)

I loved that the store offered a garage sale for their customers with the participants' proceeds being used as a credit in the store. They charged a fee for table space (one fee for half a 6 foot table and a separate fee for the whole table.)

The store had an enclosed area for kiddos that had a tv and DVDs, and some toys. The walls surrounding the area were half walls so the kids could be heard and seen but wouldn't be able to get hurt, wander away, or play with the stock.

There was not a bathroom in the store, but they shared space in a building that did have bathrooms available. They were close to the store entrance. Although we had to leave the store to go potty, we didn't have to leave the building. It's important to have a place for customers use a rest room because they are more likely to linger and browse or more likely to participate in crops/classes if there is a bathroom available.

I love to support the local businesses, especially small businesses, and would definitely try your store before shopping online. Also, I really miss being able to touch and see scrap supplies!

Don't. Never open a business that depends on people's fun money.

No not with LSS closing left right and centre.

There are 3 in the DFW area, all spaced quite a ways apart.

I lived many years in Northern Virginia. At one point in our area, we had five LSS. When the last one closed, the owner tried to sell it, but the only offer she got was too low, so she just did sales to recover what she could.

Right after she closed, I discovered a new paper arts store. It has stock for scrapbookers, but also those who want to do art journals, mixed media, and other paper arts. She seemed to do really well, but I think she found a location that was affordable, and that was not so far away from where the last LSS had been. That was a good area, with a lot of crafters. Location matters, both for overhead costs and for customers.

Some areas will support having a scrapbook store, some won't. Scrapbookers who want to open a store but have no business expertise do not usually do well. Also, if you open a store, you will never have time to scrapbook again.

No, personally, I just wouldn't.

As a shopper, I'd love a new b&m store to touch and feel all the new goodies.

But realistically, a small business owner probably couldn't do enough business to cover overhead, absorb losses due to stale stock, and compete with big box stores to make a living.

In the age of online consumerism, you need to have new stock nearly weekly to keep it fresh.

It would really be difficult to be successful at.

Yes, I think it would be a mistake. There is a reason so many LSS have gone out of business.

Lots of good advice in this thread. I’ll add that if you can, I’d suggest trying to talk with the owner of Scrappin in the City in Nashville. I heard her describe her business model on an episode of The Scrapgals podcast, and it seemed like a pretty brilliant way to keep fresh stock for those who want the latest product and also satisfy the bargain hunters. I also think being able to open in a house vs renting a commercial building seems the more affordable route.

Good luck with your decision!

Aren’t there already a couple of scrapbook stores and a stamp store in Houston?

Terrible mistake. I seriously was going to do that at the height of the scrapbook industry. If you get a SBA loan, you have to put your house up as collateral, I almost did that. Maybe in ten years when the industry may get popular again...who would have thought macrame would make a comeback!

After reading additional responses, I decided to add a few more thoughts.

I disagree that opening a scrabook store is a bad idea these days. However, you have to have a very wide appeal, offer products, services, and classes that the big box craft stores can't. You need to have a business background, and the right location. It's a tall order. Most of the LSS that ended up closing were not able to meet all those requirements.

I once considered opening a scrapbook store. Others in the area where I used to live (Northern VA) beat me to it. I got to know the owners of two of the stores fairly well because I taught classes at their stores and got to be good friends with them. After seeing what it took to run their LSS, I was very glad that I never did open my own LSS.

After I moved to the DFW area, I was happy to find there are 3 LSS here, but NONE are in easy driving distance for me. One of the 3 LSS here recently moved to a location that is more like a consignment shop with booths. She now has 4 booths there. That LSS owner never had any employees. It was just her to run the business, so it appears this was the only way she could keep her LSS open. The best LSS in the area is in a big storefront, in a small town SE of DFW. It takes me 1 hour 15 minutes to drive there. They seem to be doing well, but they do mixed media, and all kinds of fun classes. They have a really decent sized inventory. If I want to make the drive, they are definitely the store where I prefer to shop. The third LSS has a small store and a very limited inventory. They do a lot of faith journals, card making, and home decor classes and kits. They are the most convenient for me, but my stash seems bigger than their stock. They seem to do fairly well, though. They have their loyal customer base.

You definitely want to do your homework before you decide to take such a plunge. It is possible to succeed, but it is not easy. It would take over your life. You would have little to no time to do any crafting of your own. Good luck whatever you decide.

As others have mentioned, you have to sell a ton of low priced items to make the rent. I think one thing that helps a scrap store is having classes that use a lot of products so that customers will buy those products after the class. Also having crops I think helps. And know your market. Maybe there are a lot of mixed media people in your area.

One small store I used to love would never reorder. Their customers knew this and would be sure to make it to the store often to check out the new stuff. They also had classes with some of the bigger names in the industry of the time.

Whatever you decide, good luck! It is a lot of hard work and my take the fun out of scrapping for you.

Scrappin in the City is in Knoxville, not Nashville. Nashville doesn’t have any scrapbook stores.