My Destiny

Everyone should do something that they love. Their job. Their family. Their life. Since leaving Macy's, I have come to the realization that there is a life out there. Sometimes, that life can be cruel. Sometimes, one can be hurt by those they love. But, there is a life that we can live. In my life, there have been a lot of ups and downs. I like to think there have been more ups. Right now, I have been living a down part with hopes of getting back up. I had a job once in Texas that I loved. It was a lot of fun, mainly because I had fun people to work with. There were days that I would come in to work despite not being on the schedule. Or, I would work past the time I was supposed to get off. They would have to make me leave or drag me out of there. I didn't want to go home. So, what was I doing that I loved so much? I sold Books and Records. It was for a department store called Sanger-Harris. Despite us being a department within a larger store, our Record Department was one of the largest in the metroplex for sales. In fact, when Elvis died, we were the only store in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area to get Elvis records the day after he died. We sold out of our first batch within 20 minutes of the breaking news. But, I had enough clout that I was able to get my supplier to go to a warehouse in Oklahoma to get Elvis records and bring them back for sale the next day. I love selling music. I did it some at Belk, as I was also the music buyer. Since 1976, I have been a serious collector of music, even though I bought a lot before then. It became my passion. Over the years, my collection grew. My father was always saying that I should sell it, and I have for about 20 years on the internet and through mail-order, but I have a lot more in my collection. My collection consists of records, tapes, videos, books, autographs, posters, toys, memorabilia, and lots more. Over the years, I have visited some of the best stores in the country and paid attention to how they merchandised their stuff. Some used signs. Some used multimedia. Some used the internet as a secondary tool. Some advertised. I have pulled the best from these stores for my idea. My destiny is to open a store in Columbia to sell my stuff. When I left Belk in 1996, people asked me what I was going to do. My answer was that I was going to open a store. I couldn't get financing, so I had to go to work at Rich's in order to eat. The store idea was put on the back burner. Several friends have encouraged me to open a store, but none wanted to partner with me. Here is the problem for fulfilling my destiny--I don't have the money to open a store. I have the inventory, conservatively estimated at over $100,000 and most likely a lot more, but I cannot afford a store. I have heard about places that use a percentage of store sales as rent. I don't know if that is possible, but if anybody knows, please tell me. I have been reluctant to go into detail as to how I would run a store, because I didn't want anyone to steal my ideas. After all, Wendy's made a TV commercial based on a play I wrote in seminary, and there was nothing I could do. But, I have been giving it a great deal of thought and preparation. So, here is a bit of my plans for a store:
1. I would use multimedia to spark interest inside the store.
2. I would use the internet to advertise, as well as sell beyond the store.
3. I would send out mailers to everyone I knew with a one-time discount to get people in.
4. I would have daily sales based on the birthdays of artists.
5. I would accept consignment from fellow collectors who wanted exposure.
6. I would ask radio friends to promote my store.
7. I would try and sell stuff below what it is worth.
I have other ideas, too. Everything I have set out to sell has been successful. For example, I had the number one Lamp Department in the entire Rich's company in sales. I was in the top five in sales in the Luggage Department in Macy's. I have won sales contests. I know a lot about pop culture memorabilia. I seem to know what people want and stay on top of trends. My idea is to have store around 1600 sf, if possible. It would be ideal in an area near Five Points or the University. There is no other place in South Carolina with my merchandise mix. Probably the closest would be Atlanta, but maybe not even there. The uniqueness of the store would be obvious, and the buzz would be tremendous. And, how much of an investment would it be? That would depend on the area, but I would imagine somewhere in the $50,000 range. All I ask is someone to say yes to being my partner in getting me going with a store. They would not regret it. That is my destiny.